Palladino: Even With Bad Season, Giants Firing Coughlin Isn't A Given

By Ernie Palladino
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Making a list of potential replacements for Tom Coughlin has become almost as traditional as the one so many folks send off to the North Pole at this time of year.

The difference is, the latter has a better use. After all, Santa has to match that up with his own naughty and nice lists to see who gets presents and who gets coal.

The Coughlin lists? They've seen more of the bottom of the circular file than year-old Christmas credit card statements.

And the same fate may await them this year.

As seemingly everyone from pundits to casual observers have furiously begun the scribbling of out-of-work, up-and-coming, and soon-to-be-fired replacement candidates in the wake of Sunday's soul-crushing, 23-20 overtime loss to the Jets, it's worth remembering that this is not the first time Coughlin's team has jeopardized his employment status.

MORE: Dottino: It Wasn't Tom Coughlin's Fault The Giants Lost To The Jets

The 69-year-old has gone in and out of the frying pan throughout his 12 years as the Giants' head coach, including 2006, 2013 and last season.

He hasn't gotten fired yet, as John Mara and Steve Tisch have stuck with him through a lot of thin between the thick of two Super Bowl championships.

There's a reason for that. Two, actually, of which both may come into play again, even if the 5-7 Giants don't wind up atop an NFC East mishigas that currently has them last in a three-way tiebreaker situation with Washington and Philadelphia.

First, even during the worst times, Coughlin has never lost the respect of his players. They don't all love him. Indeed, some probably dislike him outright. But they do play hard for him.

The evidence this year comes not in the five wins, but in the losses. Sure, they pulled a couple of rocks in Philadelphia and Washington. But those other five all happened because of fourth-quarter collapses. They led in the final quarter in each of those games, some by double-digits.

MORE: Giants' Season Has Been Defined By 5 Inexplicable Losses

They had the Jets by 10 with just over four minutes remaining before it all fell apart.

However embarrassing, those losses don't characterize a team that is no longer interested in playing for its coach. Those teams fold. They get blown out. The Giants, on the other hand, have taken five of their seven losses by a combined 12 points.

The roster can bear a lot of the blame. A fairly faceless defense that can't make a key stop, an offense which has no quality depth for a battered offensive line, are all culprits. But that issue lies at general manager Jerry Reese's doorstep. He may yet pay that price. But Coughlin has coached that disheveled group to still be within easy shooting range of a division title.

Second, there is no one Mara and Tisch would prefer to have coaching their team. Even if the season goes south from here, their first instinct will be to look for reasons to retain the late Wellington Mara's favorite, not fire him. And if it does come down to a hard decision, a look at the candidate field could also persuade them to keep Coughlin around for his final contract season.

Neither coordinators Ben McAdoo nor Steve Spagnuolo present desirable options at this point, given how their units have performed overall.

Sean Payton? The Giants will undoubtedly remember that year-long suspension for Bountygate.

Nick Saban? The Alabama coach has already failed on the NFL level with Miami.

Bill Cowher? He's grown comfortable in the TV studio.

If someone pops up with the same focus, energy, knowledge, and dedication Coughlin has, then perhaps Mara and Tisch will make the switch.

That person didn't appear on their lists in three other postseasons, though.

If he hasn't arrived by now, it is entirely possible that Coughlin will survive this latest brush with release, no matter how the season turns out.

But go ahead, make the list. They've been through this so many times, it's almost a franchise tradition.

'Tis the season.

Follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino