Tag: Tom Coughlin

Throwback Thursday: Tom Coughlin’s Jaguars dominate Giants in 1997

In Week 2 of the 1997 season, Tom Coughlin’s Jacksonville Jaguars beat up on the New York Giants, defeating them 40-13 at Alltel Stadium.

With the New York Giants facing off against the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday, there comes to mind the obvious connection between the two franchises — Tom Coughlin.

Coughlin was the initial head coach of the Jaguars when they entered the NFL as an expansion team in 1995. He coached there for eight seasons and to this day remains the only head coach to leave with a winning record.

With Jacksonville, Coughlin went to the postseason four times from 1996-99 and advanced to two AFC Championship Games.

In 2004, Coughlin, after a year off, was signed as the head coach of the New York Giants. We are all aware of his 12 seasons here and the two Super Bowl wins.

Coughlin faced the Giants just once as the Jaguars’ head coach, in Week 2 of the 1997 season. The Giants were in their first year under head coach Jim Fassel and came into Jacksonville with a 1-0 record. The Jags were also 1-0.

The Jaguars were going with backup quarterback Steve Matthews that day since their starter, Mark Brunell, was sidelined with torn knee ligaments — an injury sustained via Giants linebacker Jessie Armstead during the preseason.

The Giants scored first on a Tiki Barber four-yard touchdown run. The Jags came storming back with 23 unanswered points to take a 23-7 halftime lead.

The second half was all Jacksonville. They outscored the Giants 17-6 and walked away with their revenge in a 40-13 rout. The Giants were shredded for 252 yards in the air from Matthews, who was hustled into the game during the week after Brunell’s backup, Rob Johnson, injured his ankle.

“They brought me in here with one week of practice and said, ‘Hey, you’re going to be our number two guy.’ That just doesn’t happen in the NFL,” said Matthews. “I wasn’t going to let them down.”

[lawrence-related id=699615,699610,699506]

[listicle id=699590]

Eli Manning once used an unsuspecting Tom Coughlin to prank his teammates

Eli Manning’s language setting phone prank is well-known, but there was another phone prank that involved an unsuspecting Tom Coughlin.

During his playing days, retired New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning was a like a robot when dealing with the New York media.

Although we rarely saw a sense of humor from Manning, there were always stories floating around about his wittiness around the locker-room.

Now, with his playing career in the rearview mirror, we have heard stories of Manning pranks from his former teammates including Odell Beckham Jr., David Tyree, Wayne Gallman, and Brandon Jacobs.

Manning spoke with Giants Wire earlier this week through his newest charity venture with Quaker and Feeding America. He was asked about his favorite prank and he gave us one we hadn’t heard before.

“I don’t think I can recall one over the other,” Manning said. “Some of them are pretty innocent ones that maybe they haven’t discovered yet or they didn’t know it was me, so I don’t call myself out for being guilty on something. For the most part, I never wanted to upset somebody; never wanted to make it inconvenient for somebody.

“I would change some peoples’ phones and change their wives’ number with coach (Tom) Coughlin’s number so when they thought they were texting their wife, they were texting coach Coughlin. So I’m sure he got some interesting texts over that. I don’t know if I ever got called guilty on that or if they knew it was me but that was an early favorite that we had some laughs with.”

Most people know about Manning’s move to break into phones and swiftly changing the language settings. However, the fact that he got coach Coughlin unknowingly involved on this particular prank makes this one unique.

Manning was such a joker that he actually believes there could still be pranks where he was the culprit and has yet to be caught from his playing days.

Since Manning’s retirement from football, we have seen more and more of his sense of humor. As the years go by, surely more stories of Eli’s funny side will continue to surface.

[lawrence-related id=699291,699169,699253]

Follow the Giants Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Eli Manning credits Tom Coughlin for his charitable priorities

Eli Manning credits Tom Coughlin for setting an example when it came to giving back to the community and helping those in need.

During Eli Manning’s career with the New York Giants and beyond, he’s always made giving back to the community a priority in life. Tom Coughlin’s Jay Fund Foundation has been a tremendous outlet for Manning and other former Giants to give back over the years.

In fact, Manning credits Coughlin for helping mold his charitable nature.

