Coughlin, Giants are oozing confidence
New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin poses with the Lombardi trophy after speaking with the media in Indianapolis, Ind., as the team prepares for Super Bowl XLVI. (Feb. 3, 2012) Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
INDIANAPOLIS -- Snakes. Parades. Planes. The Giants have done a lot of yapping in the last week, much of it focused on one basic idea: They plan on beating the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday. Surely all of that blather and bluster must make Tom "Talk is Cheap" Coughlin cringe each and every time he hears or reads it.
Actually, no. Coughlin, it seems, is just as confident as his players are. He may not say it in the headline-grabbing ways some of his players have found this week, but on Friday, he said he has not come across anything from the Giants that made him raise an eyebrow.
Either Coughlin has been living in a bubble or he agrees with his players. Bet on the latter.
"I know that there are one or two quotes out there, but, to be honest with you, I don't know that either one of them is any different from Tom Brady's," Coughlin said Friday at his final news conference before the game. "I think it's just a matter of our team has played good football against great football teams."
Coughlin then unveiled one of the many mottos that he has used to inspire the team this season. Many of them have been overused publicly, but this one made its debut.
"We always spoke to our team: Humble enough to prepare, confident enough to perform," he said.
The Giants certainly have shown a Super Bowl-sized portion of confidence. But the crate that carries their humble must have been lost in transit between New Jersey and Indianapolis.
After winning five consecutive must-win games, their volume has been steadily increasing. Now it's reached a crescendo, with Chris Canty telling New Yorkers to get ready for a parade on Tuesday, Antrel Rolle continually saying the Giants "won't be denied" and Justin Tuck talking about killing snakes by cutting off their heads as a metaphor for the defensive game plan against Brady.
The Brady comment referenced by Coughlin came at a pep rally before the Patriots left New England; the quarterback said he hoped there would be an even larger crowd at the victory party. It's almost sheepishly optimistic compared to the bombast the Giants have been issuing on a daily basis.
Remember when they barely got into the playoffs at 9-7 and Mathias Kiwanuka already was talking about them being poised to make a run for the title? It came true, but still.
It's been a very un-Coughlin-like personality that this team has shown in the last few weeks.
Or is it?
"Coach Coughlin, he's a disciplined guy, but he's not a control freak," Rolle said. "He's going to let everyone be themselves. If he has a problem, he'll pull you to the side and say something about it. But he's not trying to control everything that comes out of everyone's mouth."
So far, no problems. The Giants haven't really crossed the line from talk to trash talk. They've been thumping their own chests, not throwing verbal grenades at the Patriots. It's pretty clear that Coughlin shares their confidence and has no qualms about the tone or content of their message.
"Absolutely, without a doubt," Rolle said. "When I say we wouldn't have boarded a plane without expecting to win, that's coaches included. That's definitely coach Coughlin. He's a very confident coach. He's confident in the team and what he has here in this locker room."
He just doesn't say it. Not directly, anyway.
