EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ, 9 January 2004 — The more Tom Coughlin talked, the louder he got, his words coming to a rapid boil that only got more heated with every sentence.
When he was through with his opening statement as the Giants’ new coach Wednesday, team employees and journalists packing the interview room seemed ready to suit up and take the field on the spot. At the least, this much was obvious: Gentleman Jim Fassel doesn’t work here anymore.
Living up to his reputation as a stern, focused, no-nonsense leader, Coughlin turned his introduction at ‘Giants Stadium into a pointed ‘message for every Giants player and fan, and for the rest of the new-look, Joe Gibbs/Bill Parcells/Andy Reid NFC East, as well.
“What we must be all about right now, immediately, is the restoration of pride — self pride, team pride, the ‘restoration of our professionalism and the dignity with which we conduct our business,” he said. “We must replace despair with hope and return the energy and the passion to New York Giant football.”
That only was the beginning. Coughlin ticked off his priorities in a series of spoken exclamation points. The Giants must control the line of scrimmage. They must run and stop the run. What about being last in the league with a turnover differential of minus-16 and committing a team-record 127 penalties?
“You are not going to beat anybody with a minus-16,” Coughlin said. “That stat has to radically change. We must eliminate costly penalties. You can’t shoot yourself in the foot and expect to win the 100-meter dash.
