Filed under: Giants, NFC East
Maybe it was because his boss, John Mara, said Thursday that he's on the verge of what almost surely would be the final contract extension of his career. Maybe it was because his team was the
NFL's best not to make the playoffs in 2010. Or maybe it was because at six months from being eligible for Social Security, he's too old to care what anyone else thinks of him anymore.
Whatever the reason, normally taciturn
New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin was positively chatty during a 30-minute session with reporters on Friday at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. This was the Coughlin, who after New York's 10-6 season, said of his critics, "They can line up and kiss my (expletive)" as opposed to the coach of few words.
As Coughlin explained about
Giants safety
Antrel Rolle saying his coach needs to loosen up, "He should have seen me a few years ago."
The kinder, gentler Coughlin is worried about the impending lockout because it will affect his relationship with his players, some of whom are heading into their eighth year with the former Captain Queeg.
"That would be, or will be, something that none of us in this profession really want," Coughlin said. "Everything we do is always a hands-on approach. You have the constant flow of information back and forth. I talk to (the players) a lot, I really do. Even prior to the start of the offseason program (in mid-March), guys are around all the time. Most of them will go away and then they'll come back. And when they come back, they come in. That's the way it is, that's the way we want it."
Other than acknowledging that center is a concern because of injuries to longtime starters
Shaun O'Hara and
Rich Seubert, his replacement for most of 2010, Coughlin didn't discuss what position he hopes to gain talent from in April's draft.
However, the coach was upbeat about Seubert being able to overcome a serious knee injury suffered in the 2010 finale and defensive end Mathia Kiwanuka returning from the neck injury that ended his season after four sacks in just four games.
"The injury factor did take a toll," Coughlin said of New York's 2010 season, while still blaming the failure to make the playoffs on a league-leading 42 turnovers.
Coughlin, who demoted
Brandon Jacobs last August and clashed with him in September, made it clear that he wants the running back to remain a Giant. That's even though Jacobs' 147 carries last year were barely half of starter
Ahmad Bradshaw's 276 and even though as he exited the team's headquarters in early January, Jacobs snapped,"You're all taking pictures of Brandon Jacobs leaving, wondering if he's ever going to return."
On the other hand, Jacobs, who'll be 29 in July and has a base salary of $4.65 million in 2011, is under contract while Bradshaw is unsigned.
"He's got a lot of gas left in the tank," Coughlin said of the burly Jacobs, who surprisingly averaged 5.6 yards per carry to Bradshaw's fine 4.5. "As you look at everything at the end of the year, Brandon was fresher than he's ever been, healthier than he's ever been and probably needs to carry the ball a little bit more."
But Coughlin was much less positive about the possible return of Plaxico Burress, who has been out of football since accidentally shooting himself in 2008, an offense that prompted a two-year prison sentence that figures to end before the one-time standout receiver turns 34 in August.
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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/25/tom-coughlin-speaks-on-plaxico-burress-possiblities-antrel-roll/
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