I'm putting my thoughts on record and please share yours.

Current Staff:

HC Tom Coughlin

OC Kevin Gilbride
OL Pat Flahtery
TE Mike Pope
RB Jerlad Ingram
WR Sean Ryan
QB Mike Sullivan
OQC Kevin Gilbride Jr.

DC Perry Fewell
DL Robert Nunn
S Dave Merritt
CB Peter Guinta
LB Jim Hermann
DQC Al Holcomb

ST Tom Quinn

Guys under scrutiny:

Jim Hermann
Tom Quinn

HC candidates elsewhere:

Perry Fewell
Kevin Gilbride

For Conversations sake the two are fired and Fewell and Gilbride are offered HC positions.

LB Coach:

I didn't like the hiring of Hermann when we did, I felt there was better available and feel the same way still. Our LB corps was the worst in the league this past season and that has to change.

Possible Replacement:

Richard Smith

Recent LBer coach for the Carolina Panthers. Did a good job developing his talent over the years. Exactly the kind of coach we need.

Don "Wink" Martindale

A well respected LBers coach who served this past season as Denvers DC.


Special Teams Coach

Although I think Tom Quinn did a decent job for what he had his Specials unit still struggle. He never seemed to run out of ideas on how to fix things though and I really liked that. I don't think he should be fired but incase he does.

Possible Replacements:

Darren Rizzi

Recently served as Miami's specials coach. Has done a decent job there.

John Fassel

Yes, Jim's Son. He serves as Oakland's specials coach.


Offensive Coordinator

Gilbride has a strong shot at being UConn's next head coach and although he has had his skeptics Gilbride is a very successful OC ranking us in the Top 5 this season. He won't be fired so if this position becomes available its because he leaves for greener pastures.

Possible Replacements:

Tony Sparano

Popular choice here, current Miami HC.

Joe Lombardi

This name you know as its Vince Lombardi's grandson. He's a very good coach in his own right and learning from a very good offensive coach in Sean Payton. He will be the next big named HC candidate in a few years. A chance to run our offense and learn from Tom Coughlin could be huge for him as I see him as an eventual successor to Coughlin if he joins the staff.


Defensive Coordinator

Perry Fewell has been a very good one year addition. Its not known if he is a serious candidate to all these interested teams or just a token. Although I bet the Rooney rule fill in lets say he is a serious candidate.

Possible Replacements:

John Fox

Again a popular choice one who needs no explanation. A 4-3 base D Coach.

Mike Nolan

Depending what Harbaugh does with him if Sporano is fired he would make an immediate difference in our D as he has with his two recent teams. He coaches a 3-4 base D.

Todd Bowles

Assit HC and Secondary coach with Miami now. He has the potential to be a HC candidate in a few years. Actually interviewed for Dallas this year. A 4-3/3-4 defensive coach.

Matt Paticia or Pepper Johnson

Both of the New England Patriots. Matt is the LB coach and Pepper the Dline Coach. Both good young coaches learning from a genius 3-4 coach.

Winston Moss

Very much like my Joe Lomabardi pick Winston Moss is a rising star in the coaching ranks. One of the better young coaches available serving now as the Asst. HC and Inside LBs coach. Former NFL LB now learning from Dom Capers in Green Bay. He'll be a HC candidate in a few years. Another possible Coughlin successor. A 3-4 base D coach but has played in and coached 4-3 defenses.

I like your list

I think Mike Sullivan and Sean Ryan could get some scrutiny as well.

It is interesting that we both separately came up with Richard Smith, he would be a great fit

here is Here are some coaching staff changes I would like to see.

(It isn't likely to happen, but it is ok to dream this time of year)



OC Tony Sparano (Miami)
Gilbride has done ok, but Sparano has a physical style that will add much needed physicality to the offense that has been somewhat lacking.


QB/Asst HC Kevin Gilbride
Gilbride has been ok, and I think there will be reluctant to fire him outright, but a sideways move is an option. Gilbride is a very good QB coach and knows Eli well. He would retain the much of the reigns of the passing game.

