Report: Tom Coughlin bitter during interview with Philadelphia Eagles

Tom Coughlin, longtime coach of the New York Giants, couldn’t mask his bitterness toward his old team while interviewing with the Philadelphia Eagles.

You would think a seething hatred of the New York Giants would be a pretty strong prerequisite for anyone interviewing to be the new head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, considering the long, acrimonious rivalry between the two NFC East foes. But according to CSN Philly, Coughlin’s bitterness over his exit from the Big Apple actually didn’t do him any favors with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and the rest of the powers-that-be in the organization.

If the rumors are to be believed, Coughlin seemed preoccupied with finding ways to enact revenge on the NFL franchise that employed him for 12 years and with which he won two Super Bowls. Rather than focusing on what he could bring to an Eagles team still searching for their first championship in the post-merger era, the 69-year-old coach seemed “obsessed with how he felt wronged by the Giants” and “came off more concerned with making the Giants look bad than being consumed with coaching the Eagles.”

At one point, Coughlin was considered one of the leading candidates — if not the point blank frontrunner — to replace Chip Kelly as the team’s new head coach. Of course, the position eventually went to former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson, a respected professional who comes from the same coaching tree as the last great mind to roam the Philly sidelines (Andy Reid).

While Pederson is a great hire, he’s got nowhere near the level of big-game experience and overall resume strength that Coughlin offers. It’s fair to assume that things may have played out differently if Coughlin hadn’t let the bitterness of his Giants divorce spill over into his interview with the Eagles.