Update: Antrel Rolle's sizeable man-crush on Rex Ryan has dimmed.
A year ago at this time, the Giants safety saw New York's other team rolling around in glee, winning games and loving life as part of the Rex Express.
Now, the Jets are bathing in turmoil, and the measured, old-school methods of Tom Coughlin have the Giants back in the playoffs.
Rolle is man enough to acknowledge that he was wrong about Coughlin, back when he believed he'd made a mistake by signing a five-year, $37 million contract with the Giants.
"Oh, I definitely thought that," Rolle told the New York Daily News. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't. But I stayed strong. Everything happens for a reason. I'm extremely happy and fortunate to be a Giant, and I thank them all for bringing me here."
Let's pause for a minute: Rolle's take here is that he "stayed strong" while earning $15 million guaranteed. How gracious, but it sounds like he's among a growing band of Coughlin loyalists.
"I know I'm not the only one feeling this way," Rolle said. "I know other guys will go out there and they're fighting for him, the organization and this team. It speaks a lot about him. And I know it especially does for me because things started out so rocky between us."
Everyone, of course, wants a players' coach, until the train rolls off the tracks. Rolle's not the first guy to bristle at the discipline and structure that Coughlin demands within the Giants' organization, and he won't be the last. But don't expect the coach to change to please you, Rolle or anyone else.
