Here We Go... Again...

I'm sure all of you Giants fans out there remember a few years back when the Tom Coughlin era began. A team mutiny led by Michael Strahan in which the new coach was called out for the way he handled players, meetings, and the overall structure of his regime. Because Coughlin had such a reputation as a strict disciplinarian, most thought this would not go over well and ultimately lead to a quick end for Coughlin. Instead, he took the players' criticism to heart, changed his ways and we all remember what followed not long thereafter.

The Giants came together, rallied behind their coach and pulled off one of the greatest upsets in sports history in winning Super Bowl XLII. The 17-14 stunner spoiled the Patriots bid for a perfect season. Peyton's little brother got a Super Bowl MVP trophy of his own. Strahan retired a champion. All was right in NY.

Fast forward to 2010. After two disappointing seasons, one promising until their star wide receiver shot himself (and his teams' hopes) in the foot and the other promising until a colossal defensive collapse, the G-men once again had high hopes for a trip back to the NFL's summit. The team handled an overwhelmed Carolina squad convincingly in Week 1 and fans were holding their heads high. Unfortunately, Manning Bowl II wasn't quite as kind to Big Blue. The Giants were throttled by Indianapolis on Sunday night - the defense looked as bad as at any point last year and the offense looked did its best impression of the Week 1 Jets against Baltimore.

Today, a radio show aired on WFAN that evoked memories of the not-so-distant past. Newly acquired safety Antrel Rolle slammed the Giants organization for its "controlled" environment. His comments, though not 100 percent clear, implied that management's handling of the coaches is just as poor as the players and that these are problems he has noticed since joining the Giants, not just in this past week.

This begs the question, is Coughlin back to his old ways? Or is Rolle just another whiny prima donna? One thing is clear - this player doesn't have the tenure or respect within the organization that Strahan did at the time of his rebellion. I suspect this will not end well for Mr. Rolle. Although, if by some miracle the Giants get this thing turned around, perhaps they will have stumbled upon their very own magic elixir: a public lambasting of their coaches and managers mixed with a prayer that they don't get cut!