The Daily News Live crew debates whether another Super Bowl win will restore Bill Belichick’s intimidating reputation.

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick of the Patriots have known each other for over two decades. They have both been around for what seems like forever. When you think about it in football terms, they have. This week, the two coaching veterans face off against each other for only the fourth time.

Belichick leads all active NFL coaches in total victories with 182. Coughlin is third with 146 (Washington’s Mike Shanahan is second with 163.) They are the standard for NFL coaches and are revered by players, peers and yes, each other.

The relationship between the two dates back to the Giants’ 1990 Super Bowl championship team. Coughlin joined Bill Parcells’ Giants in 1988 as their wide receivers coach after stops in Green Bay and Philadelphia (phew). Belichick was already the Giants’ defensive coordinator when Coughlin got here. They would match wits in practice for three seasons, but would forever remain confidants and – at times – rivals.

“Tom and I go back since when we were with the Giants and I have a lot of respect for Tom. He does a great job and he really helped me a lot when I was with the Giants. He came in as the receivers coach and I was the defensive coordinator,” Belichick told reporters Wednesday. “I moved to the secondary when Al Groh came in. Al coached the linebackers. Tom and I had a good relationship there because we worked against each other every day in one-on-one, seven-on-seven and different passing drills. He talked a lot about how the receivers would attack different coverages with different techniques and we talked about different receivers. I learned a lot during those years with Tom, as the defensive backs coach. It definitely helped me from an offensive perspective.”

Coughlin plays it a little closer to the vest than Belichick when it comes to handing out praise (hard to believe, right?). He didn’t really have a comment about Belichick today, but its clear he is a fan of his longtime friend.

“Bill and I have been friends for quite a number of years,” Coughlin said before his Giants defeated New England in SB XLII. “We worked together a lot. We spent time trying to help one another out and developed a relationship of cooperation and trying to get the best out of both units so that our team would be the best that it could be.”

The two have met only twice over the years during the regular season, with Belichick winning both contests. Coughlin has the bigger win, in their Super Bowl matchup, derailing Belichick’s quest for the NFL’s first 19-0 season.

“No doubt they were an undefeated football team that was very, very rare in our league, to go through the entire season undefeated, which they did,” Coughlin recalled Wednesday. “Certainly a tremendous challenge for us at the time, because of the quality of their football team, both offense and defense. All the things they represent. How well they played. The number of Super Bowls that they have won. Same basic unit still together. Sure it was a heck of a win for us, no doubt about it.”

Coughlin does not dwell on that victory. At least when there are games to play in front of him still. He was asked how much the Super Bowl victory changed his life:

“I don’t know how much it changed. It was the fulfillment of a dream come true, without a doubt. It seems like a long time ago.”

Belichick did not recount the game with reporters at all in his session. He stuck to praising Coughlin…

“I always had a good relationship with Tom and his family,” Belichick revealed. “It all started in New York. We have gone our separate ways but we have stayed in touch. I always admired what Tom has done, whether it was at BC, Jacksonville or with the Giants. He is a good football coach, good person and good man. He treats people fairly, he is honest and he is tough. I respect all those things.”

We agree with him on his assessment of the man.

Simms was the MVP of that game, going 22-for-25 passing with 3 TDs and was the first player to utter the phrase “I’m going to Disneyland (World)”.

After this session I spoke with Simms about that picture-perfect day and his near-perfect game:

JF: I was standing in the end zone when you guys came out to warm up that day. I said to the group I was with – ‘Wow, Simms has some extra zip on the ball today’

Simms: Who, me? I really didn’t think that at the time.

JF: Well, we thought so. And then all game long people were saying ‘Imagine if Simms played in warm weather all the time.’

Simms: Oh yeah, that. Sure.  Hey, you know what, I remember a game in Miami. It was raining, even.  I threw a pass and then stood there and watched it.  I said, ‘Heck, this is easy. Anyone can do this..’

The man underestimates his career. Simms was relegated to handing off most Sundays. In my book, he was every bit as good as his contemporaries, many who are Canton now. He just wasn’t given the chance.

The Parcells Giants were a run-first team. A smashmouth team. Simms was his guy, even though they clashed often and Simms hated playing for him – until it was all over.

When Parcells left in 1991, Simms said he was not sorry to see him go. “It was the first time I took a deep breath in eight years.” But he also said the reason the Giants were great was because Parcells applied the pressure non-stop.

Here’s our guerilla video shot with my trusty iPhone….

Well, it has. This morning at the Meadowlands Exposition Center, Big Blue Travel hosted a 25th anniversary event that included MVP Phil Simms, Harry Carson, George Martin, Ottis Anderson, Mark Bavaro, Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick.

Stay tuned for the Parcells and Simms interviews as well as quotes and anecdotes from others

The coach of that team, of course, was the now legendary Bill Parcells, who spoke with Giants play-by-play man Bob Papa and select Giants season ticket holders today via conference call.

Parcells was a defensive coach his whole career and rarely got involved in the offensive game plan. He didn’t have to. He had Phil Simms, another Giants legend, at the helm.

“I love Phil Simms,” Parcells said. “He was the perfect quarterback for a Bill Parcells-type coach. He was a fiery competitor. We both had similar personalities. I don’t think either one of us was overly sensitive. And both of us were able to move on past disagreements once in a while. But I can tell you I always had the utmost confidence in Phil and his judgment as well. Many times I tried to encourage him to be more aggressive than he really wanted to be sometimes. We did have a couple of little pretty famous disputes. But they were over quickly and as I said, I love Phil Simms.”

“I love my experience with the Giants,” Parcells added. “It was great.”

Simms chose Super Bowl XXI to have his greatest hour as a Giant.  Parcells remembers that day quite well, as we all do….

“That recollection of that afternoon is still very vivid with me, and it probably always will be,” he said. “I can think through the hours of that day and recall them pretty vividly. And certainly that was one of the great days of my life and in the lives of some of the players and coaches and also the fans.”

For ticket information regarding Sunday morning’s event, visit Big Blue Travel.

Quotes courtesy Giants Media Dept. Read Full Interview