New York Giants' Tom Coughlin: Making His Case for Coach of the Year

Many analysts have already handed the NFL Coach of the Year Award to Jim Harbaugh of the San Francisco 49ers, who has assured the 49ers of their first winning season since 2002 in his first year after coming from Stanford.

Before we send the trophy to the engraver, however, there are some other guys who wear the big headset who are worthy of consideration for the honor.

One of those coaches has to be Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants.

In his eighth year in the Meadowlands, Coughlin had to deal with a couple of key losses in the passing game when wide receiver Steve Smith signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and tight end Kevin Boss took the money and ran to the Oakland Raiders.

But those weren’t the only changes. Unproven Will Beatty, a 2009 second-round draft pick with just six career starts, became the man protecting Eli Manning’s blind side, moving into the starting lineup at left tackle. David Diehl moved inside to left guard, and David Baas took over at center after the Giants released veterans Rich Seubert and Shaun O’Hara after the lockout ended in July.

Coughlin also needed to rein in Manning. The good news from 2010 was that Manning recorded a career-high with his 31 touchdown passes. The bad news was that he led the NFL in interceptions and recorded a whopping 30 turnovers, with 25 picks and five lost fumbles.

Then there were the injuries.

Cornerback Terrell Thomas won’t play a down in 2011, lost to a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. Cornerback Prince Amukamara, the Giants’ first-round pick in April’s draft, made his season debut on Sunday night against the Eagles after missing nine games with a broken foot.

On the defensive line, Osi Umenyiora delayed knee surgery and wound up missing the first four weeks. Justin Tuck has battled neck and hamstring problems all season long. Linebacker Michael Boley has missed time with a hamstring problem.

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw has been limited by a foot injury, which has taken away the Giants’ best home-run threat in the running game.

With all of the offseason additions in Philadelphia, most pundits handed the preseason division title to the Eagles. The Giants were an afterthought, with few believing Big Blue had what it took to return to the postseason for the first time since 2008.

But 10 games into the season, there are the Giants, tied at 6-4 with the Dallas Cowboys for the lead in the NFC East and in control of their own destiny with two games still remaining with the Cowboys.

New York has a brutal second-half schedule, starting with Week 9's visit to San Francisco and continuing with games remaining at New Orleans and the New York Jets, plus a home game with the defending Super Bowl-champion Green Bay Packers.

If Coughlin can guide this battered ballclub to 10 wins and get Big Blue back to the postseason, he would certainly be worthy of consideration for Coach of the Year honors, an award he has never won despite a stellar coaching career in both Jacksonville and New York.