EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — Probably you already knew that Bill Belichick (secondary) and Tom Coughlin (receivers) coached together with the Giants under Bill Parcells. Three Super Bowls (soon to be four) and seven conference titles later, the two rank slightly ahead of Ray Handley on the Tuna Coaching Tree.

Earlier this week, Belichick gave Coughlin the Ed Reed treatment, calling the former Boston College and Jacksonville coach “a good friend” and that has an NFL coach he “has stood the test of time.”

On Thursday it was Coughlin — a semi-ringer for Ron Howard’s dad –  who penned a power ballad to his opposing Super Bowl coach.

“I didn’t have any doubt that he would,” Coughlin said when asked if he thought Belichick would be a successful NFL head coach one day when the two worked together in New York. “He stared very young and advanced with lots of responsibility at a young age and was constantly preparing himself for what was coming later for him. I didn’t have any question about the detailed, meticulous work Bill did when he was here and the process that he went through when preparing his defensive team.”

Coughlin used the word “exceptional” three times to describe Belichick’s work as Patriots head coach on Thursday, and noted his ability to coach both sides of the ball despite having earned his reputation as a defensive mind. He was asked about his relationship with Belichick in New York.

“We worked very well together, and I think that’s the thing that is most important when you evaluate that time in our lives,” Coughlin said. “We cooperated well, we did an awful lot together, never stopped. I can remember Parcells saying, “Again?” We did work well together, we discussed things back and forth. It was a good time, it was a good time.”