kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted December 17, 2003 Personally, I think he got a bit of a raw deal, but it's not my team... http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/6931588 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Giants coach Jim Fassel informed his players during a Wednesday morning meeting the final two games of the season will be his last. "It's time. They need a change, I need a change. It's the right thing to do," Fassel said at his news conference Wednesday. According to players, Fassel informed the team he is not quitting but owners Wellington Mara, Bob Tisch and general manager Ernie Accorsi all agreed Fassel would be let go after these last two games. Though Fassel was upbeat addressing his players, he did show concern for the fate of his assistant coaches, players said. A meeting with team brass was initiated by Fassel. The coach, not ownership, wanted his situation resolved. Candidates rumored to be in line for the job include former Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin, LSU coach Nick Saban and Patriots coordinators Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel. Last week, Dan Reeves was given the opportunity to coach the Falcons' final three games of the season but declined. Instead, he decided to step down and allow defensive coordinator Wade Phillips to work in his place. Fassel told the players he would coach these last two games despite knowing his fate. He has one year remaining on his contract at an approximate salary of $2.7 million. Fassel should not be out of work long. He is expected to be a hot candidate in Arizona if Dave McGinnis is fired as well as Oakland if Bill Callahan is fired as coach of the Raiders. Fassel currently has a 58-51-1 record for the Giants plus a 2-3 postseason record. Last month Fassel talked to SportsLine.com about his place on the coaching hot seat and the tenous position that comes with the job. "I probably figured that out in my second year as head coach here in New York," Fassel said. "We didn't have a very good team that first year but we made the playoffs, went undefeated in the division and I was named Coach of the Year. Heck, I'm feeling pretty good about myself. "But three or four games into the next year we were struggling and I started to hear the negativity. I started to hear it from the fans and the media and I realized there are no passes in this league. "Considering the egos we have, none of us wants to hear about it. My job has been reportedly on the line in five of the years that I've been here. But if you can’t operate on the hot seat then you can’t operate. It's a very unwise man who thinks this job will be all rosy. "The only thing that isn’t on your contract when you sign it is the 'fired-on' date," Fassel said. "You look at it and those are the odds. I've heard more than one person say the shelf life of a head coach is down to three or four years. That speaks volumes of our profession. "What people do not realize about the position when they talk about our jobs being on the line, the day you sign your contract your job is on the line. It's almost like a game of musical chairs. There may be 32 guys who start when the music begins but when that 16th game rolls around there’s only about 18 chairs left for those 32 guys. That's just the nature of what we do." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gert T 0 Report post Posted December 18, 2003 Was Fassel a GM too? Because if not then it definetely is not his fault as whoever the GM is could not get playmakers who could get IN to the end zone. I got a feeling this Giants team is going to be bad for the next two years. Like they were saying on Sunday night, that front seven is aging and if they just slash and cut the waste, they'll be in cap purgatory from cap hits even longer. Fassel should take Tiki's hands as a memento of his job. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slayer 0 Report post Posted December 18, 2003 He won't be unemployed for long Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LooseCannon25 0 Report post Posted December 18, 2003 He won't be unemployed for long Ernie Acorsi is the GM of the Giants.......but Fassell deserves most of the blame cause it looks like his team stopped believing in him. He's the head coach AND offesnvie coordinator and didnt do a good job this year. I heard Oakland and Arizona are interested in him. As a Giants fan I thank Fassell for the good years and wish him luck in the future. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starvenger 0 Report post Posted December 18, 2003 Interesting that he's coaching the final 2 games though... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slayer 0 Report post Posted December 18, 2003 He won't be unemployed for long Ernie Acorsi is the GM of the Giants.......but Fassell deserves most of the blame cause it looks like his team stopped believing in him. He's the head coach AND offesnvie coordinator and didnt do a good job this year. I heard Oakland and Arizona are interested in him. As a Giants fan I thank Fassell for the good years and wish him luck in the future. I wasn't looking to justify for or against his firing, I was just saying I'm sure he'll find another job not long after the season's end (hell, possibly even during the postseason) although I've never really forgiven him and the Giants for the '01 NFC title game... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest El Satanico Report post Posted December 18, 2003 It doesn't matter if he's totally at fault, over the last 3 seasons him being fired was only a matter of time. The last three seasons He was like ex-Lions coach Wayne Fontes who kept saving his job with winning streaks in December for like 4 years. He's not a bad coach, he was just never consistent. I can't imagine him having a difficult time finding a new job. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
