New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin isn't much for self-promotion or propping his team up in the media. That's why when he says something nice about his team, it usually means something.
"I think we can be good," Coughlin said this week. "Yeah, we can be good."
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| Tom Coughlin says Eli Manning's improvement will be huge for the Giants. (Getty Images) |
Shockingly, it was him. It might seem a little out of character for a man who seems so guarded, but this much we've come to know about Coughlin:
He's usually honest when assessing his team.
If it's bad, he'll say it's bad. If it's good, he'll say it's good.
The Giants must be pretty good.
Coming off a division title in 2005, surprising many before losing in the playoffs to Carolina, Coughlin has reason to think his team will be even better.
Reason No. 1 is a huge one: Eli Manning.
In his second season with the Giants, and first full one as a starter, Manning played well at times before tailing off late in the season. He had two fourth-quarter comebacks to win big games and showed that he will be a future star. Yet late in the season, he stumbled. He forced passes. He made off-balance throws. He was awful in the playoff loss to the Panthers.
The New York media ate him up. That might have broken another man.
Eli Manning simply went back to work.
"I can't say enough about what he's done in the offseason," Coughlin said. "He was here a full two weeks before the program started."
