Antrel Rolle: Ray Lewis Helped Me Get Along With Tom Coughlin

Antrel Rolle signed a lucrative deal with the New York Giants in 2010 after a stint with the Arizona Cardinals. Rolle struggled to adjust the hard-core nature of Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, and the two consistently bumped heads. Rolle says that when things were at its worst with Coughlin, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis helped him understand and mend the relationship with his coach. “When I was having a difficult time adapting to coach Coughlin’s ways, he was the guy I called,” Rolle said Tuesday on WFAN. “I asked Ray like, ‘How should I handle the situation? It’s extremely difficult for me. I’m not used to this.’ “We had an hour-long conversation just about life. He was telling me how I should approach the situation, how I should be able to deal with coach Coughlin but still get some things across. I listened to what he said and it helped me out a lot.” Rolle said he called upon Lewis, who is a fellow Miami Hurricane, because he knew Ray would give it to him straight. “It boiled down to me going to someone who I can consider a mentor,” Rolle said. “Someone I know is going to give it to me straight as someone who is going to tell me something I need to hear as opposed to something that I wanted to hear. “If you have never been around Ray Lewis, man he’s probably the most humble individual and real individual you’re going to ever be around. That’s just the reality of it. “He told me exactly what I needed to hear. And from that day on I’ve never, ever had an issue (with Coughlin). I’ve never had any concerns. I can honestly say it was great. This is the best I’ve ever felt and I am going to continue to stay on this path.”