Earlier this week, Manning spoke to Giants Wire on behalf on Quaker and Feeding America. During that interview, Manning was asked about Coughlin and the Jay Fund.

“Coach Coughlin had a huge impact on me,” Manning said. “When I came to the Giants, I’m 23 years old. He was my coach for 12 years, you leave and you’re 35 years old — you have kids but now you’re a grown man. Having him as my head coach and also seeing his passion about helping others… And he can do that. He had the ability to focus on football and preparation and work, and also have this soft side and be able to express it.

“He made sure that was a priority for his players — giving back, being a part of the community and doing something to help others. And so, a big part of me and getting involved in different charitable initiatives is because I saw coach Coughlin and how passionate he was about helping others.

“Helping those families from the Jay Fund that are dealing with cancer and going through tough times and making sure they had the necessities to pay their bills, to get food. I think he’s had a huge influence and I still keep up with him regularly and talk to him. I still use him for guidance as a mentor.”

Coughlin’s guidance over Manning has allowed the two-time Super Bowl MVP to excel both on and off the field. Eli seems to always make his charity work a priority even with his extremely busy schedule.

Manning’s involvement in the ManningCast, as well as his shows Eli’s Places and The Eli Manning Show, and his involvement with the Giants have not deterred him from keeping up with the community work.

Manning has always been a class act over the years and his generosity off the field is an underrated and admirable aspect of his life.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx61yex5whq8aq player_id=none image=https://giantswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[lawrence-related id=696508,696010,639082]

[vertical-gallery id=656413]

Giants greats Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin reunite to tackle childhood cancer

New York Giants legends Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin have teamed up once again, this time to take on childhood cancer and hunger.

New York Giants legends Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin won two Super Bowls together during their time in the NFL, but have reunited with their sights set on even greater goals.

Manning and Coughlin, who each share an admiration for the other, have teamed up once again. And no, it’s not just to go over Coughlin’s college film from Syracuse — although that’s also worth your time.

Rather, the duo has come together again to help tackle childhood cancer and hunger.

September is childhood cancer awareness month and hunger action month, and if you know anything about Manning and Coughlin, you know this is their time to shine. No two people have done more to help those in need than these truly giant greats.

“You may know us as a retired NFL quarterback and coach, but we have a shared passion that goes beyond the world of football. We’ve both walked with, and been inspired by, young people fighting cancer,” the pair wrote in an essay for People. “Our individual experiences have brought us together because we know it is not a platitude when we say no one fights cancer alone. Now, more than ever, we need those in search of doing something that matters to lend a helping hand to families living the nightmare of having a child diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.

“September is the month set aside to talk about pediatric cancer. Only 4 percent of the National Cancer Institute’s budget is dedicated to pediatric cancer. Tackle Kids Cancer, the philanthropic initiative of Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation, was established in 2015 to raise critical funds for pediatric cancer research and patient programs at Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health Children’s Cancer Institute (CCI) in New Jersey, and to increase awareness for the vital needs of pediatric cancer patients and their families.”

That’s where Tom Coughlin’s Jay Fund Foundation and Tackle Kids Cancer, whom Manning has worked with for many years, come in.

“Since the pandemic took hold of our world, we’ve seen and experienced widespread hunger, food shortages that have extended to baby formula, gas prices that make us think twice before driving to the grocery store, and inflation that has surpassed a 41-year high. It is seemingly unfathomable, yet here we are once again, all in it together,” Manning and Coughlin continued.

And those hit the hardest are also those most in needs.

“If you know someone with a child diagnosed with cancer, make them dinner, buy groceries, and check-in on them from time to time to ensure they and their sick child are getting the nutrition they need. Together, we can create a championship team to help others — a coach, a quarterback and you — to inspire generations to come,” they concluded.

There are many other ways to give at both Tackle Kids Cancer and The Jay Fund Foundation. There is also an ongoing $31 donation campaign in honor of Coughlin’s birthday.

In addition, the Jay Fund is also partnering with with the Tyler Robinson Foundation and former NFL player and chef, Derrell Smith, “to create healthy and accessible recipes to meet the needs of what families might already have in their pantry.”

For those looking to join Manning and Coughlin in their effort to tackle childhood cancer and hunger, the gift of food can go a long way. But the opportunities to become a part of the team certainly don’t end there.

