Kevin

Gilbride

“Fortunately, it didn’t come to any type of situation where he had to be forced out,” were Mara’s blunt words. The suddenly loose cannon owner also said “we need to get some better players” on offense. Mara still unequivocally backs coach Tom Coughlin. “The guy is still as good a coach as there is out there,” Mara said. “Let’s see if we can help him by getting him some better personnel.” The G-Men could be in for a rude awakening if they believe moving on from Gilbride will be a cure-all magic potion for their moribund offense.

That should read “retire,” as all signs point toward Gilbride being forced out. It’s not without justification, as the Giants offense has been in steady decline the past two seasons, going completely in the tank for the final half of 2013. Injuries and the regression of Eli Manning and Hakeem Nicks deserve a large part of the blame, but at this point, it would be irresponsible of the Giants not to bring in a new voice. Gilbride has been on the Giants’ staff since 2004, and served as offensive coordinator since 2007.

“It’s hard to say, ‘It’s time,’” Gilbride said. “To finally do it, it’s a very unnatural feeling. I’ve been telling my wife (Debbie) for years I was going to do it. ... I knew this was it.” Gilbride has been an NFL coach since 1989. He was the head coach of the Chargers from 1997-98, and has overseen the Giants’ offense since 2007. It’s debatable whether he’d be “retiring” had the G-Men not struggled so mightily on offense this season, but Gilbride sounds at peace with his decision. 62 years old, Gilbride hangs it up having spent time with the Oilers, Jaguars, Steelers and Bills in addition to the Chargers and Giants. Former Bucs OC and Giants assistant Mike Sullivan is the heavy favorite to replace Gilbride.

FOX Sports’ Mike Garafolo chimes in by saying this is the “likely” scenario. This comes mere hours after owner John Mara called the team’s offense “broken,” adding that the Giants “can’t go into next season with the same personnel.” Gilbride, 62, has been with coach Tom Coughlin since 1995, dating all the way back to Coughlin’s Jaguars days. ESPN New York believes Coughlin could choose to resign from the Giants if he’s forced to fire his buddy.