Giants Daily Blitz Blog

ASU coach takes page from Coughlin’s book

When Todd Graham arrived on the Arizona State campus last year, the first-year head coach established what he wanted from his Sun Devils – and that was for them to be a team in every sense. From the start of summer workouts, he instituted a few new rules, and one was that players had to wear the same socks, same shoes, and same shirts in the weight room.

Sounds like a page taken from Tom Coughlin.

The Sun Devils went on to post an 8-5 record and a victory in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, completing the program’s first winning season since 2007. Finding that he’s onto something, Graham is going one step further in 2013 and taking a page from Tom Coughlin’s actual book “Earn the Right to Win.” He has assigned the manual to his coaching staff for summer reading.

“I think it really fits us right now,” Graham told azcentral.com. “If you get a chance, just read the beginning of it. Michael Strahan says, ‘Hey, Tom Coughlin, I couldn’t stand the guy. He comes in here, he has all the stupid, petty rules. I didn’t understand why you had to wear the same colored socks to practice. What does that have to do with winning?’ And so it really correlates to what our players went through our first year here and about building trust. Strahan said, ‘When I decided to start taking pride in those stupid, petty rules, that’s when I became an All-Pro and that’s when we won the Super Bowl.’ I thought it was a great testimony for us.”

WATCH: COUGHLIN AND STRAHAN REUNITE, TALK BOOK >>

The book, which Coughlin released in March, centers on the theme of “how success in any field starts with superior preparation.” Graham hopes his staff will identify.

“We came in and tried to establish who we are – our character, our discipline, our work ethic – but we’ve just kind of installed the minimum,” Graham said. ”I want to be a smart football team. And there are just a lot of illustrations (in that book) that will be good for us. We’re just trying to get everybody to improve.”

Tom Coughlin ranked No. 2 coach in NFL

Despite Tom Coughlin missing the postseason with a winning record and Bill Belichick falling short of his sixth Super Bowl appearance in 2012, the two decorated head coaches still remain the standard in their profession.

At least the people at NFL.com think so.

NFL.com columnist Adam Schein ranked the top coaches in the NFL, and Coughlin came in at No. 2 behind the Patriots’ Belichick.

“Like Belichick, he’s a future Hall of Famer,” Schein wrote. “Coughlin has two rings and gets his Giants to overachieve. He’s a fantastic motivator and in-game coach.”

Here is a look at “The Schein Nine” list of top NFL coaches:

1) Bill Belichick, New England Patriots

2) Tom Coughlin, New York Giants

3) Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers

4) Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers

5) John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens

6) Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers

7) Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints

8) Mike Shanahan, Washington Redskins

9) Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs

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Coach Coughlin sends book to Mets’ Wright

Tom Coughlin has been discovering that sometimes the pen is mightier than the sword. In his latest book “Earn the Right to Win,” the Giants’ head coach stresses preparation as the key to success in everything — on and off the gridiron.

PHOTOS: GIANTS ON THE MOUND

And that includes the baseball diamond.

New York Mets third baseman and newly-named captain David Wright will find that out as he now has reading material for the team’s road trips. Coughlin recently had a copy of his book delivered to Wright before Opening Day with an inscription congratulating him on the honor of being named captain.

“I just appreciate the way a young man like David represents his organization on and off the field,” Coughlin told the New York Post. “Guys like David Wright, Derek Jeter and Eli [Manning] are cut out of the same cloth.

“They are blessed with great ability, and they understand the responsibility that comes along with it. They understand what it means to represent their respective organizations, and they know that the people of the metropolitan area respect somebody who rolls up the sleeves and goes to work and leads by example, not words.”

This wasn’t the first time Coughlin has reached out to the Met.

Coughlin wrote a note to Wright a few years ago, saying he enjoyed his style of play. Wright, according to the article, never forgot that and said it “was almost like a football pregame pep-talk, it was nice. I got it framed and it is displayed proudly.”

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Strahan and Coughlin reunite on “LIVE”

Whether or not you think three minutes early is two minutes late, under Coughlin Time, the coach is always right. And it’s going to cost you.

Michael Strahan learned that the hard way with Tom Coughlin, and while the former Giants defensive end and current head coach’s relationship overcame its rocky start, there was still a matter of that 500-dollar fine. Coughlin rectified that Wednesday morning.

Appearing on “LIVE with Kelly and Michael” — which Strahan has co-hosted since September – to promote his new book, Coughlin reunited with the Giants great, and at the end of the segment handed him a crisp 500 dollar bill – in Monopoly money.

“One of the greatest things this guy has said to me was,” Coughlin recalled, pointing at Strahan, “‘Coach, out of respect for you, I set my watch 10 minutes ahead.’”