Together with Manning and Coughlin, we can help ease the burden of those in need and their families.

[vertical-gallery id=656413]

See it: Eli Manning breaks down Tom Coughlin’s Syracuse film with the coach

Former New York Giants QB Eli Manning and former head coach Tom Coughlin reunite to review film from Coughlin’s college days.

Two of the most iconic names in New York Giants history are Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin.

Together, they orchestrated the Giants’ two Super Bowl victories over the New England Patriots. But Coughlin’s departure seemed to usher in the dark ages, which continue to persist to this day.

Coughlin and Manning have remained in touch since their separation in 2015, and in preparation for a new season of Eli’s Places on ESPN+, reunited to review film from Coughlin’s college days at Syracuse.

The video is worth the watch as Manning gives Coughlin hell for doing things that he coached his players not to do, at one time saying something to the effect of, “You’re a do-what-I-say-and-not-what-I-do type of guy,” to which they both chuckled.

Eli’s Places, which is a product of Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, returns to ESPN+ on Wednesday.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx61yex5whq8aq player_id=none image=https://giantswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[lawrence-related id=696014,695991,696001]

[vertical-gallery id=626979]

Tom Coughlin helped mold Giants director of football ops Ed Triggs

New York Giants director of football operations Ed Triggs explains how former head coach Tom Coughlin impacted him.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx61yex5whq8aq player_id=none image=https://giantswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Shortly after being hired as the next general manager of the New York Giants, Joe Schoen set out to work revamping multiple departments. That included a significant amount of front office reshuffling.

Among those who survived the transition was director of football operations Ed Triggs.

Triggs first joined the Giants in 2003 as their assistant video director. That’s the role he held when he met Tom Coughlin in 2004 and began working side-by-side with him. And it was during that time Triggs learned what it took to be an effective worker, reliable teammate and responsible man.

“[Video] was a great learning experience,” Triggs told The Giants Huddle podcast. “You have all the video in the world at your fingertips, and it’s your to job edit it and film it. You’re embedded in the filming of these individual drills. I was a 22-year-old Giants fan when I got the job, and I’m filming defensive line drills with Michael Strahan and Keith Hamilton. It’s one of those surreal moments where you’re like, ‘Don’t get run over and make sure you keep these humongous guys in the frame.’ So that was the start of it. Then being introduced to Coach [Tom] Coughlin was the jumping off point for me in my career.

“I had heard the stories from people in Jacksonville that he was tough, he was demanding, but he was fair. So when he got hired, he needed somebody to do his presentations and his team meetings. I kind of got volunteered as the guy to do that in 2004. I’m a 22-year-old kid [at the time], I sit in Tom Coughlin’s office, it’s 7 o’clock in the morning, he’s like, ‘I need you to put these 5,000 things in a PowerPoint,’ and I had never even used PowerPoint before. And every day for 12-15 years, whatever it was, we met every morning at 7 o’clock and we developed the themes and mottos and everything that was going to try and inspire the football team.

“He taught me countless things, such as the pride when it comes to your work, that your signature is attached to anything that you do. He taught me about teamwork. He taught me about the fact that you can’t do anything by yourself, and I think that’s something that rings true in any job across the country.”

Triggs now takes the lessons he learned as a young video assistant under Coughlin and will apply them to his role as director of football ops under Schoen — a man who grinds much like Coughlin.

“On Joe’s first day, I got in at 6 o’clock in the morning to work out,” said Triggs. “I’m thinking maybe he’ll be working out and I’m going to try to beat him in. When I walked into the staff locker room, he’d finished his workout already. I was like, ‘Wow.’ It told me all I need to know about him, and that’s what I had heard from other people around the league. He’s a grinder, he’s a hard worker, but most importantly, he’s a great guy.

“That’s what I’ve come to learn over the past five months. He’s a people person. He listens to what we as a staff have to say when it comes to a topic. He’ll ask your opinion, understanding that he might not always [take] it, but all we can do is present the facts to him or give him what we feel about a contract, about a player. But he’s fair and his energy is through the roof. You don’t get up at 5 o’clock in the morning and start your day with an hour workout if you don’t have that energy and that juice.”

