Even though co-owner John Mara promised the search for a new Giants head coach would be “extensive,’’ it stands to reason if he was sold on Ben McAdoo, he already would have elevated the offensive coordinator into the job that for the past 12 years belonged to Tom Coughlin.
More and more, it looks as if Mara prefers someone with previous head coaching experience, thinking he does not want to hand a 35-year old quarterback, Eli Manning, and a frustrated fan base over to a young coordinator and hope the guy has the right stuff.
Mara and general manager Jerry Reese have spoken to two candidates with head coaching experience — Steve Spagnuolo and Doug Marrone — and they will interview former Falcons coach Mike Smith on Monday. Mara will be busy the next few days at the owners’ meetings in Houston. No one around the Giants wants this to drag on for another week or so. After the meeting with Smith, it likely will be the time to sort through the options and call back at least one of the candidates.
Smith spoke to the Dolphins about their opening before 37-year old Adam Gase got the job, and reportedly Smith was impressive in the interview in Miami. If Smith makes an impression on Mara, he could get extremely serious consideration. Mara undoubtedly will see in Smith similarities to Coughlin.
How so?
Coughlin was 57 when he was hired by the Giants in 2004. Smith is 56. Coughlin rose in the coaching ranks with a highly successful stay in Jacksonville, going 45-19 in a four-year stretch and advancing to the AFC Championship Game twice with an expansion team. Smith in his first five years as head coach of the Falcons went 56-24, won two division titles, made the playoffs four times and advanced to one NFC Championship Game.
Coughlin fell on hard times with the Jaguars, going 19-29 with three consecutive losing seasons before he was fired. Smith went 10-22 in his last two years in Atlanta before he was fired.
Coughlin took a year off to gather himself before re-launching his career with the Giants. Smith took a year off in 2015 and is hoping to re-start his career with the Giants.
Coughlin arrived on the Giants’ scene as an established coach with something to prove. Smith arrives at his interview as an established coach with something to prove.
Mara will sense this scenario possibly playing out all over again.
“That had a big influence on me when we hired Tom back in 2004,’’ Mara said last week on ESPN New York radio. “Here was a guy who had incredible energy and who really had something to prove. He had been fired in Jacksonville after two or three straight losing seasons, and you could tell he wanted to come back and prove to everybody he was a great head coach. And sure enough, he did that.’’
Smith is one of Coughlin’s closest friends in the coaching community, and Coughlin will speak with the Eagles about their head coach opening on the same day Smith meets with the Giants.
Marrone, 51, also appears to be a serious candidate. He went 15-17 in two years in Buffalo — 9-7 in 2014 — but opted out of his contract, abruptly, when the Bills underwent a change in ownership structure. He was a finalist for the Jets job that eventually went to Todd Bowles. Marrone left Buffalo with some negative chatter ushering him out the door, but he would fit into the category of an experienced coach with something to prove.