IN A nutshell, what would Phil Simms tell Giant fans about their team’s chances Sunday night in Green Bay?
“You’re big and you’re physical and you can run the football and you can rush the passer probably better than anybody in the NFL,” Simms said. “What is there to complain about? You gotta like your chances.”
Simms has been impressed with the sticktoitiveness and resilience of the Giants’ leaders.
“It’s not been harder on anybody in this league than Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning,” Simms said. Simms will always point out that there are too many variables surrounding the quarterback position to make definitive early judgments, but he does like the respect Manning seems to have.
“I just go by how the coaches and players react to him,” Simms said, “and it’s nothing but good.” Manning’s playoff breakthrough will only improve his stature.
“He’s gonna carry more weight than ever when he walks in that locker room,” Simms said. “When you’re probably the second-most powerful person in the organization, yeah, I think it’s important.”
Simms was supportive of Coughlin even when he was under fire a year ago.
“There’s one thing I always admired in these demanding coaches: They had a vision of what they wanted to get done, they were honest with their players, and they were hard workers … so how do you fault them?” Simms said. “And I view Tom Coughlin that way. Everything he does and who he is – it’s hard to complain about it. … So I’ve always had a little bit of a problem with how he has been treated here in New York.”
Simms is happy for his old team.
“They’re clicking,” he said. “And here they are now, in this position. You just couldn’t be more confident and feeling good about what you’ve done. Because you know what? When it’s hard, it makes it better. It’s been hard for the Giants.”