WR Mike Sullivan
Sullivan has been ok, but QB coaching has been an issue. With Gilbride as QB coach, Sullivan returns to WRs where he does very well. It isn't that Ryan has been terrible, but Sullivan is a much better coach.

RB Jim Skipper (Panthers)
Jerry Ingram has been solid, but our running game while solid, hasn't elevated to the next level. Skipper is just too good to pass up, he consistently gets the best out of his RBs. 7 out of 9 starters (Stephen Davis, DeShaun Foster, Brad Hoover, Nick Goings, Stewart and Williams) have all excelled under his watch with 100 yards games. Skipper also coached at NYG with success 1997-2000.


DC John Fox (Panthers)
My favourite if Fewell does leave. Fox knows the Giants and 4-3 defenses. Fewell's system will give him a great platform to build on. NYG is the best defensive front that Fox has coached for some time.


LB Richard Smith (Panthers)
A quality LB coach with proven success. To give you some idea, LBs he has coached to the probowl: Jon Beason, DeMeco Ryans, Ken Norton Jr, Lee Woodall, Winfred Tubbs, Julian Peterson.

DQC Sam Mills (Panthers)
Defensive Quality Control has been a problem for some time. Mills has great experience as both a player and coach and also knows Fox's system.


ST Mike Priefer (Denver)
A very good special teams coach with experience coaching with the Giants and under Coughlin.

Ast ST Sam Garnes (Panthers)
This is a position we currently have. Special Teams has been a problem for a while is a major position of need.


Fired coaches - Tom Quinn, Jim Hermann, Sean Ryan, Jerry Ingram, Al Holcomb.

So my ideal coaching staff would look something like

HC Tom Coughlin

OC Tony Sparano
QB/Ast HC Kevin Gilbride
WR Mike Sullivan
OL Pat Flahtery
Ast OL Jack Bicknell Jr
TE Mike Pope
RB Jim Skipper
OQC Kevin Gilbride Jr

DC John Fox
DL Robert Nunn
LB Richard Smith
CB Peter Guinta
S Dave Merritt
DQC Sam Mills

ST Mike Priefer
Ast ST Sam Garnes

S&C Jerry Palmieri
Ast S&C Markus Paul

I'll add more later but I also wasn't a fan of the Herrman hiring neither 2 years ago.
Not sure that he's the total problem though. I mean c'mon you do need decent linebackers to play decent at the position. I'm not sure how much input Herrman actually has when in the draft room or bringing in FA's. My guess though is probably very little if any at all.

I don't know enough about Oaklands special teams, but doubt that the Giants would tread waters with another Fassel hiring. It would be just too weird working with Coughlin.

56 Crazed Dogs wrote:I'll add more later but I also wasn't a fan of the Herrman hiring neither 2 years ago.
Not sure that he's the total problem though. I mean c'mon you do need decent linebackers to play decent at the position. I'm not sure how much input Herrman actually has when in the draft room or bringing in FA's. My guess though is probably very little if any at all.

I don't know enough about Oaklands special teams, but doubt that the Giants would tread waters with another Fassel hiring. It would be just too weird working with Coughlin.

Sure you need talent to play, but you also must get the best out of the guys you have,

Since Hermann started we drafted Sintim in the second round, Dillard in the 4th and brought in Michael Boley.
I also think Hermann had quite a bit of input in these signings, after all I believe Hermann has close ties with Al Groh (Sintim's College coach)

We also had a 3rd round pick (Wilkinson), 6th round pick (Goff) and 4th round pick (Kehl).

So I don't believe the cupboard was bare.

maybe Hermann had some input Pete but other than Sintim (a LB'er very possibly in the wrong system) the position hasn't been much addressed until the 4th round.

Ok, so we went out and got Boley, my favorite of the bunch. He's a good player but not outstanding and was benched by his former team before coming here.

So then the Giants picked up Keith Bulluck this season. Were there even any other teams looking at him? Nah

Don't get me wrong though. I was in favor of both Boley and Bulluck at the time.
Realistically though, Bulluck was a potluck signing.

