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IRVING, Texas (Ticker) -- Tom Coughlin has made an immediate impact on the
New York Giants
. Now he gets a chance to beat his mentor Sunday when the Giants visit the
Dallas Cowboys
in a battle of NFC East rivals.
Coughlin was a wide receivers coach under Bill Parcells from 1988-90 with the Giants. Their last year together was the last time New York won the Super Bowl.
Known as a disciplinarian although not as personable as Parcells, Coughlin led the
Jacksonville Jaguars
to the AFC championship game twice but was fired after the 2002 season.
Fearing that the atmosphere had become too lax under Jim Fassel, the Giants named Coughlin to succeed him last January.
After leaving the Giants, Parcells took the
New England Patriots
to the Super Bowl in 1996, brought the
New York Jets
to the AFC championship game in 1998 and has turned the Cowboys back into a playoff contender. Inheriting a team that finished 5-11 for three consecutive years, Parcells doubled that win total last year in his first season in Dallas.
Coughlin has the Giants riding a three-game winning streak following a season-opening 31-17 loss at Philadelphia. During the streak, the Giants have forced 13 turnovers and committed just two.
"We stressed the importance of taking care of the football from the start of training camp," Coughlin said. "You look at the turnover column and that often decides wins and losses in this league."
Coughlin's presence has had an obvious effect on
Tiki Barber
, who has yet to fumble in four games after leading all running backs in that category last season. Last week, he rushed for a season-high 182 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown, in a 14-7 win at Green Bay.
The Giants forced three turnovers and knocked Packers quarterback
Brett Favre
out of the game with a concussion.
The Cowboys are coming off a bye after a Monday night win at Washington. Last season, Parcells went 2-0 against his former team, winning at Giants Stadium, 35-32 and here, 19-3, on December 21. It was Dallas' first sweep of the Giants since 1998.
Of course, both teams made numerous changes in the offseason. The Giants signed two-time Most Valuable Player
Kurt Warner
to replace
Kerry Collins
at quarterback and overhauled their entire front seven on defense with the exception of Pro Bowl end
Michael Strahan
.
The Cowboys added 40-year-old quarterback
Vinny Testaverde
, receiver
Keyshawn Johnson
, running back
Eddie George
and defensive end
Marcellus Wiley
. Testaverde threw for 677 yards in Dallas' first two games.
Matchup to watch:
Keyshawn Johnson
lines up across right cornerback William Peterson, who had an interception in the win at Green Bay.
Series: Dallas leads, 50-31-2.
Next week: NY Giants have a bye Dallas hosts Pittsburgh, October 17
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