One thing is certain, regardless of how the New York Giants are playing within any given season - New York Giants tickets are always hard to find, and their fans are as loyal as any in the NFL. However, 2006 is shaping up to be a make-or-break season for the team, as their hard-edged coach is beginning to wear on the team, and their brutal schedule is taking its toll on their fortunes early in the season. We’ll examine some factors involved with why this is such an intriguing season for the Giants and then we’ll predict how things will turn out for “Big Blue.” Tom Coughlin Coughlin came to the Giants in 2004 after fans and management tired of the lax atmosphere that former Coach Jim Fassel had created. Even though Fassel had taken the Giants to a Super Bowl in 2000, players were beginning to take advantage of the professional trust the coaching staff placed in the players, and it was indeed time for a change. As it usually goes, the Giants looked for a coach whose approach was different from Fassel’s, and no one’s approach was and is more distinct than Coughlin’s. Coughlin is absolutely militant in how he runs a team, and every detail regarding playing football for his club is micromanaged. While this approach certainly instills discipline, it also grates on players, particularly veterans who have grown accustomed to doing things a certain way. Everywhere Coughlin goes, his players complain about his approach after he arrives, and then they either accept the style or leave. However, Coughlin’s track record indicates that ultimately, players begin to tune him out and even let their frustrations go public, and that’s what could be happening now in New York. The Players This is a team filled with many “name” players, and while these players help to drive up demand for New York Giants tickets, they don’t necessarily help provide a winning environment. Stars, whether they are real or simply good players who are overrated because they play in the country’s biggest market, tend to help dictate a team’s overall level of morale, and recent quotes by some of these players has led fans and media to speculate that the team’s foundation is cracking. A prime example is tight end Jeremy Shockey, whose outburst after an annihilation at the hands of the Seahawks was quite telling. Shockey basically called out himself, his teammates and his coaches for not being prepared to play a Super Bowl-level team, and these quotes reverberated throughout the Big Apple. The Giants have a lot of individual-type players who tend to speak their minds, regardless of the consequences. Star RB Tiki Barber called out the coaches after their playoff loss a year ago, and other veterans like Michael Strahan have been known to march to their own beat. The Schedule The Giants’ 2006 schedule is brutal. They play several playoff and title-contending teams, and they’re also in one of the toughest divisions in all of football. There is no “break” in their slate, and every week is sure to be an enormous test of the Giants’ mettle. The reason the schedule is important is because winning tends to quiet most complaints, and if the Giants don’t start winning soon, these complaints will gain steam thanks to the New York media. Overall, New York Giants tickets will remain in high demand in 2006, but this could be a team that implodes in a big way as the weather gets colder in New York.
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