Two weeks ago, the Giants were coming off their seventh straight loss, and it looked likely that the team would be moving on from head coach Tom Coughlin at season’s end. Since then, the team has recorded dominated victories over Tennessee and Washington, and while those aren’t exactly the most impressive opponents, Coughlin’s future in New York suddenly looks a little more stable.
According to Steve Serby of the New York Post, the odds of Coughlin returning to coach the Giants for 2015 have “skyrocketed dramatically,” with one source telling Serby that there’s a 99.9% chance that Coughlin will be back. Serby lays out a number of reasons why Giants ownership may be inclined to keep Coughlin in charge of the club — the 2014 team has been ravaged by injuries, stability is a priority for the franchise, and Coughlin is still Eli Manning‘s preferred head coach.
Meanwhile, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News agrees that “there’s at least a decent chance” Coughlin will keep his job, and rookie wideout Odell Beckham Jr. is a big reason for that. While that may be oversimplifying things, Beckham’s play in recent weeks has shown that if he’s paired with a healthy Victor Cruz and the team restocks its offensive line, the offense appears to have a very bright future.
That Giants’ offense struggled to get points on the board at times earlier in the year, but Manning, Coughlin, and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo all seem to be getting comfortable with McAdoo’s West Coast scheme, which was implemented this year. The organization reportedly views McAdoo as Coughlin’s eventual successor, but the OC likely won’t be ready to take over in ’15, so it makes sense that New York would lean on Coughlin for at least one more season.
Giants ownership is expected to make a formal decision on Coughlin after the end of the regular season.