Strahan, who wrote the foreword to Coughlin’s new book, confirmed it is still true and laughed: “I’m 500 dollars richer, yeah.”

Strahan introduced his former coach to begin the clip before co-host Kelly Ripa asked how two such likable people could not initially get along.

The answer: they are two very strong-willed people, Coughlin explained.

“I’ll never forget the first time he came in my office. Here he sits in front of me and he’s doing all the talking. I’m the head coach. I just got hired as the head coach, and here comes a guy into my office to tell me exactly what he thought and how we’re going to do things. He was representing his teammates, which he does very, very well. [He’s] a natural-born leader, all of the above, has a magnetic personality, but we didn’t hit it off too good at first. He didn’t like the rules, he didn’t like the rules.”

>>WATCH GIANTS CHRONICLES: MICHAEL STRAHAN

Strahan eventually understood the method to his rules, which underscored Coughlin’s themes in “Earn the Right to Win.”

“What was important to me was I wanted everybody to come to work with passion,” Coughlin continued. “With eagerness, with a desire to learn, anxious to come into the building and be prepared to compete and have a great day and help the New York Giants win.”

Tom Coughlin launches book tour

Coach Tom Coughlin’s “Earn the Right to Win: How Success in Any Field Starts with Superior Preparation” is now available in bookstores.

Such a nice reunion!!! Tom Coughlin & @MichaelStrahan! #KellyandMichael #Giants @Giants #EarnTheRightToWin lockerz.com/s/286169596—
LIVEKellyandMichael (@KellyandMichael) March 06, 2013

Two stars, TC and @michaelstrahan … Warming up for today's @KellyandMichael … NOW!!! lockerz.com/s/286165369 #EarnTheRightToWin—
pat hanlon (@giantspathanlon) March 06, 2013

That's the back of @BobPapa_NFL's head as he chats with TC this AM on #SiriusNFL lockerz.com/s/286165751—
pat hanlon (@giantspathanlon) March 06, 2013

Coach Coughlin in studio @ESPNNY98_7FM w @RealMichaelKay & @DonLagreca to discuss his book "Earn the Right to Win" http://t.co/w9gQEc3kgx—
Ryan T. Hurley (@ryanthurley) March 06, 2013

Check out Coach Coughlin’s new book EARN THE RIGHT TO WIN, out today: tinyurl.com/c5tllmp Congrats Coach!—
Victor Cruz (@TeamVic) March 05, 2013

TC is up and running at Barnes & Noble, 46th and 5th! #EarnTheRightToWin lockerz.com/s/286078102—
pat hanlon (@giantspathanlon) March 05, 2013

NFL Coach Coughlin’s tip for success on & off the field…"you’ve got to be prepared when you do have that opportunity" #giants—
TODAY (@todayshow) March 05, 2013

TC taping an interview w/ @DukeCastiglione for #GoodDayNY. Earn the Right to Win. lockerz.com/s/286064472—
pat hanlon (@giantspathanlon) March 05, 2013

"Preparation is the key to success" NFL veteran coach (and author) Tom Coughlin #EarntheRighttoWin—
Piers Morgan Tonight (@PiersTonight) March 06, 2013

Beadle & Briggs sit down w/ @Giants HC Tom Coughlin … They were late.. Was he mad? Find out 6pm on @NBCSN http://t.co/gnPbJt7Bwq—
The Crossover (@crossover) March 06, 2013

NY @Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is in studio! http://t.co/uGpFWMukdg—
Chris Mad Dog Russo (@MadDogUnleashed) March 06, 2013

SUNY’s DiGaetano named USA Football trainer

SUNY-Maritime College defensive coordinator Vincent DiGaetano is taking a leading role within USA Football’s Heads Up Football program, promoting a better and safer game on youth levels nationwide.

USA Football will instruct DiGaetano and other football experts – including high school coaches and former NFL and college players – as Heads Up Football Master Trainers during a workshop March 2-3 in Indianapolis.

Following their training in Indianapolis, DiGaetano and other Master Trainers will teach USA Football’s Heads Up Football program to youth league leaders across the country. This encompasses teaching USA Football’s Heads Up Tackling techniques, educating leagues on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concussion recognition and response protocols and instructing on proper helmet and shoulder pad fitting.

“Heads Up Football promotes a safer, better game,” USA Football Executive Director Sscott Hallenbeck said. “We are proud to have Vincent help us lead America’s youth football community as a Heads Up Football Master Trainer, helping to set the highest standards of player safety and coaching education across youth sports.”

“USA Football is establishing a set of standards by which a person becomes certified to coach and I endorse that 100 percent,” New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said. “Only allow your child to play when you know that USA Football certification is there for the coach and you know that your child is being taught the proper fundamentals of the game and that real intelligence has gone into the preparation of practices.”

