With the Giants in dire, desperate straits, this would be the right time to assist Tom Coughlin as he scrambles to find the perfect motivational quotations to stir the fire within his smoldering team.
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.”
Lawrence Taylor said something like that at his Hall of Fame induction speech, but that was Nelson Mandela. Sunday in Kansas City is the time for the Giants to rise.
“It is not wanting to win that makes you a winner; it is refusing to fail.”
The Super Bowl XLII Giants were Road Warriors who seemed to adopt Sugar Ray Robinson’s words of wisdom.
“I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom.”
The Giants have hit bottom, all right, and General Coughlin has always clung to General Patton’s every word.
“Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.”
The scoreboard will read 0-0 when the Giants invade Arrowhead Stadium, just as the scorecard read 0-0 when Muhammad Ali began the Thrilla in Manila against Joe Frazier.
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
A different kind of hell than Coach Churchill might have been talking about, but hell nevertheless.
“Champions keep playing until they get it right.”
These sure don’t look like champions, but that would be Billie Jean King’s pregame pep talk if asked.
“Sure I am this day we are masters of our fate, that the task which has been set before us is not above our strength, that its pangs and toils are not beyond our endurance. As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied us.”
A long-winded equivalent of Tug McGraw’s Ya Gotta Believe, uttered way back when by Coach Churchill outside a SEAL Training Facility.
“We want to be in a situation under maximum pressure, maximum intensity and maximum danger. When it is shared with others, it provides a bond which is stronger than any tie that can exist.”
Maybe the Navy SEALS should suit up against the Chiefs.
“Alone I am lethal, as a team I dominate.”
The Navy SEAL version of Coughlin’s “TEAM, THE TEAM.”
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them — a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”
Coughlin has been preaching the power of the will almost as long as Muhammad Ali did.
“I’ve worked too hard and too long to let anything stand in the way of my goals. I will not let my teammates down and I will not let myself down.”
Mia Hamm would have been pleased this was the week when each Giant looked in the mirror.
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson would have wanted to see what these Giants are made of.
“All of us get knocked down, but it’s resiliency that really matters. All of us do well when things are going well, but the thing that distinguishes athletes is the ability to do well in times of great stress, urgency and pressure.”
I believe Roger Staubach would consider this a time of great stress, urgency and pressure for Big Blue.
“There can only be one state of mind as you approach any profound test: total concentration, a spirit of togetherness, and strength.”
Pat Riley must have loved ALL IN.
“I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.”
Coughlin trotted this out two years ago before a big game, and General Patton would have viewed this as a good time to repeat it. Play Like Giants, in other words.
“Losers quit when they feel pain. Marines quit when the mission is accomplished.”
Maybe the Marines should play the Chiefs.
“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”
Michael Jordan would know a resourceful team when he saw one.
“There’s nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you.”
I’m quite sure Woody Hayes would have qualified Carolina 38, Giants 0 as a soul-cleanser.
“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.”
There are 13 games left. All is not lost. Thank you, F. Scott Fitzgerald.