His routine has become a daily self-examination. No matter how hard he tries, Tom Coughlin can't avoid questions from a media that's determined to make him the subject of investigation.
At his noon press conference today, Coughlin fielded these two media inquiries: Did he agree with his owner's opinion that Jaguars coaches were to blame for Cleveland's game-winning touchdown pass this past Sunday? And does he need help in the administration of his duties as head coach, general manager and offensive coordinator?
"No," was Coughlin's answer to the second question. "What kind of help are you talking about? A psychiatrist?" Coughlin said. "I don't feel I need it," he added of the inference he should be assisted by a separate general manager and offensive coordinator.
"I did the same thing in '99. Of course, nobody commented on that other than the play-calling was lousy," he said, referring to his role as offensive coordinator in the Jaguars' 14-2 season.
"Why did I take this back?" he said of the offensive coordinator's role. "I wanted stability. I wanted the run to have its proper mix. Those were the main reasons I accepted that responsibility.
"Nobody knows this team like I do. Nobody knows the strengths and weaknesses like I do. We're in position to win games, dealing with it the way I'm dealing with it," he added.
But Coughlin agreed with Wayne Weaver's criticism that the Jaguars did not have enough defenders in the vicinity of Quincy Morgan's game-winning touchdown reception.
"Yes, we should've had five guys standing on the 20-yard line. If you had a chance to do it again, that's what you'd do," Coughlin said of what the final-play pass-defense should've been. "I accept full responsibility for the mistake and certainly Wayne is right in his opinion."
Weaver made his criticism in his "Inside Scoop with Wayne Weaver" video interview that appeared on jaguars.com on Tuesday.
"We talk every Monday about the game; the players who are playing well and the players who aren't," Coughlin added of his conversation with Weaver.
