Tom Coughlin, Jerry Reese to return

— -- EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants are sticking with their coach and general manager after a second straight losing season.

Giants co-owner John Mara announced Tuesday that coach Tom Coughlin will return for a 12th season and Jerry Reese will be back as GM despite what he calls an "embarrassing" 6-10 record.

Mara said if there are to be any changes to the coaching staff, that will be Coughlin's decision, which could bode well for defensive coordinator Perry Fewell.

Mara added that he still believes in Coughlin as a leader. He also is optimistic about next season because of the play of several rookies, notably Odell Beckham Jr., and that the team never quit after losing seven games in a row.

Reese also has been under fire. He has had two very good draft classes, and Mara says he needs another.

There has been speculation for weeks about the status of Fewell, who could be in trouble as well after the Giants finished 29th in the league in total defense. And multiple people close to the situation said Monday that special-teams coordinator Tom Quinn was unlikely to be retained. 

However, people close to the situation said Coughlin planned to make a case Monday for keeping Fewell -- and possibly Quinn as well.

The case for Fewell, according to those people, is that the Giants' defense was beset by crippling injuries this year, with five starters and a couple of other key contributors placed on injured reserve, and that the personnel issues the team has been facing make it difficult to blame the 6-10 season on one or two coordinators.

Dan Graziano of ESPN.com and The Associated Press contributed to this report.