One of the great stories about this New York Giants team is the personality transformation of the head coach. During his first three years Tom Coughlin was known as a hard nosed, no nonsense disciplinarian whose stubborn coaching methods held him back from truly connecting with his players. This season, however, it is evident that Coughlin has become much more approachable, not just to his players, but to the media as well. In interviews Coughlin is much more animated than in past years, engaging reporters in conversation and sometimes even joking around And the players don't have to duck their heads anymore when they pass Coughlin in the weight room.

From Boston College to Jacksonville, Coughlin was always known as the ultimate hardass. Now, there is no question that Coughlin's new "nice guy" persona is having a positive impact on his football team. While people were skeptical that Coughlin could pull off these changes, one must realize that Coughlin is still just as hard nosed as he has ever been. Just because he is more available to the team does not mean that Coughlin's fire is not burning. Did you see his reaction when Lawrence Tynes missed those field goals? How about his facial expression throughout the entire Green Bay game? The man looked like a general at war.

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Come Friday, Giants fans are going to be pulling their hair. Hopefully, if your not already bald, you'll still have a full head of hair come gameday. It's tough, because you have now waited twelve days since the Green Bay win and you are coming up on 48 hours away from the Super Bowl. Your legs are shaking, you're on your fourth cup of coffee (or Pepsi in my case) and you go to ESPN.com ten times before noon. Not to mention, you have read the sports pages of the New York Post and the Daily News three times each, front to back, strictly Giants coverage. Jeez, will they play this damn game already?!?!?!?

I have some suggestions for the hard core fans who just can't take it anymore. It's not easy to pass the time when you're approaching the game of your football life. Here is what I will be doing when my Super Bowl Patience Tank nears empty.

Continue reading "A Giant Wait for the Super Bowl"

There is definitely a collective theme being preached by the Big Apple media to the New York Giants. It's all over the New York sports sections today. It's a simple plan really, but a mighty task for the Big Blue defense. Ya see, if the Giants truly want to win this Super Bowl, if they want to bring glory to the greatest city in the world, they are going to have to hit Tom Brady like he has never been hit before. They need to hit him in the legs, throw him to the ground, and even attack that famous gimpy ankle of his. The only way the Giants get to lift that glorious silver Lombardi trophy is by leaving Tom Brady lying on the ground like a wounded soldier. A wounded soldier who throws wounded ducks.

With three Super Bowl rings, a perfect season (thus far) and the hottest girlfriend in the world, everyone seems to have the perception that Tom Brady is untouchable. Forget Gotti, Brady is "Teflon Tom". But let's remember this, there have been many times over the last couple of seasons that Brady was rattled, including the Denver playoff game two years ago and last year's AFC championship game against the Colts. And when Brady gets hit, he gets a little cranky, acting like a toddler who missed his afternoon nap. He argues with refs, he yells at teammates, and he even engages his opponent in unnecessary dialogue. When the quarterback gets distracted, the offensive game plan deviates a little bit for New England. Then it's time for Michael Strahan, Osi, or Justin Tuck to put the blue pedal to the metal and knock Brady off his feet. Of course, this doesn't happen often. With eighteen straight wins you've seen Brady celebrating touchdown passes more often than taking hits from an opposing defense.

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