The Giants unabashedly expressed their confidence -- some might call it cockiness -- during their run to the Super Bowl XLVI title. And at the forefront of it all was safety Antrel Rolle.
Consider: Rolle refused to put the Packers on a pedestal before their divisional-round game, then called out49ers tight end Vernon Davis ahead of the NFC Championship Game. And heading into Super Bowl week, Rolle was blunt in saying the Giantswouldn't have boarded the plane for Indianapolis if they didn't believe they would beat the Patriots -- which they did.
Was it legit trash talk? Or simply media hype? Rolle, not surprisingly, is clear in how he feels.
"I've always understood that the media doesn't play the game of football," Rolle said Tuesday during a visit to NFL Network. "All they can do is write. No matter what, they have no say-so in what the outcome is going to be when the game is played. If you have a confident football team, that's what you need in this league. ... We (weren't) saying we can't be beaten; we (weren't) saying we're the best in the NFL. What we (were) saying is, 'Yeah, we're confident in our approach. We're confident in what we have here as a unit.'
"People are going to take it and twist and turn it around into whatever they want to write. But, at the end of the day, you need to have a confident team to play in this league."
Sure, the Giants could've dialed it back a bit, but that's not how they're made up -- especially Rolle.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with what we said," Rolle said. "Myself, in particular, they asked me how do I feel about (the Super Bowl). And I said we wouldn't board the plane if we didn't expect to win the game. Now, I can't think of one team or one individual that would get on the plane the week of Super Bowl thinking they're going to lose the game. That guy's got to keep his (butt) at home. That guy is not going to get on that plane. Our coaches and players understand that. And the media, they understand that also. But it's what sells. ...
"That's my mindset. That's me as an individual. Not everyone has to like it. I know what has gotten me to this league, what has gotten me to be the player that I am. And it is my confidence -- in my play and in my teammates I have next to me."
