NFL

Tom Coughlin: New faces will transform Giants’ culture

So many new players. So many new coaches on the offensive side of the ball with an entirely new offense to teach, learn and master. It is going to bring about serious change for the Giants.

“The culture’s going to change, too,’’ Tom Coughlin said in an interview on giants.com. “Now, the principles and the values will not change, but how we go about our business has to change, because we have so many new people that have to be integrated into the system.

“I’m concerned about the X’s and O’s. That whole situation in terms of the new system and our new offensive coordinator [Ben McAdoo], those things are all going to have to be presented to our team, both veterans and new people. It puts them basically in the same boat, because they’re all learning from scratch, there’s no advantage to anybody.

“Our defense has learned an awful lot about our players and how to best utilize them. But there are a lot of changes on the defensive side of the ball. We, again, have to be in a position where we’re evaluating our talent so we know how best to go ahead and try to utilize them. Everywhere in the organization there has to be a marching to a little bit faster step, if you will, just to be able to incorporate new people in a short amount of time and to learn not only a new system on the offensive side of the ball but the defense will change according to our personnel.”

The massive changes — the Giants signed 13 free agents from other teams — could be daunting to a veteran coach, but Coughlin called it “exciting.”

“And you know what? It’s good for us,” he said. “It’s good for us at this point in time. I said all along that the stimulation here, even for our veteran players, for Eli [Manning] to re-focus and to be energized by the new learning, the new presentation of material, the different terminology, the things that must be mastered before you even get out of the huddle. I think all of those things are stimulating.”

Other issues Coughlin spoke about:

• The importance of Chris Snee’s return to health on the offensive line: “It’s critical, in my opinion. We start out with Chris the last couple years and were not able to finish and all of a sudden he’s gone and that aspect of his leadership is removed. So now you have not only the loss of him as a player, but the loss of him in terms of his leadership role in the classroom where he helps all these young guys. We need that aspect, but we also need the toughness, we need the physicality, we need the player and what he brings to the table as much as anything else. His presence will lend a lot.”

• The addition of players from the Broncos, Chiefs and Saints, all winning teams in 2013: “Hopefully, the winning part is going to dominate in terms of what they bring to the table with the people that they will be surrounded with.”

• The addition of Trindon Holliday as a return specialist: “David Wilson on kickoff returns, there is no doubt about him. Dominik Hixon was a good punt returner. But this is really an exciting thing, especially for this present group of special teams coaches who haven’t had one. They haven’t had a returner like this.”

• The addition of running back Rashad Jennings: “I think he’s an all-around back. Whatever question I asked when I was looking at the tape got answered. In other words, he went 80 [yards for a touchdown last season for Oakland in a game at Houston]. Is he fast enough? He goes 80. Does he catch it out of the backfield? Yes. Does he run the screens well? Yes. How is he from scrimmage as a runner? Good. First and second down, can he play on third down? Yes, he can. What does he need? Well, he’s 230 pounds with a great attitude. He needs a little work on his pass protection, but I think we can get that done. I think he’s an all-purpose guy that fits us very, very well.’’

• The prognosis for running back David Wilson coming off neck surgery: “All in due time with David. Just pray, you’re praying that he has a return to excellent health and that the doctors are totally convinced that he is recovered and ready to go. When that time comes, you’ll have another contributor who, if he gets a step, he’s gone. I’m counting on him, but I am not going to put him in any circumstance until it’s an absolute that he’s 100 percent. I’m not going to mess with that one.”

• The losses in free agency of some key players with Super Bowl rings: “I love what Kevin Boothe’s done for us. His contribution, you look at last year, everybody goes, ‘Woe is me.’ If it wasn’t for that kid, you could go around and talk about ‘Woe is me.’ Great kid, very smart, will do anything you want him to do, exceptional character. He worked the room as well as anybody, was versatile in positions, great for your team, all of those things.

“Justin Tuck has had superb playoffs when we’ve won Super Bowls and he has been a major contributor in all capacities, even in ’11 when it started with the Jets game. Go back and look, he played very, very well from that point right through the end of the season. He’s been an excellent, excellent football player, leader, person. I’m going to miss him. I’m going to miss them all. You miss the ones that you don’t have once they’re gone. But you understand the nature of the game.

“We’re going to miss Linval [Joseph]. God bless him, but we’re going to miss him. We know what the game is. There’s only so much [money]. They’re making decisions about how you’re going to try to operate with multiple numbers rather than a few. These things happen. What are you going to do?”

• The new offense under first-year coordinator Ben McAdoo: “I’ve been in the same system since 1988. We have incorporated whatever we can from our system that we’ve always had here, but there’s a lot of new terminology. There will be lots of new teaching just in terms of the way in which it’s presented, which will force people to study and to learn and to be anxious. When the huddle breaks you’ve got to go do it. They’re going to have to learn it to be able to do it. The plays will become familiar to them once they recognize what the responsibility is. You have to be able to talk it, discuss it and communicate. That’s different.”