The Giants hope that the juice Schoen brings to the table and the lessons Triggs learned from Coughlin help lead the team back to a championship.

[vertical-gallery id=694212]

Giants’ Brian Daboll connects with Tom Coughlin: ‘Good resource to have’

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll and Tom Coughlin connected this week and Daboll says he’ll be a “good resource to have.”

Retired New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin made a visit to his old stomping grounds earlier this week and had a chance to meet with Brian Daboll.

Although Daboll and Coughlin, who is in town for a Jay Fund Foundation event, had no previous relationship, they seemed to hit it off. Daboll even started his Thursday press conference 10 minutes early in honor of Coughlin.

“Ton of respect for how he went about his business. A good resource to have,” Daboll said of Coughlin. “That’s why I’m out here 10 minutes early.”

The Giants, of course, have fallen off the map since Coughlin’s “resignation.” They’re now on their fifth head coach (if you include Steve Spagnuolo) and third general manager since his departure, and have the fewest 30-point games (9) in the NFL over that same span.

Daboll aims to rectify that and is clearly open to Coughlin’s input.

In addition to Daboll, Coughlin also met with several other members of the organization, including players. One such player, linebacker Carter Coughlin, got a kick out of the meeting.

It’s unclear exactly how tied in Coughlin will be with the Giants, but it’s nice to see him back in the building making new inroads nonetheless.

Follow the Giants Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Poll: Who will be the Jaguars’ next Hall of Famer?

With Tony Boselli heading to Canton, who will be the second member in Jaguars’ history to make the HOF?

After a wait that was much longer than it should have been, the Jacksonville Jaguars have finally put a player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Former star left tackle Tony Boselli, who was the team’s first-ever draft pick back in 1995, was selected as a part of the 2022 class before the Super Bowl last week.

It was certainly well deserved for Boselli, who saw his career shortened by injuries but was nonetheless the class of the league when healthy, earning three First-Team All-Pro honors. He had been a finalist the previous five years, and the sixth time was the charm.

With Boselli’s gold jacket incoming, the question now becomes who will become the next Jaguar to join him? The most obvious answer would be another multi-year nominee who missed the finalists’ cut this season: running back Fred Taylor.

A former top-10 pick, Taylor spent 11 years as the feature back in Jacksonville from 1998-08. His career accolades are, admittedly, a bit lacking. He only boasts a Pro Bowl appearance and a Second-Team All-Pro selection, both of which came during his penultimate season with the Jaguars in 2007.

He finished his career with 11,695 yards (for an average of 4.6 yards per carry) with 66 touchdowns (in addition to eight through the air). That yardage total ranks 17th of all time, and Taylor seems to be near the HOF border, as the player above him — Thurman Thomas — is in the Hall. Steven Jackson, who ranks directly below him, is not.

Granted, there are several players with worse career numbers in the Hall, as well.

It seems like Taylor will end up in Canton at some point, it’s more just a question of when. And while he is likely to be the next Jaguar to join Boselli, he’s not the only potential candidate.

Receiver Jimmy Smith is another popular choice, and though he has not gotten the Hall of Fame hype, his argument is of similar strength to Taylor’s. Smith actually has the more impressive accolade list with Second-Team All-Pro selections in 1998 and 1999, in addition to five consecutive Pro Bowl appearances from 1997-01.

His 12,287 yards ranks 25th all-time, and he has 67 career touchdowns as well (which is tied for 55th in NFL history). Like Taylor, he has been eligible for a while and is yet to be a finalist. It may take some time, but Smith could find his way to Canton eventually, too.

Then, there’s a potential dark-horse candidate in former head coach (and later, Executive Vice President) Tom Coughlin. His tenure as the franchise’s inaugural head coach was impressive, as he won double-digit games three-straight years from 1997-99 and made four playoff appearances — two of which led to AFC Championship Games.

However, if he makes it into the Hall, it won’t be because of his Jaguars tenure, but rather his second NFL head coaching stint with the New York Giants, where he won two Super Bowls. Regardless, it’d be hard not to count Coughlin as a Jaguar in Canton given his significance during the team’s formative years.

Who do you think will be the next Jaguars player or coach to don the gold jacket? Let us know in the poll below.

