New York Giants: Why a 2011 Collapse May Be the End of Tom Coughlin as Coach

There is nothing worse than a Monday morning following a loss.

There's nothing even more worse than a Monday morning following a loss to the Eagles when you are a Giants fan.

After the 17-10 loss to the Eagles on Sunday Night Football at MetLife Stadium, there is a lot of negative press surrounding the Giants.

They've just lost their second close game in a row. First they lost to the San Francisco 49ers, then the Eagles, which dropped them from 6-2 to 6-4.

The Giants had a two-game lead in the NFC East over the Dallas Cowboys, but after the two losses, they are now tied with Dallas for first place, while the Eagles at 4-6 are only two games behind.

And the Giants had a chance to bury the Eagles' season, put them at 3-7, which would have essentially knocked them out of the playoff race, but blew the chance to do so.

And now, with the Giants at 6-4 and going into two extremely tough games with the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers, there is a good chance the Giants may be 6-6 heading into their Dec. 11 game with the Cowboys.

Slowly, the 2011 season is turning into a disaster and we are potentially witnessing another collapse from the Giants.

So what happens if the Giants do collapse and get knocked out of the playoff race?

As much as I hate to say it, it would mean the end of the coaching tenure for Tom Coughlin.

He's been the head coach since 2004, has a 122-71 record with the Giants and a Super Bowl win during his time with New York.

But Super Bowl XLII seems like a long time ago for the fans, and in this day in age for sports, it's more like, "what have you done for me lately?"

And what have the Giants done lately since the Super Bowl win?

In 2008, they started out 11-1 and finished 12-4 and lost their playoff game to the Eagles.

In 2009, they started out 5-0 and finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

In 2010, they started out 6-2 and finished 10-6 and again, missed the playoffs.

And now in 2011, they are looking at another December collapse given what their schedule is looking like.

Right now, you have to think the Cowboys are going to be the quiet favorites to win the NFC East and the Bears, Lions and Falcons are going to all compete for the two wild-card spots along with the Giants.

The Eagles are in there too at 4-6, but it's highly unlikely they go 6-0 the rest of the way and make the playoffs.

There's a good chance the Giants again finish with a mediocre record and miss the playoffs.

And if that happens, it could be strike three for Coughlin.

And the December swoon for the Giants has been a common thing under Coughlin since 2004.

The reason why the Giants haven't made the playoffs since 2008 is because they haven't been able to finish games in December.

Unless Coughlin can right the ship, and somehow get a win against either New Orleans or Green Bay (which is likely not going to happen) and then beat Dallas twice, (again, highly unlikely), then it looks like the 65-year-old may be out in January.

He's been on the hot seat once before, and he did get a one-year extension after 2011, but that was only because the Giants don't have lame-duck head coaches as their policy.

The fact of the matter is if the Giants don't make the playoffs, it really may be the final coaching year for Coughlin.

And it is a shame because he's handled his tenure with such class and won a championship in his time.

And when the season got going, it looked like the Giants might defy the odds of all the injuries they racked up and still might make the playoffs. But not anymore now.

If anything, maybe owner John Mara doesn't fire Coughlin, but allows him to retire off into the sunset, and then the Giants go out and bring in someone like Bill Cowher for 2012.

Losing Sunday night to the Eagles changed the whole complexion of the season for the Giants.

Instead of being 7-3 and in control of first place in the NFC East, they're 6-4, tied for first, but are on the verge of losing that lead and potentially being knocked out of playoff contention all together.

Come January, there might be some major changes coming for the Giants.

And it would start with Coughlin's exit.