Keidel: All-Seeing Tom Coughlin Turned Into Mr. Magoo On Sunday

By Jason Keidel
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Nearly every Giants fan, from the Meadowlands to Gotham to Greenwich, had similar concerns about Tom Coughlin a dozen years ago, when he was hired as head coach.

He was an old man in a new world, a tight-lipped troglodyte who couldn't fit the contours of the 21st century baller. And, as if on cue, he suggested that injuries were a thing of the mind. You could hear the moans almost instantly. Tiki Barber sniped from the safe distance of the studio.

Then came Coughlin 2.0, the pastoral, Mr. Rogers remake. He cracked a smile and an occasional joke, took the team on field trips. And it worked. The Giants won two Super Bowls, and etched Coughlin's Canton legacy.

But no one could have seen this coming. Coughlin went from Tom Landry to Mr. Magoo on Sunday. When Odell Beckham Jr. morphed into the undead, a flesh-seeking monster who couldn't see the world beyond Josh Norman, Coughlin was nowhere to be found.

MORE: WATCH: New Video Shows Odell Beckham Jr. Arguing With Panthers Player Holding Bat

MORE: Palladino: Sudden Descent Into Lawlessness Hurt Beckham's Image

Rather than grab the young man by the face mask, shoulder pads, or more sensitive areas, counsel and caution his charge on his plunge into public insanity, Coughlin brooded into his headset, glared at the field, and let Beckham run the asylum with impunity.

Anyone over 40, or even 30, can recall when they were 23, and wince at a most inelegant moment or two, which they prayed their parents never saw. Our brain cramps aren't seen by millions on FOX.

So while Beckham's actions were undeniable, unjustifiable and atrocious, and reek of the rampant self-obsession that has come to define the new-age wideout, there's ample time for Beckham to reassemble his brain cells. He earned this suspension and, frankly, will be lucky if he sees the field again this season.

What can't be excused is the institutional failure from the Giants. Maybe the Mara family has a hands-off approach to ownership, but management, from Coughlin to general manager Jerry Reese, is as accountable as Beckham, if not more.

And don't hide behind the "internal matter" platitude. There should be a conga line of team reps condemning the action. Beckham embarrassed the franchise, showed kids that it's cool to morph into a missile after the whistle, to punch and launch yourself at defenseless players.

Beckham is whining about slurs and threats and some mysterious "bat stunt." Nonsense. It's quintessential spin, creating a PR back door, a way to excuse the inexcusable. The Giants either created these rumors or are condoning them. And it's time to stop.

The truth is, Beckham talked a lot, dropped a surefire TD pass, and then pouted, panicked, and caved to his darkest impulses. And the Giants did nothing about it, from the bench to the coach to the brass.

If you needed the blinding difference between a 6-8 and 14-0 team, just look at the respective sidelines. When Norman melted into the Carolina bench, he was crowded, counseled and admonished. Beckham was coddled, encouraged to continue his infantile rants and spastic gestures. Coughlin always talks about the sacred, team ethos and its eternal lessons, then passed up the perfect chance to deliver one.

It's hard to justify the return of Coughlin and Reese, to procure and coach players for the Giants, when they can't manage the ones they already have.

Follow Jason on Twitter at @JasonKeidel