New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin was furious with new Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano after Tampa Bay tried to dislodge the football while Eli Manning was kneeling down to ice Sunday's 41-34 win.
Eli Manning called it a "cheap shot."
Several Giants called it bush-league. Schiano called it Buccaneers football.
"I don't know if that's not something that's done in the National Football League," Schiano said after the game, via the Tampa Bay Times. "What I do with our football team is we fight until they tell us game over. And there's nothing dirty about it. There's nothing illegal about it. If people watched Rutgers, they would know that's what we do at the end of a game."
Schiano started changing the culture in Tampa the minute he got there. He obsessed about keeping players' toes on the line -- literally. He got rid of players that didn't fit in like tight end Kellen Winslow. The end of game strategy ties right into Schiano's no holds barred approach.
"We do what we're coached," Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said. "Leave it at that."
It will be telling to see if Schiano changes his approach when a similar situation comes up again. His quote above indicates that he'll hold his ground and do things a little different.
It will be even more telling when the Bucs can hold on to a massive second half lead on the road.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
