Tom Coughlin has been under plenty of pressure for the New York Giants' up-and-down performance the past two seasons, enough so that the head coach made a remark that could make the scrutiny even worse, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.

"I hear some of it and I see it," Coughlin said in response to a question about the criticism he received last season. You know (VP of communications Pat) Hanlon tells me about it, what's going on . . . Hitler and then me, in that order. Unfortunate, but it is."

The Giants started last season 6-2, lost six of the next eight games to finish 8-8 and squeak into the playoffs, but then lost in the wild-card round for the second straight year.

Many called for Coughlin's firing and many more expected it. But co-owners John Mara and Jonathan Tisch gave him an extension through 2008 after meeting with the coach.

"It wasn't any fun," he told the Daily News. "And to be honest with you, to go through that whole circumstance at the end of the season is embarrassing. It's embarrassing not only to me, but to my family. But I know it's part of the game. I admire ownership for the position that they took at the end of the season."

As far as what? "As far as me staying," he said. "It would have been easy to go the other way, according to what I understand."

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