Tom Coughlin: New York Giants Don't Need a Retread To Replace Him

With the temperature of Tom Coughlin’s seat rising as the New York Giants are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, now seems a good time to look at potential replacements for Coughlin.

The Giants have not historically been a strong finisher under Coughlin and this year appears to be no different. After a 6-2 start put the Giants atop the NFC East by two games at the midway point of the schedule, Big Blue’s losing skid has coincided with the Dallas Cowboys getting hot. That means that two-game lead has turned into a one-game deficit in just three weeks’ time.

Every time a head coaching position opens up, attention almost immediately turns to high-profile, proven winners who are currently out of coaching.

Presently, that means the names Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden and Jeff Fisher are going to turn up whenever there is a vacancy in the league.

None of those coaches will be on my list of coaches the Giants should consider if Coughlin is fired.

I wish I could remember who said it, but I remember hearing this once, long ago, as it related to coaching searches: You don’t want the last great coach. You want the next great coach.

In other words, better off to give the job to someone who is hungry for success rather than someone who has already eaten from that particular trough.

In the Super Bowl era, no coach has won the Lombardi Trophy with more than one team. Only three—Don Shula (Baltimore Colts, Miami Dolphins), Bill Parcells (New York Giants, New England Patriots) and Mike Holmgren (Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks)—have ever managed to take more than one team to the big game at the end.

With that in mind, here are seven candidates—in no particular order—who could have the right stuff to lead the Giants should the axe fall on Coughlin.

Dennis Allen, Denver Broncos Defensive Coordinator

Allen, 39, has helped turn around a leaky defensive unit in midstream this year. While Tim Tebow has gotten much of the credit for the turnaround of the Broncos, the role of the improved defense can’t be ignored.

Allen is in his first year as a coordinator after spending the previous five years with the New Orleans Saints, serving two seasons as assistant defensive line coach before being promoted to secondary coach in 2008.

Prior to that, he had an entry-level assistant job with the Atlanta Falcons from 2002-2005.

He was the secondary coach at Tulsa from 2000-01 and also served as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Texas A&M.

Allen is a disciple of Gregg Williams’ aggressive defensive schemes and his play-calling in Denver has reflected that. It's a defense that can give up a lot of yards but also one that creates big plays in terms of both sacks and turnovers.

The knock on Allen would be his lack of experience as a coordinator. One year is an awfully small sample size.

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State Head Coach

Gundy, 44, would be a wild card in the search, but given Jim Harbaugh’s success in his first year with the San Francisco 49ers, teams will likely be more open to the idea of hiring a coach from the college ranks than they might have been after high-profile flops such as Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban.

Gundy is 57-30 since taking over the Cowboys from Les Miles in 2005 but the track has been one of solid, steady improvement. Oklahoma State was 4-7 in his first season but hasn’t had a losing season since, going 7-6 in both 2006 and 2007, improving to 9-4 in 2008 and 2009 and finishing 11-2 in 2010 before putting together a 10-1 mark so far in 2011.

Gundy, a former quarterback at Oklahoma State who played with Hall of Famers Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders of the Cowboys, is definitely an aggressive offensive mind. The Cowboys have produced some huge offensive numbers, particularly in the last three seasons behind quarterbacks Zac Robinson and Brandon Weeden.

For fans tired of Kevin Gilbride’s system, Gundy could be a breath of fresh air.

Mel Tucker, Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive Coordinator/interim Head Coach

Tucker, 39, took over the Jags’ defense in 2009 and was promoted to interim head coach on Tuesday after Jack Del Rio was fired.

Jacksonville’s defense is currently ranked fourth in the NFL and Tucker’s unit may be the only reason the Jaguars aren’t worse than 3-8. The defense was on full display in prime time earlier this season when Jacksonville shut down the Baltimore Ravens en route to a Monday night shocker.

Tucker is from the 4-3 defensive school, which would mean an easier transition to the Giants, who also employ the 4-3.

