Tom Coughlin says it’s time to ‘move on’ from Giants

At Tom Coughlin’s good-bye press conference with the New York Giants in January, after he’d stepped down as head coach, team co-owner John Mara indicated that there could be a role for Coughlin in the organization if he didn’t take a job elsewhere.

But while Coughlin, who takes great pride in his physical condition, has still been working out at the Giants’ facility, he said on Wednesday night it’s time to cut the cord with the organziation he was head coach of for 12 years and two Super Bowl titles.

Appearing at the “Mike and the Mad Dog” reunion show on Wednesday night, Coughlin was asked about his future with Big Blue.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “There’s not been a lot of discussion about that. I really don’t know how, once the decision was made . . . Move on, is what I think I’m saying.”

That does not, however, mean Coughlin is moving on from the NFL. He quickly said, “Oh, I know I can coach” when asked if he can still run a team.

The 69-year old, who was the oldest coach in the league last season, interviewed with the Philadelphia Eagles, an NFC East rival of the Giants, for their head coaching position, though the franchise ultimately hired Doug Pederson after Coughlin withdrew his name from consideration.

Now that he’s cutting ties, Coughlin wasn’t afraid to be critical of the Giants and general manager Jerry Reese. New York went on a spending spree in free agency, beefing up its defense with defensive linemen Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison plus cornerback Janoris Jenkins, a distinctly different approach than it had taken in Coughlin’s final years with the club, when he had to make do with lesser talent on that side of the ball.

“What bothers me is, we know you’re not going to win a championship without great defense,” Coughlin said. “You got to do something about that. It didn’t happen. And now it’s happening.”