Just what DOES it take to get fired around here?

Tom Coughlin shouldn't be the coach of the New York Giants. He was a bad hire and has lived up (down?) to my meager expectations for him since. Last year, the Giants collapsed before our eyes and nearly faded away. Somehow they squeaked into the playoffs but the Coughlin-watch lived on. Again, against all logic, the Giants decided to bring back the Colonel for another go-round. Which brings us to the 2007 season.

The Giants have been arguably one of the worst teams in football. Their 0-2 record is certainly emblematic, but their non-existent, sieve-like defense has actually been football's worst. (Coughlin's personal hire to fix the defense, former Eagles coach Steve Spagnuolo, looks like a great move so far.) The offense -- sparkling in Week 1, sputtering in Week 2 -- faces a stern test in Washington this Sunday.

Let's say, for argument's sake, the Giants turn in another miserable performance. Just what does is take to get fired around here? If the Giants go 0-3, it's a safe assumption that they're not making the playoffs, even in the mediocre NFC. The coach, who was nearly fired last year, will take on instant lame duck status. Coughlin won't be coming back -- you know new GM Jerry Reese wants to put his own man in charge -- so why waste time as the life drains from the team for the next 13 weeks? Let Kevin Gilbride run the club (he can't be any worse than Coughlin... okay, he can, but that's not the point) while the Giants conduct a season-long audition of coaches around the NFL and NCAA.

How many times have we seen the Giants drag their feet, delaying the inevitable coaching change until all the best prospects have been scooped up by others? (That's exactly how they ended up with Coughlin in the first place.) Let's be proactive, for once. Being the coach of the New York Giants should be a marquee job in the NFL. Coaches should want to coach there, not turn their noses up in disdain. Show 'em the Giants mean business, that winning actually matters.

Bottom line this Sunday? Go 'Skins...