It's Super Bowl week for the New York Giants as they arrive in Indianapolis Monday for Sunday's Suepr Bowl XLVI matchup with the New England Patriots. With that in mind, I really hate to start the week talking about Rex Ryan. Something I read over the weekend, though, has made me begin this Super Bowl 2012 Monday talking about the coach of the New York Jets.
In an article headline 'Tom Coughlin Supplants Rex Ryan As New York's Coaching King With Second Super Bowl Trip' the folks from NESN wrote that the Giants coach had "reclaimed New York from Rex Ryan" by getting to his second Super Bowl in five seasons.
NESN writes that Ryan "was the king of the city during his first two and a half years on the job."
Did I miss something here? Since when has Coughlin not been a better, more accomplished coach than Ryan? Maybe Ryan was "king of the city" in his own mind -- and that of Jets fans -- because Ryan cares about such things. He has made sure we know that with all of his "big brother" talk and his all of his bluster about the Jets were better than the Giants the last couple of years, and would continue to be for the next decade or so.
The best thing about Coughlin is that he has never cared about such things. He has never wanted to talk about himself, or focus on anything other than trying to win football games.
During the week before the Jets game Coughlin was asked about the 'bragging rights stuff.'
"Just try to win the game, that is what is important to me," Coughlin said. "Us winning the game."
Yes, there was a time when we were talking about whether Coughlin could survive a third straight playoff-less season. Bloggers, mainstream media members, fans can all be reactionary -- and foolhardy -- like that.
Coughlin, though, has always been about "winning the game." It's what Ryan wants to be about, except what Ryan really knows how to do is win the back page of the tabloids for all the wrong reasons.
Coughlin and the Giants have those back pages now when it matters. Ryan has a lot to learn before knocking Coughlin off his throne.