Coughlin, Not Rex Ryan On The Hot Seat

Though, Coughlin has a Super Bowl under his belt, this scene has happened all too often.

Despite all the trash talk. Despite all the arrogance. Despite his own expectations, Rex Ryan is far more comfortable with his job security than his opponent this Saturday, Tom Coughlin.

Coughlin and the Giants have been on a wild ride since the day he arrived in 2004. With Coughlin at the helm, the G-Men have made the playoffs 4 out of 7 seasons including a Super Bowl title in '07, however in the last two seasons he's watched his team crumbled after hot starts. In '09 his Giants started out 5-0, only to finish at a mediocre 8-8. Last year they were 9-4 heading into Week 15 against the Eagles. We all know what happened in that game and we all know how the Giants finished. So far this season Big Blue has followed suit with the last two years. They started out 6-2 and now sit a disappointing 7-7 going into their major league clash against the Jets on Saturday.

Rex Ryan literally exploded onto the scene two years ago, by talking championship even with rookie Mark Sanchez under the center. The Jets started out a unimpressive 4-6, but finished the season and sneaking into the playoffs at 9-7. Rex rallied the troops some more in the playoffs as the Jets upset the Bengals and Chargers on the road before falling to the Indianapolis Colts. With serious playoff aspirations the next season and more championship trash talk from Rex, the Jets ended up a strong 11-5. Once again the Jets reached the AFC Championship, failing a second time to break through. This year Gang Green started slow going 2-3 in their first 5, going 6-2 until last weekend's embarrassing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Jets are now 8-6.

While the Giants' and Jets' records are similar, their coaches are going in opposite directions. Coughlin is seemingly on his last leg, not only cause he's the league's oldest coach, but because his old-school, get in your face style is becoming a big problem within the Giants' locker room. Rex Ryan's players, on the other hand, absolutely love playing for the boisterous big man. Some of the Jets that normally spit a lot of noise have been able to sit back and watch their coach take shots at everyone and their mother.

Tom Coughlin, who is 65, has one last go of it. If he wins out and makes the playoffs, then his job is safe. But if he is loses then he should expect to be hearing from John Mara soon, and not for good reasons. I know he led the Giants to a stunning Super Bowl victory in '07, but that hangover has been relieved. This is New York, not Kansas City. No matter who you are, unless you're the Islanders, Nets and now the Mets, every single year if you play in New York, you're expected to win. But when you cough up playoff berths in two straight seasons, you put yourself right back on the hot seat. Though Coughlin might be the better man, and maybe the more "sophisticated" coach in New York, he hasn't been unanimously-liked since the day he arrived, and I'm pretty sure he won't be missed if he is fired at the end of the season.



Rex Ryan is only in his third year as head coach, and he will not be pushed out of the Meadowlands even if he loses the next two games and loses them horribly. His successes in the past two seasons have given him a nice cushion and his players' attachment to him has put him on a comfy coach. Even with all the self-imposed expectations, Rex Ryan has proven himself to be a pretty damn good coach. 4-2 in your first six playoff games is great. But the way he rallies his troops is even more impressive. If given a re-energized team next year, I think we could see Ryan holding the Vince Lombardi trophy next year. But what we know for sure is that Rex Ryan will be back next year, no matter how the Battle of the Medowlands goes.