DiGaetano has been the defensive coordinator at SUNY-Maritime since 2008 and has coached every defensive position as well as special teams since the program started nine years ago. The Maritime defense has had 16 first-team all-conference defenders under his watch. Prior to Maritime, he was the defensive coordinator at DeWitt Clinton (N.Y.) High School for four years. DiGaetano also is a recruiting coordinator for the Long Island and New York Public School Athletic League.

USA Football is the national governing body of the sport in the United States as well as the official youth development partner of the NFL, all 32 teams and college’s Atlantic Coast Conference. Youth tackle football is played by 2.8 million American children age 6-14. USA Football has trained more than 100,000 volunteer youth coaches to better teach the sport’s fundamentals and to address player safety with CDC protocols.

About USA Football: USA Football, the sport’s national governing body in the United States, hosts dozens of football training events annually offering education for coaches, skill development for players and resources for youth football league commissioners. The independent nonprofit is the official youth football development partner of the NFL, its 32 teams and the NFL Players Association. USA Football manages U.S. national teams within the sport for international competitions and provides more than $1 million annually in equipment grants and youth league volunteer background check subsidies. Endowed by the NFL and NFLPA in 2002 through the NFL Youth Football Fund, USA Football (www.usafootball.com) is chaired by former NFL team executive Carl Peterson.

Tom Coughlin prepares for new NFC East

As Tom Coughlin prepares for the 2013 season, he will do so as the head coach with the most experience within the NFC East for the first time.

With Andy Reid’s departure from Philadelphia, Coughlin’s nine years in the division with the Giants now trump the other three teams who have all seen turnover in the past three years.

Reid, who took over the reins in Kansas City, was replaced by Chip Kelly, the decorated coach from the University of Oregon. Before his time in Eugene, Kelly was in the coaching ranks at his alma mater of New Hampshire.

With the coaching changes come new schemes and new players. Just like the division had to try to solve Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris of the defending division champ Washington, teams will anticipate what Kelly will bring to the field this season.

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Gettleman introduced as Panthers GM

The 15-year member of the Giants’ staff first introduced his wife and three children before talking about the similar philosophies between the organization he left and the one he recently joined — “doing business with integrity, honesty, as well as having a similar structure and a family atmosphere.”

Gettleman will get a chance to see his former team in 2013 as the Giants and Panthers are slated to play each other.

It will be the seventh meeting in eight years between the Giants and Panthers, including Carolina’s shutout victory in the wild-card round following the 2005 regular season. Gettleman compared Coughlin’s early years in New York with the current situation of Panthers coach Ron Rivera, who fell short of the postseason in each of his first two years.

Coughlin helped Bills’ new head coach

From one Syracuse alumnus to another, Tom Coughlin has given his stamp of approval to the newest member of the NFL head-coaching ranks.

Coughlin, who began his coaching career in 1969 as a graduate assistant at Syracuse, follows the program and was more than willing to assist the 48-year-old Marrone during his time at SU.

“Doug is a man who is very serious about his work,” Coughlin continued. “He has called me on the phone, he has stopped in here to talk football. There are a lot of issues that a young head coach is trying to get his arms around. He did an outstanding job of that. He is focused and he is disciplined and he certainly conveys a message of toughness. Doug has worked in the pro game, he’s worked in the college game and he’s been a head coach at the college level.

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Daily Blitz: 2012 Milestone Recap

Here is a sampling of Giants records set and milestones reached in 2012:

» Became the third team in NFL history with 650 regular-season wins (654).

» TOM COUGHLIN (83) surpassed BILL PARCELLS (77) for the second-most regular season wins in Giants history among head coaches, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer STEVE OWEN (153).

» QB ELI MANNING (211) became the Giants’ all-time leader in touchdown passes (PHIL SIMMS, 199). Manning threw 26 TD passes in 2012, his fourth season with at least 25. He is the only Giants QB to reach 25 touchdown passes in at least three seasons.

» WR VICTOR CRUZ collected 86 receptions for 1,092 yards with 10 touchdowns. Cruz is the first player in club annals to post at least 80 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards and 10 TD catches in a season.

» Rookie RB-KR DAVID WILSON set a single-game franchise record with 327 all purpose yards in Week 14. Wilson became the first player in NFL history with at least 200 kickoff return yards and 100 rushing yards in the same game.

» S STEVIE BROWN amassed an NFL-best 307 interception-return yards, a Giants franchise record. His eight interceptions tied for the second-most in the league.

» Cruz caught a game-winning 77-yard touchdown pass from Manning in Week 7, the longest game-winning touchdown in the final two minutes of a game in franchise history.

» Gained 604 yards of total offense in Week 2, the second-most in team history (609, 12/3/1950).

For records and milestones set around the NFL, CLICK HERE.

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