What has been most impressive about the Jacksonville defense is that it hasn’t quit despite losing key performers such as linebacker Clint Session, cornerback Derek Cox and others (the Jaguars have 17 players on injured reserve, including 12 on the defensive side of the ball).

Having this team ranked fourth in the league in defense despite the injuries and the handicap of playing with the 32nd-ranked offense in the NFL makes Tucker a very viable candidate.

Mike Zimmer, Cincinnati Bengals Defensive Coordinator

Zimmer, at 55 the oldest of the candidates on my list, has the Bengals ranked fifth in the league, surrendering 307.7 yards per game.

Zimmer is a veteran assistant who is highly regarded and served as defensive coordinator for three different coaches in Dallas (Chan Gailey, Dave Campo and Bill Parcells) before going to Atlanta to serve as Bobby Petrino’s defensive coordinator with the Falcons in 2007.

The following season, Zimmer went to Cincinnati.

Zimmer has run both the 4-3 and the 3-4. His 2003 Cowboys defense gave up the fewest yards in the league and two years later, he switched Dallas to the 3-4 favored by Parcells despite having no experience with it.

Zimmer is a coach who’s seen a lot, done a lot and been a lot of places without ever getting an opportunity to wear the big headset. After 18 years of NFL coaching experience, maybe it’s time to see if Zimmer can take the final step up the coaching ladder.

Joe Philbin, Green Bay Packers Offensive Coordinator

Philbin, 50, has been Mike McCarthy’s offensive coordinator since 2007 and has been on the staffs of both Mike Sherman and McCarthy in Green Bay since 2003. He has drawn interest from Tulane for its coaching vacancy but declined to interview with the Green Wave.

Philbin moved up to coordinator with the Packers after several years coaching the offensive line, an area of concern for the Giants this season. His offensive system is sound; just look at the number Aaron Rodgers is putting up this season.

His Green Bay offenses have been in the top 10 in the league in points and total yards in each of his four seasons as coordinator and the Packers are on their way to making that five consecutive years in 2011.

The 2009 Packer team showed Philbin’s ability to get multiple players involved in the offense. That team was the first in NFL history to boast a 4,000-yard passer (Rodgers), a 1,200-yard rusher (Ryan Grant) and two 1,000-yard receivers (Greg Jennings and Donald Driver).

Marty Mornhinweg, Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach

Mornhinweg, 49, is the only candidate on the list with previous NFL head coaching experience. Mornhinweg was 5-27 in two seasons as head coach of the Detroit Lions (2001-02). He’s served as Andy Reid’s assistant head coach since 2003 and took over offensive coordinator duties in 2006 when Brad Childress left Philadelphia for the Minnesota Vikings head coaching position.

He played a big role in the resurgence of Michael Vick in 2010 and has been running derivatives of the venerable West Coast offense for more than a decade as an NFL coach.

He wasn’t yet 40 when named head coach in Detroit and he came in as the first hire of Matt Millen. Given that it was Millen making the personnel decisions, I’m inclined to believe Mornhinweg has done his time, paid his dues and is ready for a second opportunity as an NFL head coach

Don’t forget—Bill Belichick had a losing record in his four years with the Cleveland Browns, too.

Rob Ryan, Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator

Ryan, 48, is my wild-card candidate, if only because Met Life Stadium might not be big enough—heck, the whole tri-state area might not be big enough—for Rob and twin brother Rex, head coach of the New York Jets.

Ryan is in his eighth year as an NFL defensive coordinator, his first in Dallas after five seasons with the Oakland Raiders and two with the Cleveland Browns. If you like the way the Jets defend, you’d like the way the Giants would defend with Rob Ryan as head coach.

Another reason I would consider Rob Ryan as a wild-card candidate, at best, is that he doesn’t look the part of an NFL head coach. Would a general manager or an owner really turn over the on-field reins of their franchise to a guy who looks like a leftover member from a now-defunct 1980s hair band?

Still, in terms of entertainment value, I’m not sure the Giants could do any better.