Tom Coughlin is not a man known for levity. Football is serious business to him and he rarely takes the lighter side of his personality out for a walk. It's strange then that a looming matchup with Michael Vick and the Eagles brought out that part of him.
Coughlin held court with reporters about the experience of watching Vick decimate the Redskins on Monday night. His zingers didn't quite reach the level of an HBO special, but it's about as close as Coughlin's going to get to Chris Rock territory.
"I was just like everyone else was, put the pencil down and become a fan," he said. "Not really,” Coughlin admitted. “I got indigestion and a stomach ache."
So what does Coughlin plan to do to contain Vick? "Try to get the 12th man out there," Coughlin said jokingly. "We’re working ... on that."
Rimshot!
Coughlin's not the only member of the Giants who seems to be genuflecting in the face of a guy who is going to be trying to beat them in a couple of days. The Post article cited above features several Giants defenders talking about Vick in a way that sounds like something out of a Daily Planet article about Superman. These guys aren't wrong, but it doesn't quite feel right to hear men charged with stopping Vick saying things that make him seem unstoppable.
It's hard to believe these guys don't actually think they can stand up to the Eagles on Sunday night, but then you hear cornerback Terrell Thomas's thoughts on the matter.
"Our offense has to do a great job of having ball control, not turning the ball over, and keeping their offense off the field."
U.S. & World
So much for the team that was proudly proclaiming itself as the best team in football before the Cowboys game.
Not a ton of swagger in that answer, but Thomas is probably correct about his team's best shot. The Giants couldn't beat Jon Kitna because they couldn't stop turning the ball over and because they couldn't take advantage of their scoring chances. It stands to reason that they won't have a chance to beat Vick if they make the same kinds of errors again this week.
If they aren't up to the task, it's a pretty safe bet that Coughlin won't be be back at the open mike at the Ha-Ha Hole this time next week.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com. You can follow him on Twitter.
