NFL Football: NY Giants Coach Tom Coughlin Should Be Embarrassed by His Remarks

Apparently, the New York Giants are coached to only play 59 minutes and 55 seconds of a football game.

Angered by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers charging his offensive line during a kneel-down play at the end of the game, Giants coach Tom Coughlin complained to reporters after their 41-34 victory over the Buccaneers in Week 2.

As reported by ESPN, Coughlin  remarked, "I don't think you do that at this level."

Really coach? So the other team is just supposed to give up when there are only seconds left?

Coughlin was referring to the fact that Tampa Bay head coach Greg Schiano had his team actually play to the final whistle against the Giants. Coughlin seemed offended that the Buccaneers tried to make a play on the ball and give themselves a slim chance of winning the game.

Since when is a team trying to legally win a game wrong?

New York was up by seven points with only five seconds remaining. The Giants lined up in the Victory Formation to take a knee and run the clock out. The Tampa defense wanted no part of just standing around and giving the Giants the game.

The Bucs charged the New York line, knocking linemen back into quarterback Eli Manning. The Bucs were clearly attempting to knock the ball loose and have a shot at a last-second miracle play.

Obviously, Coughlin thinks that the Victory Formation means you are just handed a win.

For a coach as good as Coughlin, this reaction is bizarre. He should know as much as anyone how important it is to give 100 percent and always play to the whistle.

Sure, what the Bucs did could be looked at as a cheap shot by some, but come on, this is the NFL. These players are the top in the world and get paid millions of dollars to do their job. They are expected to go hard on every play, even on what seems like a meaningless one at the end of a game.

Coughlin was angered that someone on his team could have been hurt. Again, this is something that falls on the coach. His players should be disciplined enough to be ready to play. Surely, NFL-caliber linemen can tell if the man across the line is coming at him. There's no question that the Giants should have been ready.

I'm still trying to figure out what the issue is here. Without a doubt, if the Bucs were down by more than one score, this action would have been uncalled for. But no one can blame professional athletes for trying their hardest to win.

If Coughlin doesn't want players to play a full 60 minutes, the Giants could be in for a long season.