[polldaddy poll=11047783]

Washington Super Bowl Coach stands alone

As Sean McVay and Zac Taylor look to win their first Super Bowl Sunday, we shall never forget Joe Gibbs won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks.

How is it that one coach stands out in contrast to all Super Bowl champion coaches?

Vince Lombardi won the first two Super Bowls with Bart Starr as the Green Bay Packers starting quarterback. Don Shula and Miami won two with Bob Griese. Tom Landry steered Dallas to two Super Bowl trophies with Roger Staubach at the helm. Chuck Noll and the Pittsburgh Steelers won four Super Bowls in the 1970s with Terry Bradshaw behind center.

Tom Flores and the Raiders won two with Jim Plunkett as the leader of the offense. Bill Walsh was the head coach with Joe Montana the field general for three Super Bowl crowns for the 49ers. The 49ers won two more with head coach George Seifert coaching and Montana and Steve Young as signal-callers.

Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer both coached the Cowboys to Super Bowl rings with Troy Aikman taking the snaps from center. Denver’s Mike Shanahan as head coach and John Elway in the pocket for the Broncos won it all twice.

Tom Coughlin’s NY Giants took the crown twice with Eli Manning the on-field general. Last but certainly not least, New England’s Bill Belichick won six rings with Tom Brady as the quarterback.

Seifert is the only one above to win a second Super Bowl with a second quarterback (Montana and Young).

There is also Marv Levy and the Bills who went to multiple Super Bowls with Jim Kelly under center — and lost. Likewise, Dan Reeves led Elway and the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances — they also lost all three.

Yet, there is one other coach to win more than multiple Super Bowls with more than one quarterback, Joe Gibbs of the Washington Redskins. Gibbs not only won more than one Super Bowl with more than one quarterback, he accomplished the feat three times!

Gibbs led Washington to Super Bowl trophies with Joe Theismann, Doug Williams and Mark Rypien winning Super Bowls XVII, XXII and XXVI.

Starr, Griese, Staubach, Bradshaw, Montana, Young, Aikman and Elway are already in the Hall of Fame. Without question Brady will be in the HOF and Eli Manning a 2-time SB MVP is likely to be elected to the HOF. Only Jim Plunkett is likely to not make the HOF.

By contrast, Theismann was only an All-Pro once (1983), and Williams and Rypien were never All-Pro. Rypien had a great year only in 1991. Williams though never even a pro-bowler, was a veteran leader and had huge moments like the playoff win at Chicago (1987) and a nearly perfect 2nd quarter in Super Bowl XXII, earning the MVP.

Joe Gibbs is distinctive among Super Bowl coaches with multiple wins, doing so with three non-Hall of Fame quarterbacks.  Hats off to Coach Joe, who is remarkably now age 81. The Washington franchise and fans were certainly blessed to have enjoyed Joe Jackson Gibbs as head coach.

Giants now lead NFL in games missed due to injury

Through 16 weeks of the season, the New York Giants lead the entire NFL in games missed due to injury at 301.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx61yex5whq8aq player_id=none image=https://giantswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

In what should not be a surprise to fans of the New York Giants, a study done by the folks at ManGamesLost.com lists the Giants as the team with the most injuries that cost players to miss games through Week 16 in The NFL.

After trailing the Titans for much of the season, the Giants recently managed to slip out ahead of them.

This is an ongoing theme with the Giants. If you dig back into the annals of AGL over the past decade on the website Football Outsiders, you’ll see the Giants either led the NFL in that infamous category or were very to close to leading it, including last season.

The Giants have spun their wheels trying to get back into contention only to have injuries spoil their efforts year after year. That has caused them to make some changes to their training and medical staffs but to little avail. Perhaps a more serious deep dive should be done.

What could the answer be? First, they must find out the cause. Many experts around the league that I’ve corresponded with over the years point to the fact that the Giants seem to sign a lot of players making their way back from serious injury to lesser-market deals hoping for some miracle comeback.

That has led them to where they are now: again players with injury histories, boasted contracts and scrambling to find free agent solutions on the cheap.

There has to be some accountability to the training staff when it comes to conditioning. This has been a pattern going back to the Tom Coughlin era. It has to be more than just a coincidence.

Follow the Giants Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts