Reese 'Hard At Work' Figuring Out What Went Wrong; Tom Feels 'Indescribable' Pain

NEW YORK (WFAN) - The Giants' season was a disappointment.

There's really no other way to put it.

After starting the season 6-2, the defending Super Bowl champions went 3-5 in the second half to finish at 9-7, narrowly missing the playoffs after leading the NFC East for much of the season.

So how do you explain the sudden drop-off from such a dynamic, talented team?

LISTEN: Giants General Manager Jerry Reese talks with Mike Francesa

It's pretty simple, if you ask Giants General Manager Jerry Reese.

"We didn't get the job done," Reese told WFAN's Mike Francesa. "That's what I've been telling everybody. That's soup to nuts. We didn't get the job done and it's disappointing for us to be in this situation because I do think we have some talented players on this football team ... Inconsistency probably sticks out to me the most. We're so inconsistent. I think at one time we had a three-game lead in our division, and when you have a three-game lead you should close your division out.

"We're hard at work right now trying to figure out what went wrong, and evaluating everything that happened, evaluating our personnel as we move forward and try to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again."

As there is for every team in every year in the National Football League, there will most certainly be turnover on Big Blue's roster this offseason. Osi Umenyiora, for one -- part of the nucleus of the Giants' defense since 2003 -- has likely played his last game in a Giants uniform.

But Reese is confident that despite this season's setback, the G-Men aren't far from retooling and returning to the Super Bowl.

"I don't think we're that far away," Reese said. "Again, we won nine games, and we had some chances to win -- in my mind -- at least three more games ... I think we'll have a good product again and I think we'll have a lot of players anxious to get out there and prove that we're still a good football team."

LISTEN: Head Coach Tom Coughlin chats with Mike Francesa

Head coach Tom Coughlin, who has won two Super Bowls as a head coach and three overall, is struggling to cope with the late-season collapse of his football team.

"Mike, I can't even describe how it hurts," Coughlin told Francesa in regard to missing the playoffs. "I don't know what to do. I'm walking around here like a crazy man. I don't know what to do with myself. We shouldn't be doing this right now. The pain of it is almost indescribable because your expectations are so high."

The coach even admitted that losses are tougher for him to swallow now than they were 10 years ago.

"Not only (does it hurt more) as you get older, but you just were at the top of the mountain," Coughlin said. "The last thing  that you're thinking about is losing football games or not being in the playoffs. You're thinking you're gonna be there, and it just multiplies the difficulty in accepting losing."

Put yourself in Jerry Reese's shoes. What would you do this offseason to ensure that the Giants are back in the playoffs next season? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments section below...