Super Bowl 2012: Does a 2nd Ring Get Tom Coughlin into the Hall of Fame?

When Super Bowl XLVI kicks off, there's a lot at stake in terms of the legacies between each franchise's players and coaches.

However, in already having been head coach in four Super Bowls, going 3-1, and assistant coach in another three, going 2-1, Bill Belichick is an automatic Hall of Famer.

So what about New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin?

Well, let's break down his career and find out.

First NFL Stint (1984-1990)

For two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles then two more with the Green Bay Packers, Coughlin was the receivers coach after having been a quarterbacks coach, offensive coordinator and head coach in the college ranks.

Then 1988 happened and Coughlin was the Giants receivers coach through the 1990 season. At the time Belichick was also there under Bill Parcells and together they won Super Bowl XXV.

After another brief stint in college, Coughlin resurfaced with the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-2002)

After a 4-12 campaign in 1995, Coughlin would lead the Jaguars all the way to the AFC Championship in 1996 against Coach Parcells and Belichick, the Pats defensive coordinator at the time.

Including 1996, Jacksonville made four consecutive postseason appearances and during that span had a 45-19 record, was 4-4 in the playoffs and made two AFC title games (lost both).

Certainly a strong resume with an expansion team, however, Coughlin was gone after the 2002 season as he closed with three straight losing campaigns. After sitting out in 2003, he went to the Big Apple in 2004.

New York Giants (2004-Present)

Although Coughlin had a losing season in 2004 (6-10 record), the Giants had clearly made the right decision. For one, the organization had a guy who had previously coached there before and was part of a championship team.

Also, the Giants had just acquired Eli Manning via San Diego in the '04 draft and Coughlin is an offensive-minded coach. So, it was a perfect match despite all of the critics against Eli.

Then, once again, Coughlin made four straight postseason appearances from 2005-2008 and New York held a record of 41-13 during the span and went 4-3 in the postseason, including a win over the then-undefeated Patriots and Belichick in Super Bowl XLII.

Now, despite missing out on the playoffs in 2009 and 2010, the Giants didn't have a losing season and are now back in the Super Bowl versus New England again.

Verdict

Already having two Super Bowl rings with the New York Giants and the most recent being arguably the biggest upset in the game's history, Coughlin at the very least is on the fringe of Hall of Fame contention.

His time spent with Jacksonville is worth noting especially since the Jaguars were an expansion team, and Coughlin currently has a career record of 153-121 including the playoffs.

But a second Super Bowl win as a head coach makes him a lock for the Hall of Fame, especially since it would again be over Belichick's Patriots.

John Rozum on Twitter.