Tom Coughlin turns 66 in August. He's entered a stage in life when lesser men punch the clock one final time, shift comfortably into beach furniture and spend the next three decades complaining about the Knicks.
Not Coughlin. The New York Giants coach has given zero indication he's about to walk away from the game.
His long-time friend Ray Perkins, who coached the Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in the day, can't fathom Coughlin vanishing into retirement.
"Tom Coughlin's got another 15, 20 years in him," Perkins told the New York Post.
This generated snickers, but Perkins wasn't kidding.
"He does," Perkins said. "He works out, he takes care of himself, he feels good. He's a great coach, and I mean it. He's got 15 or 20 more years in him. And he is totally wrong if he starts thinking of retirement, in my opinion."
Two more decades of dealing with the New York media will age a man, but Coughlin has football in the blood. The game reels these coaches in, drives them to obsession and too often spits them out. It took a lifetime for Coughlin to reach these heights, and we don't expect him to walk away before he's ready to.
