Developing a human touch would serve Coughlin well

Tom Coughlin is a smart man. He is detailed and organized and thorough and tireless. It's just unfortunate he also is incredibly stubborn. It blinds his intelligence and interferes with his ability to learn from history. His own.

His flawed tenure in Jacksonville is not remembered for the remarkable accomplishment of building an expansion team with methodical steadiness to the brink of two Super Bowls. Instead, you remember the swirl of craziness that surrounded his coaching personality--the insane rules, the inflexible approach, the overwrought sideline emotions. He seemed a man under constant stress, haunted by demons, looking for enemies around every blocking sled, driven by the desire to control everyone and everything that was the Jaguars.

The mini-soap opera that is developing now with the Giants was so predictable, yet so avoidable if only Coughlin would have changed just enough to add a human touch and pull back from the authoritarian dictates that drive his coaching existence. He doesn't have to turn into Dick Vermeil. Just copying a bit of personality from his friend Bill Parcells, hardly Mr. Nice Guy himself; would be enough to allow his players in New York to concentrate on performing rather than wondering what insane rule they are violating next.

Everyone needs rules, particularly players. They expect them. That's not the problem; rather, it's the extent and stupidity of them. But to Coughlin, it is important to dictate the behavior of his players, whether they are watching practice, attending meetings or dressing for trips. Common-sense rules that result in discipline and respect are fine; nonsensical rules that reflect a desire to lord authority over players are nuts. Put all this in the magnified world of New York, where small incidents become big news, and it develops into a test of wills--not a textbook way to build long-term Success.

Coughlin's bulldozer approach isn't a popular style in today's NFL. Newer owners are searching for more flexible personalities. Consider the thinking of Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who wants his coach to be media-friendly, fan-friendly and player-friendly. Blank is right in believing it's OK for his coach to be all three and still expect playoff success. Players respond to a coach who does things to help them win, not one who treats them like children. That's a difference Coughlin has yet to understand.

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