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Giants embark on another road mission in Super Bowl
Mon Jan 28, 10:22 PM ET
PHOENIX (Reuters) - Coach Tom Coughlin and his New York Giants arrived in Arizona on Monday right where they want to be -- on the road with the Super Bowl on the line against the New England Patriots.
While the Patriots are looking to cap off an unprecedented 19-0 campaign with a Super Bowl victory on Sunday, the Giant are aiming to extend their NFL record of 10 successive road wins in the title game in Glendale.
"We have played very well on the road and I really believe the team concept is the reason that we have played well on the road," Coughlin told reporters.
"We have bonded well together, we have supported one another. We do have some toughness, some mental toughness as well as physical toughness. That has stood by us well.
"There is very good focus, very good concentration, a great feeling of supporting one another, a great feeling of not letting the other guys down."
New York faces a daunting task against an experienced New England team that has won three Super Bowls the last six years.
The Giants have three players with Super Bowl experience while 20 members of the Patriots have been in the NFL championship.
Coughlin brought his team, several of whom have been suffering with flu since their frigid victory in Green Bay last weekend, to Arizona a day later than the Patriots so he could put his players through a typical work schedule at home before encountering the hoopla surrounding Super Bowl week.
"I thought we would be best served by doing as much as we could at home," said Coughlin. "The anticipation and the excitement is at a high."
The Giants coach said following Tuesday's Media Day circus, the team will get back to serious practice to work on timing and fine-tuning of the game plan.
"After tomorrow we'll have a sense of the fact that the week is progressing along and when we come together Wednesday we will have a lot of work to do and can't waste a second.
(Writing by Larry Fine in New York, Editing by Alastair Himmer)
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Brady practices in Patriots' first Super Bowl session
By BARRY WILNER, AP Football Writer
January 29, 2008
PHOENIX (AP) -- Looks like Tom Brady will be true to his word.
One day after promising his ankle injury wouldn't keep him from preparing for and playing in the Super Bowl, Brady was back where he belongs Monday. He practiced with the New England Patriots for the first time since he was hurt against San Diego in the AFC championship game more than a week ago.
If the undefeated Patriots needed a lift as they prepared to play the New York Giants, they got one from Brady's return. The league MVP missed three workouts last week, but he was on the field, as usual, at Arizona State's practice facility in nearby Tempe.
"Anytime the MVP of the league is back, it has to be a positive," receiver Wes Welker said. "He looks good -- the same dimples and all."
According to the Chicago Tribune's Dan Pompei, the designated pool reporter, the star quarterback appeared to have a slight limp. But he participated in all phases of practice, including jogging the length of the field twice at the end of drills.
Although Brady was not made available to the media -- he will speak on Tuesday -- his teammates had plenty to say about the record-setting quarterback's return.
"He's the leader of our team," said safety Rodney Harrison, one of the Patriots' defensive leaders. "He's special, and to have your No. 1 guy out there working hard and just being out there with his spirit, of course it brought a smile to our faces. Tom will be there Sunday, don't worry about that."
That's what Brady said shortly after arriving.
"I'm not concerned about how it's going to affect my play," he said Sunday night. "This won't keep me out."
Brady's health became an issue a week ago when he was spotted wearing a protective boot on his right foot while visiting supermodel girlfriend Gisele Bundchen in New York. He sat out all three practices in Foxborough, Mass., when much of the game plan was being installed.
Since becoming the starter in 2001, Brady has been remarkably durable. He's started every game in the last six seasons, and he was the MVP of the 2002 Super Bowl despite an ankle injury in the AFC title game.
"I never concern myself with anybody that we're playing with, whether it's Tom or anybody else," All-Pro tackle Matt Light said. "Their situation is their situation. Nobody knows what's going on other than him, and he's the only one who can answer those questions as to how he feels.
"I'll tell you one thing, if he's out there he's going to be giving you everything that he's got. I don't worry about that at all."
Asked how Brady fared in practice, Light's response drew chuckles: "I try not to look at him too much.
"You guys do enough of that," he added, drawing more laughs. "I'm concerned with what's right in front of me and I really haven't paid much attention to it."
Ah, but the rest of the world certainly has. Brady's foot overshadowed the Patriots moving in on the first perfect NFL season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Yes, the three-time champion quarterback's persona has transcended even the Super Bowl.
No matter how vigorously coach Bill Belichick and the rest of the Patriots want to ignore it, the questions about their biggest star's health will persist. Almost certainly, the answers will remain consistent, too.
"I think he got a lot of publicity last week for not what he wants to get publicity for," center Dan Koppen said. "I think he'll be OK.
"Tom's recognizable, and what he does is watched. We don't pay attention to it. If you guys want to report on it, then go ahead. Tom's a good guy who handles himself accordingly. I'm just thankful that he's on our team."
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