They always tell you they know. They always tell you so-and-so is better than their record. They always tell you about Any Given Sunday.
And then they are revealed to be liars. The other guys show up and play with their hair on fire, and they do not. The other guys play with nothing to lose, and they play tight. Human nature has claimed another victim.
It’s the Giants and the Browns Sunday at MetLife Stadium, a old-school matchup that for historians will invoke memories of Jim Brown thundering and thudding into Sam Huff, of Pat Summerall in the snow.
This one isn’t likely to carry much historical significance. This one is the defending Super Bowl champions against what they have been trying to convince themselves is arguably the greatest 0-4 team in recent memory, led by a stud rookie running back (Trent Richardson) who in their mind’s eye may or may not be the modern-day Brown, quarterbacked by an almost 29-year-old rookie (Brandon Weeden) who never will be Otto Graham, but is improving every week — you bet he is, the tape doesn’t lie.
These are the kind of games that scare coaches like Tom Coughlin to death.
Games that come directly after a gut-wrenching defeat to a bitter rival and directly before a crosscountry rematch in San Francisco with the bullies who will crave payback for a bitter defeat that cost them a berth in Super Bowl XLVI. It is what they call a sandwich game, or a trap game. It was why Bill Parcells would position mouse traps at a myriad of locations for his players to see.
Vince Lombardi wasn’t immune to them. Bill Belichick has been victimized by them. And Coughlin, before and after his first Super Bowl championship, has had too many of his warnings fall on deaf ears, and too many that left him and the home crowd red-faced with anger and embarrassment.
To wit:
Nov. 13, 2005: Eli Manning threw four interceptions, three to safety Darren Sharper, in a 24-21 loss to the Brad Johnson Vikings at Giants Stadium. The Vikings became the first team in NFL history to return a punt, kickoff and interception for touchdowns.
“It’s beyond belief that we would play that poorly,” Coughlin said afterward.
Nov 25, 2007: The Tarvaris Jackson Vikings feasted on three Manning pick-6s and stormed to a 41-17 upset at Giants Stadium.
“I did not, in my worst moment, ever think I would be standing here talking about history repeating itself, but it did,” Coughlin said afterward. “In the NFL, you cannot wrap it up and hand it to the guy across the field.”
Oct. 25, 2009: Manning was intercepted three times in a 24-17 home loss to the Kurt Warner Cardinals.
“Anytime you turn the ball over four times, you don’t have much of a chance to win,” Coughlin said afterward.
Sept. 26, 2010: The Giants committed three turnovers and a mind-boggling six personal foul penalties in a 29-10 loss to the Titans at MetLife Stadium.
“The way in which we play in between the lines is my responsibility, and I’m taking full responsibility for that,” Coughlin said afterward. “This is a game that we should have won and we didn’t win.”
Nov. 4, 2010: Jon Kitna, who hadn’t won in three years, threw for 327 yards and three TDs in a 33-20 upset in Jason Garrett’s head coaching debut. The game was interrupted briefly by a power outage.
“Sometimes, you play lights out, literally, and sometimes you just don’t have it,” Justin Tuck said at the time. “Today I don’t think we brought the energy that we had brought to the last five games. I don’t know if we were complacent in thinking that we were gonna come in here and show up and thinking that they were gonna just lay down.”
Oct. 9, 2011: Charlie Whitehurst came off the bench to lead the Seahawks to a 36-25 upset at MetLife Stadium, their first victory in the Eastern Time Zone in four years.
“Probably the most miserable feeling we’ve had around here in a long time,” Coughlin said that day.
Osi Umenyiora was asked if Coughlin had hammered home the message that the Browns must not be overlooked.
“We know. … We know a lot better than to overlook anybody,” Umenyiora said.
The Giants have Manning and Jason Pierre-Paul and his hungry pass-rushing friends, and the Browns do not. The Browns have Weeden and young receivers who won’t remind anyone of Paul Warfield. Stop Richardson and make Weeden beat you.
“He doesn’t get rattled too easily, so I think he’s gonna be very good,” Umenyiora said.
He’s not very good now. So no mercy from the Giants today. To hell with Any Given Sunday.
steve.serby@nypost.com