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Ex-Giants assistant Mike Sullivan is among the potential replacements for Kevin Gilbride as offensive coordinator.

(Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

The Giants "broken" offense needs a fix. Now that former offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride is out of the picture with his retirement, the pressure shifts to the Giants and coach Tom Coughlin to find his replacement.

Getting Gilbride out of the picture was never going to be the tricky part. That would have happened one way or the other.

The bigger issue here is how to find a suitable replacement under the current conditions who can fix the Giants offense and quarterback Eli Manning. What that means is that the Giants need to find a new offensive coordinator who willingly comes knowing that the head coach won't be around too much longer. Coughlin, 67, is the NFL's oldest head coach and currently heading into the final year of his contract.

Do the Giants offer the new offensive coordinator a shot at being Coughlin's successor? Do they find a 1 or 2-year fill-in?

It's a very complicated situation, one that may take some time to find a solution. But here are some potential candidates that fit the bill:

Mike Sullivan – This is the logical, connect-the-dots answer. Sullivan will soon be without a job and has deep roots with Coughlin and the Giants. He started his NFL career as Coughlin's quality control assistant in Jacksonville, followed him to the Giants and worked his way up to quarterbacks coach. Considered an innovative offensive mind, Sullivan spent the past two seasons as Tampa Bay's offensive coordinator under Greg Schiano and was considered a candidate for the Army head coaching job last month before his boss was fired at season's end. Sullivan is also likely to be without a job soon after the Bucs were ninth in total offense last season before finishing dead last in 2013.

Gary Kubiak – The former Texans coach was fired mid-season, not long after suffering a mini-stroke on the field. While he was unable to get the Texans over the top, offense was rarely a problem. Houston finished in the top half of the league in total offense each of the past seven years. Kubiak, who previously helped lead the Broncos to a pair of Super Bowl titles, employs a run-heavy attack that relies on play-action passes. Sound familiar? Kubiak would seem a good fit for Manning. He could be a quality short-term fix and/or possible Coughlin successor.

Hue Jackson – He didn't succeed in an impossible spot as a head coach with the Raiders, but Jackson's long been considered a very good offensive coach. As the current running backs coach in Cincinnati, he should be open to a coordinator job with the Giants. As someone with a deep history of working with quarterbacks, Jackson could be the right man to fix Manning. Jackson tutored, among others, Carson Palmer at USC and Joe Flacco early in his career with the Ravens. BEGIN SOCIAL BOX

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Lane Kiffin – Say what you want about Kiffin, he knows something about offense. Aside from in Oakland – when Al Davis stuffed JaMarcus Russell down his throat – Kiffin's offenses have been effective. He's still young (38) and, with some time away from football after being fired by USC, reinventing Manning could be the perfect comeback job. Kiffin could be a good choice for a short-term fix with Coughlin's tenure likely nearing the end. If all goes well, Kiffin can be considered as a potential successor. It makes some sense, especially considering Kiffin once worked for Coughlin as a quality control assistant in Jacksonville, two years before Sullivan held a similar job.

Kevin M. Gilbride – Just kidding. Don't have a heart attack. By all accounts, Kevin M., 33, is a good, young coach. But he's also the son of the man who just retired. Guilt by association in this case.