Most players who played under former New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin have nothing but good things to say.
Coughlin, of course, earned a lot of respect from his players and fans during his time with the Giants due to his victories over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI.
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Although Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie did not win a Super Bowl with Coughlin, the time he spent with the coach still appears to be something the former NFL cornerback values.
“I think when you’re young, you’re not going to understand Tom Coughlin. You know, because when I got there everything [was] structured and it makes sense,” DRC told Giants Wire last week. “Tom Coughlin is a coach that not only prepares you for on the field, but off the field for life as well with all his rules as far as coming in early. You know he set all the clocks in the locker room five, 10 minutes earlier and the way you had to dress in and out of the hotel.
“Younger guys aren’t going to understand that but the older you get, you’re going to understand that it’s more than just football with him. He’s really preparing you for life after football. I think I got that after he left.”
It didn’t feel that way for Rodgers-Cromartie initially. It was a bit of a shock but it didn’t take him long to figure things out with the help of safety Antrel Rolle.
“At first I came in like, ‘all these rules, man.’ Coming from teams where it wasn’t that structured, it was kind of hard but I got it — once Antrel Rolle sat me down and was like ‘this is how he is, he’s not budging for nobody. I don’t care how good you are, how many plays you’ve played, it’s his way’ — and you have to understand that and buy in,” he said.
Coughlin was always a tough coach with the Giants, but he was also always fair and most of his former players can attest to that.
Rodgers-Cromartie likely got to appreciate Coughlin after their time together was over. When Coughlin departed, things changed rather drastically under Ben McAdoo.
The structure that Coughlin brought to the table likely led to the Giants two Super Bowl victories. It also set his players up to be better men away from the field, which is something most value more than the rings.