Why Tom Coughlin Could Go Down as the Best Big-Game Coach in NFL History

New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has been the victim of countless attacks by the New York media during his time with the G-Men, but he's always delivered in the most crucial of moments.

Coughlin's clutch ability came back during his days as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he took a 1995 expansion franchise to the playoffs in just the team's second year of existence. That 1996 season, the Jags made it to the AFC Championship game where Coughlin was defeated by Drew Bledsoe and the New England Patriots 20-6.

That season marked the start of four straight trips to the postseason for Jacksonville under Coughlin's regime, where the upstart franchise would win four of their first eight postseason contests. Coughlin achieved more with the Jaguars than any other coach has since his departure, and he was able to win some of the most improbable of postseason games during his tenure in Jacksonville.

Upon joining the New York Giants as the team's new head coach back in 2004, the New York-born coach had the G-Men back in the playoffs in just his second season.

Coughlin was able to work a deal bringing quarterback Eli Manning over to New York during the draft that season, and the rookie quarterback and second-year head coach brought Big Blue back to the postseason just three years after their last Super Bowl appearance.

Even with two postseason berths in three years however, the Giants fanbase began to sour on Coughlin, and as CBS' Ray Ratto believes, the idea of firing the head coach became a tradition.

His two playoff berths weren't enough to keep the coach out of the hot seat, as they both resulted in losses for New York. Then the improbable 2007 Super Bowl run happened.

Coughlin's team played upset to so many Super Bowl favorites that postseason, winning on the road against the likes of the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers and the 18-0 New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.

The Giants finished 2007 with a Lombardi Trophy thanks to the clutch coaching of Coughlin and his ability to instill confidence in a team that finished just 10-6 that regular season.

People like to talk about Bill Belichick and Tom Brady's ability to be cold and calculated in the biggest of games, but for Coughlin, every game has been big for him since his 8-8 2006 year, even after winning the Super Bowl.

Coaching in New York means dealing with the extra criticism, and yet Coughlin has done nothing but deliver win after win every time the rumblings about the possibility of his firing arises in the Metro area.

The Giants' head coach has dealt with the speculation in all the right ways by never addressing it in a negative manner and simply keeping his head down, letting his team's performance do the talking.

Big Blue entered the latter half of the 2011 regular season on a month-long losing streak, needing to defeat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14 and again in Week 17 to ensure a playoff appearance. Coughlin's team delivered on both occasions and has defeated the likes of the Atlanta Falcons as well as the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers in both teams' home stadiums.

The former Boston College head coach has a proven track record of winning in the big moments, especially when his team is the underdog in the fight, making the case for him as one of the all time great big-game coaches hard to deny.