Tom Coughlin Retained by Giants: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

Each of the last two seasons have left fans wondering whether Tom Coughlin's tenure with the New York Giants was at its end. Each of the last two offseasons, Giants ownership has emphatically stuck by its Super Bowl-winning coach.

The Giants announced Coughlin will return for his 12th season on the New York sideline on Monday. Despite a strong finish, the move was a bit of a surprise given the near-constant speculation surrounding his name. 

ESPN.com's Dan Graziano passed along the news of Coughlin's return in the Big Apple:

Coming off a frustrating 7-9 campaign in 2013, Coughlin made the most sweeping changes of his tenure in hopes of rejuvenating the franchise. The Giants jettisoned longtime offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride in favor of Ben McAdoo's uptempo system, a move the team also hoped would mitigate Eli Manning's mistake-prone ways.

In the most basic sense, McAdoo's hiring worked out. Manning's interception rate went down, the passing offense found an emerging star in Odell Beckham Jr., and the G-Men survived despite the loss of Victor Cruz to a torn patellar tendon in Week 6.

It was instead defense where the problems arose, with another longtime coordinator (Perry Fewell) taking the brunt of the scorn. Fewell's defense faded after a 3-2 start, struggling to generate pressure and failing to stop the run.

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

The Seattle Seahawks set a franchise record with 350 yards rushing and five touchdowns against New York in Week 10 as the Giants continued to fall outside the NFC East race. Dallas and Philadelphia looked well ahead of their division contemporaries this season, for once leaving a lack of suspense in the division going down to the wire.

While there were a number of exterior forces looking to blame Fewell or the team's lack of running game, Coughlin was blunt about where the responsibility lies.

"I'm responsible for everything," he told reporters in November. "And that's OK. I've been there before. It's not going to affect me. I'm going to work the same way. I'm going to be the same coach. I'm going to be the same guy. It should all go right to me. Leave the players alone. We've got to coach the players better, and we've got to play better."

Coughlin wound up keeping his job by following a similar pattern to 2013: winning at the end of the season. The Giants won their final two games last season and reeled off three of their last four in 2014 to finish near respectability. 

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com weighed in on Coughlin leading his team out of the gutter late in the season:

Coughlin is the second-winningest coach in Giants history behind Steve Owen, going 96-80 in his first 11 seasons. While regular-season success hasn't always been there—the Giants have made the postseason just once since 2008—his success in January and February helped keep Coughlin around. 

Al Bello/Getty Images

Twice a heavy underdog to the New England Patriots, the Giants twice came away with Super Bowl rings. The "Helmet Catch" remains one of the most famous moments in Super Bowl history, and Manning led the Giants on an 88-yard touchdown drive to take Super Bowl XLVI. Hosting the Lombardi Trophy helped obscure a deluge of middle-of-the-road regular seasons.

Another missed postseason, though, will likely do it for one of the most storied runs in franchise history.

For now, Coughlin will get a chance to defy the odds once more and get the Giants back into contention.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter