Mon Jan 28 20:08:32 2008

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Giants arrive in Arizona focused and confident

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Scottsdale, AZ (Sports Network) - The New York Giants arrived in Arizona on Monday -- a full day behind the New England Patriots -- to begin preparations for Super Bowl XLII.

The Giants were swarmed by a large contingent of media from the time their plane touched down, and again as they arrived at the team hotel. Head coach Tom Coughlin, quarterback Eli Manning and four other players each spoke in separate news conferences staged at and away from the main podium.

Coughlin started things off, speaking for about 15 minutes. He addressed a number of topics, from the players having an extra day off, to the excitement on the trip and the way practices would be run the rest of the week.

"Everybody's excited," said Coughlin. "The stewardess mentioned that a couple of times (on the plane) that they guys were excited and really looking forward to (being here). They tried to capture the moment and continued to do that as we arrived here. The anticipation and excitement is at a high.

This is like a normal day in New York," Coughlin added, seemingly shrugging off all the media attention. "Hopefully that's one of the challenges we presented to the players, that everything you do throughout the week is competitive. So the challenge of focusing and managing our team is just one more thing. We'll have more of a sense after tomorrow of how the week is progressing along, and when we come together Wednesday (for the first practice) we'll see how much work we have to do."

Manning, meanwhile, appeared slightly nervous and a little uncomfortable during a brief session, mostly touching on his first trip to the Super Bowl, Coughlin's leadership ability and if he believes the Giants have been a different football team over the last six weeks. Manning was also asked about the intense media scrutiny he's faced during the playoffs.

"My deal is, you can't try to be someone you're not or act a certain way to please somebody," Manning said. "You've gotta play the only way you know how to play. If you're fake, it'll be obvious. You can't try to do something to please to the media that hurts your team. That's the most important thing. Getting those guys ready and getting yourself ready."

The Giants will face New England this coming Sunday in the Super Bowl. The Patriots are bidding to become the second team in NFL history to finish a regular season and a playoff season without a loss, joining the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who were 17-0.

New York, meanwhile, finished the regular season 10-6 and toppled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers thus far in the postseason. The Giants are playing in their fourth Super Bowl in team history.