Heading into Super Bowl XLII against the undefeated New England Patriots, there weren't many in the football world who gave the Giants a chance of winning.
But Tom Coughlin never doubted his team for a second.
Of course, the Giants pulled off an improbable 17-14 win, as David Tyree's helmet catch and a late Eli Manning-to-Plaxico Burress touchdown helped crown Big Blue world champions.
With the game set ot re-air on FOX this Sunday, the Giants shared a six-minute clip of Coughlin's Saturday night address to his team, and hearing his words even 12 years later should still give Giants fans goosebumps.
Snuck into Tom Coughlin's team meeting the night before SBXLII
- New York Giants (@Giants) April 11, 2020
đź“ş: Re-live SBXLII 3PM ET Sunday on FOX#SBXLIIFlashback | @FedEx pic.twitter.com/5iVU4xVPKp
"I hope you have the time of your life. I hope you have the time of your life, because you've earned it," Coughlin said.
The Giants head coach then spoke about when he was an assistant with the team in 1990, when New York pulled off two other improbable wins, first over San Francisco in the NFC Championship game and then against Buffalo in the Super Bowl.
"We were all standing in the press box. The snap, the hold, the kick. The kick is ... wide right," said Coughlin. "We, all in unison, jumped up in the air because the feeling that comes over you is 'We are the world champions.'
"From a professional standpoint, what I want for all of you is that feeling. ... All of a sudden, it comes to you. You are the champions of the world, and it sends goosebumps on top of my goosebumps now.
"It's the greatest professional feeling in the world, the greatest satisfaction you ever have for one moment in time. We're sitting here, Saturday night, with one 60-minute game to play for a chance to become the world champions. I know they're a hell of a football team. They're 18-0. Naturally, they're a hell of a football team. But I know the heart of the people in this room, too. I know the fight. It's going to be a battle. And I know it's going to be every play, every snap you're going to go as hard as you can possibly go because you've got your eyes on that prize."