56 Crazed Dogs wrote:maybe Hermann had some input Pete but other than Sintim (a LB'er very possibly in the wrong system) the position hasn't been much addressed until the 4th round.

Ok, so we went out and got Boley, my favorite of the bunch. He's a good player but not outstanding and was benched by his former team before coming here.

So then the Giants picked up Keith Bulluck this season. Were there even any other teams looking at him? Nah

Don't get me wrong though. I was in favor of both Boley and Bulluck at the time.
Realistically though, Bulluck was a potluck signing.

Not neccessarily, Wilkinson was a 3rd round pick, plus DeOssie, Kehl and Dillard were 4th round picks. That is higher draft resources that we have invested in the offensive line and DT combined before this year.

The flip side is that there are plenty of top LBs in the league who were day two picks or undrafted. I don't by the lack of talent excuse, sure it hasn't been premium talent, but we have brought in a lot of decent talent.

You also don't need premium talent at LB, remember in the late 90s we had a solid defense with guys like Brandon Short and Dhani Jones. Pierce was undrafted as would Armstead these days.

Big_Pete wrote:
You also don't need premium talent at LB, remember in the late 90s we had a solid defense with guys like Brandon Short and Dhani Jones. Pierce was undrafted as would Armstead these days.

Thats exactly been the thought process that has given us the worst LBers in the league the last few years.

We need to change that. Our scouting, coaching, and the neglect the position gets in the draft has hindered our ability to produce probowl players at the position. This is the New York Giants we're talking about. Great Defense with Great LBs. The last time we had two studs at LB were Mitchell and Pierce. And both of them were FA signings. Lets not forget how good that defense was that year.

LBs are critical in the success of a defense, one of the reasons so many teams are switching to a 3-4. We also have to stop this "convert DE's to 4-3 backers" shit.

Our superbowl defenses L.T., Carson, Banks, Pepper. Armstead and Borrow. Mitchell and Pierce.

Pizan wrote:

Big_Pete wrote:
You also don't need premium talent at LB, remember in the late 90s we had a solid defense with guys like Brandon Short and Dhani Jones. Pierce was undrafted as would Armstead these days.

Thats exactly been the thought process that has given us the worst LBers in the league the last few years.

We need to change that. Our scouting, coaching, and the neglect the position gets in the draft has hindered our ability to produce probowl players at the position. This is the New York Giants we're talking about. Great Defense with Great LBs. The last time we had two studs at LB were Mitchell and Pierce. And both of them were FA signings. Lets not forget how good that defense was that year.

LBs are critical in the success of a defense, one of the reasons so many teams are switching to a 3-4. We also have to stop this "convert DE's to 4-3 backers" shit.

Our superbowl defenses L.T., Carson, Banks, Pepper. Armstead and Borrow. Mitchell and Pierce.

I totally agree we must do better at LB for sure, we need quality talent at LB (and pure LBs) and good coaching.

As far as Sintim, sure he is likely in the wrong system, but he was drafted very high to play in our system (Spags version). But regardless, if you draft a LB that high you should be getting a premium LBer who should at least contribute in some way; that comes back to coaching to a reasonable degree.

With the system we currently have, look at teams who run similar systems well like Carolina and Chicago - LBers there have been a priority. Again they are more mobile athletic guys, not DEs or 3-4 OLBs (which we have used as stop gaps).

Pizan wrote:
Our superbowl defenses L.T., Carson, Banks, Pepper. Armstead and Borrow. Mitchell and Pierce.

Now dat's what I'm talkin' bout Willis.

To this day, I still don't know why the Giants let Mitchell go. He was surely worth the price tag the Bills gave him at the time. Him and Pierce worked well together.

Add Ray Sherman to list of hopefuls at WR coach. His contract has expired with the Cowboys.

Pizan wrote:Add Ray Sherman to list of hopefuls at WR coach. His contract has expired with the Cowboys.

He would be an uprade over Sean Ryan imho