No one was buying that the Giants took the field Sunday night so depressed and disheartened after they were officially eliminated from the playoffs less than 24 hours earlier that their performance suffered to the tune of a 49-17 beatdown at the hands of the Vikings.
And, to their credit, the Giants weren’t selling it.
“You can’t base how we play on something else happening,’’ center Weston Richburg said. “That shouldn’t play any role in how we play. I mean, last year we played the last however many games for no reason, really. No playoff implications. Go out and play, that’s our job.’’
Yes indeed, heading toward the end of the season without a shot at the playoffs is not exactly uncharted territory for these Giants, which is why momentous changes within the organization are expected to be forthcoming. Head coaches come and go so frequently in the NFL, the day after the regular season now has the unofficial name of Black Monday. And when the head man is dismissed, entire coaching staffs are usually sent to clean out their offices and start the grim search for new places of employment. It is upheaval in every sense.
Parting ways with a head coach with the resume of Tom Coughlin is different. Two-time Super Bowl champions are not shown the door unless there is no alternative. Wellington Mara, the late franchise patriarch, always wanted to feel as if the arrow was pointing up. He could deal with failure and missing out on the postseason, as long as there was a sense of optimism and hope for the future. His oldest son, John Mara, tries to follow that lead. No one, though, can evaluate the Giants this season and the past few years and conclude the arrow is pointing up.
So it appears Coughlin’s time is up, and everyone knows it. For the first time in his 12-year run with the Giants, Coughlin knows it, too, as the look in his eyes and the sound in his voice following the latest loss showed no fight and, to quote one of his favorite lines, too much remorse for opportunity lost.
His players could sense it, too.
“I just look at it as if I was running a company and things weren’t going the way I wanted it to go, of course I would think I would have to make changes,’’ said Prince Amukamara, who is headed to free agency and very likely a new team. “And whatever those changes are, I don’t know. I’m glad I don’t have to make that decision for the Giants. Yeah, I’m a firm believer the Giants, the Maras, Tisches, [general manager Jerry] Reese are going to do what’s best for the Giants organization.’’
Observations and musings after the most lopsided Giants loss of the season:
• So many players cannot fully comprehend the impact Coughlin’s dismissal would have on the organization because so many of them are recent additions who are only accustomed to losing and failure with the Giants. “I can’t think about that,’’ said Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who is 12-19 in his two seasons playing under Coughlin. “Are we playing to our ability as players? I don’t think so. Is there more we can do? I definitely think so. The key is we got to find out why these things happen. You keep asking why and why, still no answer. At some point you got to look at players too because it’s not all coaching.’’
• The roster is in such disrepair the Giants needed to sign three players last week off their practice squad – three players who were with the team in the summer and cut, deemed not good enough to earn a spot. Not only were three guys brought back, they were all in uniform and making their NFL debuts against the Vikings. Receiver Ben Edwards played 26 snaps on offense and got his first NFL reception, good for nine yards. Tight end Matt LaCosse played 13 snaps on offense and 22 more on special teams and notched his first three NFL catches, for 33 yards. Defensive end Brad Bars did not get any action on defense, but he was used on 27 plays on special teams. These are great Christmas presents for these guys.
• Whoa, this sounds a bit damning: Rodgers-Cromartie was asked if playing after getting eliminated from the playoffs was difficult to do. His response? “For the most part, it takes a lot of pressure off, you’re really going out relaxed and just playing football,’’ Rodgers-Cromartie said. “It seemed like that wasn’t even the case so we definitely got to go back to the drawing board.’’ Players who cannot take the heat of a playoff race are not the players anyone wants.
• Coughlin, as best he can, shields his players from the talk of his tenuous job security. “As our leader, I don’t think he wants out mindset to be there,’’ Rashad Jennings said. “He wants us to go out and be productive and win.’’ Just because Coughlin does not talk about it does not mean players are not asked about it. “There’s no doubt in my mind, get an opportunity to play for one of the best head coaches,’’ Jennings said. “It is disappointing because players – players – make or don’t make plays. Not the coaches.’’
• Cornerback Jayson Hosley is healthy, yet he has been inactive for the past two games. This is yet another indictment of general manager Jerry Reese’s recent draft history. Hosley was a third-round pick in 2012, and he’s never been able to hold down a full-time job on defense. He started six games this season, but the coaching staff does not feel he gives them the best chance to win, thus he does not get a uniform. Pretty bad.