After then-Giants HC Tom Coughlin decided to step down following the 2015 season, it marked not just the end of his era but also the demise of the ‘Tom Coughlin Time’—a phrase players and staff members would use internally to keep up with the coach. They were expected to arrive five minutes early for every meeting. No wonder the digital clocks at the team’s headquarters next to MetLife Stadium ran a couple of minutes early. But that’s just one of the many tough disciplinary standards that the head coach walked in with back in 2004.

Of course, he was not an immediate hit among the players, and neither were his punitive tactics. A few athletes even ended up approaching the players’ union, complaining about their coach after he fined them $500 for not reaching the meetings early enough. Defensive end Michael Strahan was perhaps the biggest critic of Coughlin’s ways, and in his autobiography, ‘Inside the Helmet’, Strahan wrote about his dispute with the HC after he showed up just three minutes early to a team meeting.

Their coach was a stickler for rules, and while that became apparent after Coughlin joined the Giants, what’s interesting is that the players hadn’t really heard about the ‘Coughlin Time’ before. They learned quickly, though, often after showing up late to their very first meeting. But today, if you were to ask former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning about Coughlin, he would only have gratitude for the man who taught him discipline.

At Fanatics Fest, Manning peeled back the curtain on what really helped him build his legacy, and it all traces back to one legendary coach’s uncompromising standards. “Yeah, I was fortunate to have Coach Coughlin for 12 years, and he was amazing. He just stressed the importance of preparation. He used to talk about if he had four hours to cut down a tree, the first three hours would be used sharpening the axe. And the idea that you don’t win games on Sunday. You win it Monday through Saturday, in your preparation, in your film study, in your practice, and the importance of being out there at every single practice.

“You know, hey, we’re all going to be banged up, we’re all going to have injuries. Peyton kind of talked about it. As a quarterback, you want to be out there because you know your offensive lineman, you know those guys are hurt, and they’re sore, but you’ve got to be out there. We’ve got to get the reps, we’ve got to see where our weaknesses are, so he can make improvements every week. And coach Coughlin stressed those things, and he stressed the importance of just being accountable.

“Being five minutes early was his big thing, and once everybody just bought into that saying, ‘Hey, this is how we do things here. This is important to our head coach, being on time, being at practice in our preparation, watching film, doing the extra work’. And once the players bought into that and we stress that to the new players coming in everywhere, you build a great culture that is all working towards one common goal, and that’s to build a championship team.”

That mindset fueled Manning’s unmatched durability—he never missed a start due to injury. But like the former quarterback shared, most players came to appreciate Coach Coughlin’s ways.

In the 12 seasons the coach was with the Giants, he recorded 97 wins and trailed only the team’s former coach, Steve Owen (153 wins from 1931 to 1953) in career victories. He also tied with Bill Parcells (1983-1990) for an 8-3 postseason record and two Super Bowl titles.

However, Coughlin, who was once perceived as unapproachable and rigid, was also willing to evolve for the team’s benefit. In fact, before the 2007 season, a couple of veteran players asked him to “loosen up,” as described by Michael Strahan, because his restlessness was causing friction within the team. The head coach recognized the value of their request, toned down his intensity, and together, the team went on to win the 2007 season’s Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, 17-14. It was perhaps one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history!

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