Giants owner John Mara's father, Wellington,
hired rookie head coach Jim Fassel, in 1997
Peter Solari Follow @4PeteSakeNY
Several outlets have picked up a report from the NFL Network's Ian Rappaport, which indicates New York Giants owner John Mara is looking for a "proven" NFL coach to succeed Tom Coughlin. According to Rappaport, the current crop of available coaching candidates has limited the team's options for satisfying such a standard.
To be fair, limiting their search to a "proven" coach doesn't just limit the Giants' options, it eliminates them. They might as well give the job to former Falcons coach Mike Smith right now. Smith hasn't even interviewed for the job, though ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Giants are scheduled to meet with him, citing league sources. Other experienced candidates the Giants have interviewed include defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who was 10-38 in three seasons coaching the Rams, and Doug Marrone, who went 15-17 in two seasons with Buffalo.
The Giants are also expected to interview Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, who was 8-8 in one season at the helm in Oakland, but no interview had been scheduled as of Sunday. However, Jackson did meet with the 49ers and Browns on Sunday to discuss their coaching vacancies, just hours after the Steelers eliminated his Bengals from the playoffs Saturday night. Both Cleveland and San Francisco were reportedly impressed with Jackson after his interviews, and there's speculation that he could be off the table before the Giants can even meet with him.
Former Buccaneers and Bears coach Lovie Smith, who has a career record of 89-87 in 11 seasons, is also available, but the Giants are yet to show any interest in him. If the Giants desire a "proven" NFL coach, then the Smith's, Mike and Lovie, are their only choices. The others may have experience, but none of them have put in enough time as head coaches, to "prove" anything. And since the Giants haven't even contacted Lovie Smith yet, process of elimination dictates that Mike Smith (no relation to Lovie) will be the Giants' next coach. But don't go placing any bets on that happening just yet.
Of course the Giants want a "proven" coach. Who doesn't? But sometimes, like now for instance, those type of candidates simply aren't available. The last time they had a coaching vacancy, before the 2004 season, the Giants had the opportunity to hire a "proven" coach in Tom Coughlin, but don't expect them to just hand the job to Mike Smith for that reason.
The guy Coughlin replaced was Jim Fassel, who took over the Giants in 1997. The Giants were still struggling to replace Bill Parcells, who retired briefly, at the conclusion of the 1990 season, after leading the Giants to a victory in Super Bowl XXV. After two disastrous seasons under Ray Handley, Dan Reeves was hired and got off to a promising start as coach, winning 11 games in 1993 and nine in 1994. But the Giants slipped back into irrelevancy in 1995 and 1996, and Reeves was fired. That's when team owner Wellington Mara, father of current owner John, took a shot on a rookie head coach who had "proven" nothing up to that point.
Fassel emerged from nowhere to become head coach of the Giants. He was respected assistant coach and had a reputation around the league as a quarterback guru, most notably mentoring John Elway in college and with the Denver Broncos. But in 1997, Fassel's head coaching experience was limited to an unimpressive stint as coach at the University of Utah, where he only won 25 games over five seasons. Regardless of that, Wellington Mara took a shot on him, and it paid off for New York.
In seven seasons as coach, Fassel amassed an overall record of 58-53-1 and lead the Giants to Super Bowl XXXV. He also resurrected the career of quarterback Kerry Collins, who had fallen on hard times. More importantly, Fassel was the man who brought the Giants back to respectability, before Coughlin brought them to the next level. After a 4-12 record in an injury-riddled 2003 season, the Giants relieved Fassel of his duties, but never regretted their decision to hire him.
If you want to understand how big of a chance the Giants took by hiring Fassel, consider the fact that he hasn't been an NFL head coach since he was fired in New York. In the 12 season since the Giants let him go, and even with his accomplishments in New York, not a single NFL team has taken the shot that Wellington Mara had the guts to go for back in 1997.
So as reading all these reports of the Giants searching for a "proven" coach, take them with a grain of salt. Every owner would like to have a Don Shula, a Bill Walsh, or a Bill Belichick, but circumstances don't always, or often, allow for that.
The New York Giants have never been afraid of taking a chance on an unproven coach in the past, and we shouldn't expect that to change now. Of course it could happen, but as The Monday Morning Quarterback has been reporting, and which has since been confirmed by Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, the inexperienced and unproven Ben McAdoo is still the frontrunner to succeed Coughlin. Sorry, Mike Smith.
