Pelissero: Tom Coughlin's future about more than Giants' finish

Tom Pelissero | USA TODAY Sports

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Tom Coughlin is not your average 69-year-old, as his response to a knockdown from one of his own New York Giants players Monday night showed.

The NFL’s oldest head coach didn’t seem shaken after getting trucked by cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the Giants’ win over the Miami Dolphins. Coughlin even smiled and joked about it after the game.

Once this season ends, Coughlin will reflect and assess his plans for the future, probably more than he ever has. Ownership is sure to do the same with one year left on the coach's contract.

But for all the speculation in league circles that this is the end for Coughlin, whether the Giants end a three-year playoff drought or not, it’d surprise those who know him if he’s considering much beyond how to upend the unbeaten Carolina Panthers on Sunday. If anything, players see a guy with more energy and motivation right now because the Giants, despite all the blown leads and missed opportunities that have left them at 6-7, are tied for the NFC East lead.

Health certainly doesn’t seem to be an issue. Coughlin works out almost every day — stretching and weights in the morning, cardio later on. And Coughlin’s hard-line reputation hasn’t stopped him from adapting or evolving as a coach. Earlier this year, the Giants invited experts to give a course on connecting with millennials. Coughlin changed up the practice schedule this season to provide more recovery time, too.

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Could the Giants decide it’s time to start fresh? Sure. Nothing is guaranteed, even for a man who has led the team to two Super Bowl wins and a 102-87 record (plus 8-3 in the playoffs) over 12 seasons. Co-owner John Mara indicated after last season this was a must-win type of year. But considering what Coughlin and his staff are working with personnel-wise, especially on defense, there’s a case to be made general manager Jerry Reese should go before Coughlin does.

On the other hand, Reese’s most notable recent draft pick is superstar receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who’s the best thing the Giants have going.

Whatever happens, it may take some time after the season, which Coughlin and everybody else in that building hopes doesn't end with Week 17's contest Jan. 3. Another non-playoff season almost surely would mean some changes, even if Coughlin isn’t pondering that now.

Jaguars roaring again

Where should Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles and receiver Allen Robinson rank among the NFL’s top touchdown combinations?

“With our statistics, one of the top,” Robinson told USA TODAY Sports this week. “But I think that’s a testament to all of our offense. We’ve just been blessed with so many weapons that, depending on how teams play us, we make it easy on one another.”

If that sounds like hyperbole, you haven’t been watching a Jaguars offense that’s up to ninth in the NFL in scoring after last week’s 51-16 drubbing of the Indianapolis Colts pulled them within one game of the lead in the lousy AFC South.

Two NFL MVP candidates, the New England Patriots' Tom Brady and Arizona Cardinals' Carson Palmer, are the only quarterbacks with more touchdown passes than Bortles’ 30. A dozen have gone to Robinson, who’s tied for the NFL lead and ranks eighth in receiving yards (1,067).

Robinson is 22 years old. Bortles is 23. Allen Hurns, the Jaguars’ second-leading receiver, is 24. Yet they’ve already had almost two full seasons together to build rhythm and timing, albeit in two schemes after Greg Olson replaced Jedd Fisch as offensive coordinator in the offseason.

The Jaguars’ rebuilding plan is about developing those young players and supplementing with the likes of tight end Julius Thomas, a high-priced free agent who has been productive since he got healthy, with TD catches in four consecutive games.

“By us playing a lot last year, we really have benefited going into OTAs, going into camp,” Robinson said. “Then with Coach Ole coming in, just had to hone in on learning a new offense, which I think has benefited us a lot as well.”

Inside runs

— Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross spent time with Jim Harbaugh at the University of Michigan this fall, and Harbaugh was in Miami when brother John’s Baltimore Ravens played the Dolphins a couple weeks ago. But Jim Harbaugh isn’t a candidate for the Dolphins’ head coaching vacancy, for a variety of reasons. Perhaps most important: Ross, a Michigan alum, has no interest in becoming unwelcome at his alma mater. He has donated over $300 million to Michigan and the business school is named for him. Interim coach Dan Campbell, 4-5 since replacing Joe Philbin, will be among Miami’s considerations.

— Scouting report on the first game of Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel’s late-season audition: Solid. Did a good job stepping up under pressure. Didn’t panic. Mostly got rid of the ball quickly. The San Francisco 49ers didn’t put up much of a fight, though. It gets a lot tougher from here: Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs on the road, then at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17.

— Criticism of Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn and his staff for the team’s “collapse” doesn’t add up. Scouts who watched them during a 5-0 start doubted it was sustainable based on their personnel limitations. Is a six-game slide a good sign? Of course not. But Quinn took over a team that went 6-10 in 2014. They’ve already matched that win total in his first season, and if they finish 7-9 or 8-8, Quinn shouldn’t be punished for the route they took to get there.

— Perhaps some urgency will help tailback Christine Michael in his return to Seattle. Since September, he has been traded by the Seahawks to the Dallas Cowboys, who cut him last month, and left to join the practice squad of the Washington Redskins, who cut him Tuesday. A second-round draft pick out of Texas A&M in 2013, Michael is just 25 years old and an explosive athlete. But he’s not going to get many more chances if he can’t figure out how to be a pro. There is clear opportunity in a depleted Seahawks backfield.

Tom’s Top 10

(Last week’s ranking in parentheses)

1. Carolina Panthers (1): Who would’ve pegged them for the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense?

2. Arizona Cardinals (2): Other NFC bye is theirs with win in Philly plus Packers loss at Oakland.

3. New England Patriots (5): What a difference a Gronk makes. He should destroy Titans.

4. Seattle Seahawks (6): Three more weeks of this, and QB Russell Wilson may get MVP votes.

5. Denver Broncos (4): Cause for concern? WR Demaryius Thomas doesn’t look like himself.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (7): Being 6½-point favorites over Broncos says a lot about that offense.

7. Cincinnati Bengals (3): Even with backup QB AJ McCarron, they should wrap division against 49ers.

8. Kansas City Chiefs (8): Last year’s defense was 32nd in INTs per pass play. This year: No. 2.

9. Green Bay Packers (9): Don’t overlook coach Mike McCarthy’s return to calling plays. He’s one of the best.

10. New York Jets (NR): Fitting if playoff spot comes down to Week 17 at Buffalo against Rex Ryan.

Dropped out: Minnesota Vikings (10).

Note: Does not factor in the result of Thursday’s game

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