Coughlin hails his Giants

Giants defence earns special praise for performance against Patriots

Last updated: 4th February 2008

Tom Coughlin New York Giants head coach Super Bowl XLII

Coughlin: Praised his defence

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New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin hailed the heart his side showed to triumph in Super Bowl XLII.

The underdogs produced one of the biggest shocks in Super Bowl history when they defeated New England 17-14 in Arizona.

As well as becoming the first NFC Wild Card to ever lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy, the Giants also ended the Patriots' quest for a perfect season.

Coughlin admitted the key to success was his side's defence which held their opponents to just 14 points.

Unbelievable

"The New England Patriots are a great football team, they really are," he said.

"We came into it knowing what we had to do - we had to get after the quarterback.The response we got out of our team was unbelievable. These guys played with great heart.

"It wasn't always pretty out there; we had to battle hard to get this thing (the Vince Lombardi Trophy).

"But I told them last night that other than your family, the greatest feeling in the world is when all of a sudden you realise you are the world champions."

Coughlin had not been to a Super Bowl before in his coaching career, twice losing in the AFC Championship game during his time in charge of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

His Giants suffered an 0-2 start to their campaign but bounced back to reach the play-offs for a third successive year. They won all four of their post season games on the road.