"The coach who felt tough love was the only way to drive a team learned he could drop the tough and show the love.

Tom Coughlin could not recall if he ever did it before, and acknowledged not long ago he never would have considered doing it, ever. The night before his Giants played like champions, Coughlin told his players he loved them.

There is no tangible way to measure how much a part that revealing display of emotion played in another stunning performance — this time, like four years ago, using an Eli Manning-inspired, last-minute touchdown for the winning points in a 21-17 comeback victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI."