Brad Penner – USA Today Sports
The 0-3 New York Giants are preparing to invade Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. Under the leadership of head coach Tom Coughlin they hope to regain some of this season’s lost ground in Kansas City Chiefs’ territory. It will be a war.
The Giants’ coach is nicknamed ‘Colonel Coughlin’, and for good reason. When he took the head coaching position in 2004, he was scrutinized for fining players if they were two minutes early for a team meeting. His response was, “They should’ve been at least five minutes early”.
Coughlin’s militaristic approach should come as no surprise. Former New York head coach Bill Parcells mentored Tom when, under him, Coughlin commanded the Giants wide receivers back in the late 1980s. Parcells is also a strict disciplinarian. As the Vice President of Football Operations for the Miami Dolphins in 2008, he was known as the ‘Football Czar’.
Colonel Coughlin was born in Waterloo, NY, which led me to search for parallels between him and Napoleon Bonaparte. The former French Emperor was eventually defeated in The Battle of Waterloo. I was surprised at what I found.
Napoleon was the first leader of France to bear the Emperor title in almost a century. His predecessor in title was Charles the Fat. Coughlin’s predecessor, Parcells, was nicknamed the ‘Big Tuna’ as coach of the Giants due to his body shape.
Once surrounded by the Seventh Coalition forces, Napoleon didn’t stand up and fight valiantly; he tried to escape with a carriage full of jewels. The Giants have won four Super Bowls and Parcells and Coughlin each have possession of two of the rings. Ironically, they were won in both coaches’ fourth and eighth seasons at the helm.
Bonaparte was counting on Emmanuel de Grouchy (fitting name) to overcome the attack of seven united armies. Coughlin is counting on Eli Manning to overcome the Chiefs defensive front seven.
Parcells was New York’s head coach for 10 years. This is Coughlin’s tenth season with the Giants. Some fans are already calling for his head. Could Arrowhead Stadium ultimately be his final stand, his “Waterloo,” if you will?
Napoleon held off his forces attacking the English until noon due to soggy conditions. In retrospect, it gave the Prussian army time to get into position and is considered the biggest mistake of the battle.
There’s a 50 percent chance of rain in Kansas City on Saturday night. Soggy ground or not, there’s going to be a war in the Chiefs kingdom on Sunday. Don’t be late. (If you’re a Giants fan, I’d be at least five minutes early.)
Troy Alan is a Kansas City Chiefs writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TRantMedia or “Like” him on Facebook
