No Surprise, Handley Fired : Pro football: He couldn’t keep Giants near top after Parcells retired.

Ray Handley was simply the wrong coach at the wrong time.

George Young put Handley in an almost no-win situation 19 months ago when selecting him to replace Bill Parcells as coach of the aging New York Giants, who were coming off their second Super Bowl title in five years.

The general manager fired Handley after the Giants compiled a 14-18 mark and failed to make the playoffs in the first two seasons of the post-Parcells era.

“I think it had to do with progress and team chemistry,” Young said. “I think the last two years were very difficult. Coming down from the mountain made it very difficult on the new coach and his staff.”

Handley, who had a year left on his contract, was informed of the firing Monday, Young said. Still, the 48-year-old coach went on his radio show later that evening and told an audience that he wanted to stay on the job.

The appeal didn’t sway Young as much as the facts. He saw a old team in need of a new direction. It was a club that was 6-10 and finished fourth in the NFC East in the midst of turmoil, marked by bickering between coaches and players.

Handley was not immediately available for comment. He arrived at Giants Stadium at 7:45 a.m., informed his coaches of the firing at 10 a.m. and left an hour later.

No immediate successor was named, although it has been rumored that Boston College Coach Tom Coughlin, a former Giant assistant under Parcells, and Dallas defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt are the leading contenders.

There have been reports that Parcells might be asked to return, but sources close to the former coach told The Associated Press that he has not been contacted by the team and does not consider himself a candidate.

Coughlin felt sorry for Handley after being contacted in Tampa, Fla., where Boston College is preparing for Friday’s Hall of Fame Bowl against Tennessee.

“If and when there is contact, I will decide on that matter at the proper time,” Coughlin said. “I came (to Boston College) to win a national championship. None of this is going to diminish what we’re trying to do down here. I’m very happy with the program and the way it has progressed.”

Cowboy owner Jerry Jones refused to say whether he has given any other teams permission to talk with Wannstedt.

“Most assistant coaches in the NFL hope they can be head coaches someday,” Jones said. “Coach Wannstedt is no different.”

Young said a list of potential successors is being compiled, but he refused to comment on anyone, particularly Parcells. Young said he has not contacted any potential candidates.

“I’m still looking for someone thick-skinned, who is somewhat maladjusted and somewhat of a masochist, because that’s the kind of job it is,” Young said.

Time was against Handley from the start. He was named Giants’ offensive coordinator after the 1991 Super Bowl in an effort to keep him from attending law school.

Three months later he become the head coach when Parcells unexpectedly resigned in May, later becoming an analyst for NBC.

From the outset, Handley ran into problems with the media, much of it stemming from the Giants’ quarterback controversy.

Jeff Hostetler had taken over for an injured Phil Simms in the 1990 season and led New York to its Super Bowl win over Buffalo.

Handley had an open competition during the exhibition season and eventually named Hostetler as his starter. Some observers suggested he made the move simply to put his own stamp on the team.

After the Giants went 8-8, Handley switched to Simms at the start of this season. That didn’t work either. Nothing did.