Tom Coughlin wants to keep going

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Tom Coughlin has no plans to ride off into the sunset and retire a Super Bowl champion.

The 65-year-old coach said he definitely wants to return to coach the Giants next season and perhaps beyond.

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"I certainly hope so," Coughlin said when asked if he is definitely returning as Giants head coach. "That is my intention. We have some ownership that has to give approval. I'm looking forward to it."

Coughlin's contract runs through the 2012 season. He received a one-year extension last summer. Owner John Mara said he will sit down with the head coach in the coming days to discuss the idea of an extension.

"Well, we will sit down and talk about it in a couple of days," Mara said, smiling, when asked if ownership will approve of Coughlin returning. "Yeah, I think it is safe to assume that he has (ownership's approval)."

Coughlin finished his 16th season with his second Super Bowl victory in four years. He became the oldest head coach to win a Super Bowl but he joked that feels 20 years younger.

When asked if he envisions himself coaching the Giants 10 years from now, the 65-year-old Coughlin cracked, "Well, I am only 45. Maybe that can happen."

Brandon Jacobs said Coughlin shouldn't have to face anymore questions about his job security.

"The only thing they should question is whether to put him on a ballot before he retires," Jacobs said.

Coughlin told his team that he loved the Giants on the eve of the Super Bowl in a team meeting and he couldn't recollect if he had ever said the same thing to another team.

During his team's six-game winning streak to win Super Bowl XLVI, Coughlin had an extra bounce in his step and often was in a jovial mood during news conferences.

"The word 'fun', I think I understand what it means in relation to our business," Coughlin said. "When it all comes together and you start to play well and we are all on the same page and there isn't any question about communication and everyone has that look in your eye going to work and going to practice ... that is fun."

"When that took place, there wasn't any fatigue," he added. "It was all invigorating. A tremendous sense of wanting and the desire to keep going (in the playoffs)."

Linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka says Coughlin is loaded with energy to do this job for several more years.

"Every week ... he comes in, energy, energy," Kiwanuka said. "That is what he says and he does jumping jacks [before team meetings]. Even with the hamstring injury [he suffered against the Jets on Christmas Eve]. We are thankful for him.

"His energy level is higher than some on the team."

The idea that Coughlin had "fun" is a far cry from the reputation he has as a hard-nosed disciplinarian.

One thing is certain: Coughlin likely won't have to deal with being on the hot seat again with two Super Bowl wins on his resume.

"Oh, I think you guys will have him right back on the hot seat at some point, after we lose a game," Mara joked. "He might be 65 but he has the energy of somebody quite younger than that."

Ohm Youngmisuk covers the Giants for ESPNNewYork.com.

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Ohm Youngmisuk

ESPNNewYork.com

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Ohm Youngmisuk has covered the Giants, Jets and the NFL since 2006. Prior to that, he covered the Nets, Knicks and the NBA for nearly a decade. He joined ESPNNewYork.com after working at the New York Daily News for almost 12 years and is a graduate of Michigan State University.
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