Coughlin On Radio

Just finished listening to Tom Coughlin's interview on WFAN. He touched on all the obvious points -- the disappointment with how the season ended, the need to restore a disgraced defense, etc. I'm sure they'll post the audio, and when they do I'll post it here so you can listen to the whole 20-minute segment.

Here's a couple of points that we've heard before, but bear repeating.

* He wasn't disappointed with the effort against Minnesota in the season-ending, 44-7 loss, but was with the lack of physicality they showed against Carolina in the 41-9 loss the week before. And he blamed both sides of the ball for the losses, not just a defense that appeared to quit.

* He still has trust in the locker room veterans that brought the Giants to a Super Bowl win in '07, but is "befuddled" and has questions about them in light of this year's downfall. "We're looking at everything now," Coughlin said. "We're gonna take it all apart and put it all back together, but it's going to be a total, total analysis."

* There are going to be changes, although Coughlin said he doesn't plan on cleaning out the whole locker room. "There's still a core group of players here who are very, very talented, and our expectation level is going to be very, very high," he said. "I'm counting on this group to come back swinging, just like we're doing behind the scenes in the offices as we try to get ready."

* Coughlin said "We've lost our identity and we've got to regain it," starting with physical toughness on both sides of the line.

* Safety Kenny Phillips appears to be on track toward coming back next season from knee surgery.

* His new defensive coordinator is "an emotional guy," Coughlin said. "He's very positive and an outgoing guy. He always has a smile on his face. I think the players will be energized by him."

EP