Tom Coughlin didn’t want to talk about it. Bill Belichick didn’t, either.

Tom Brady called it a distant memory, and while Eli Manning copped to thinking about it every once in a while, but only during the offseason, the quarterbacks also didn’t want to revisit the night of Feb. 3, 2008, when the Giants beat the Patriots 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII in the week leading up to their rematch Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

“I don’t think about it,” Coughlin said. “I haven’t spent a whole lot of timing thinking about that. It seems like a long time ago.”

“Whatever the thoughts were after the game, they’ve come, they’ve gone and that’s what it is,” Belichick said. “Can’t change it.”

Three years and nine months is not a long time in the grand scheme of things, but by the standards of the NFL calendar it may as well have been 30 years ago.

“It’s a lot of different players,” Manning said. “Different schemes.”

The coaches and the quarterbacks remain, but Michael Strahan, Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi have all retired to broadcasting careers. Asante Samuel is an Eagle. Richard Seymour is a Raider. Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the thigh and spent almost two years in jail before joining the Jets. Randy Moss remains an enigma, albeit an enigma without a team. 

"This is an entirely different team that we have and that they have – strengths and weaknesses," Brady said. "There are so many players on our team that were obviously not a part of that game or any game against the Giants."

Brady's not exaggerating. In the three–and–a–half seasons since the Super Bowl, the Patriots have completely revamped their defense and turned over key personnel at running back, tight end and wide receiver. They have only four offensive starters from that game still on the active roster: Brady, Wes Welker, Matt Light and Logan Mankins. A fifth, Dan Koppen, is on injured reserve. Vince Wilfork is the only defensive player, starter or reserve, left standing. (Mike Wright is also on injured reserve).

The Giants disassembled more slowly and still have more than half their offensive line, two running backs and stalwart defenders like Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka, but they too have undergone major changes.

It’s not just the players. Patriots’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had a brief tenure as Denver’s head coach and Giants’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is the head coach in St. Louis. Thomas Dimitroff left to take over the Falcons after the 2007 season and Scott Pioli is now running the franchise in Kansas City. 

The Patriots have won 44 games since the Super Bowl to the Giants’ 35, but neither franchise has won a playoff game. Much has changed since that February night in Phoenix. Here’s a closer look:

GIANTS

2008 record: 12-4

Playoffs: Lost to Eagles in divisional round.

Notable additions: Kenny Phillips, Terrell Thomas, Mario Manningham.

Key subtractions: Jeremy Shockey, Michael Strahan, Kawika Mitchell, Reggie Torbor, Gibril Wilson.

Season summary: Their season was overshadowed by Burress, who fought with the team over a new contract, was suspended for a game for violating team rules and fatefully took a gun with him to a nightclub. His final game with the team came in November when they were 10-1. The Giants won the next week and then dropped three of four down the stretch and were bounced in the playoffs by the Eagles at home in their last playoff appearance.

2009 record: 8-8

Playoffs: None

Notable additions: Hakeem Nicks, William Beatty, Chris Canty, Michael Boley, Rocky Bernard.

Key subtractions: Burress, Amani Toomer, David Tyree, James Butler, Jeff Feagles, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

Season summary: They won five straight games to open the season before losing four straight and staggering home with an 8-8 record. They closed Giants Stadium with a discouraging 41-9 loss to the Panthers that knocked them out of the playoff race in Week 16.

2010 record: 10-6

Playoffs: None

Notable additions: Jason Pierre-Paul, Linval Joseph, Antrel Rolle.

Key subtractions: Rich Seubert, Antonio Pierce, Fred Robbins, Sam Madison.

Season summary: The Giants were looking good with a 9-4 record and a 24-3 lead over the Eagles at halftime and then … DeSean Jackson’s punt return happened. They lost the following week to the Packers who finished with an identical record but made the playoffs based on their head-to-head meeting and ultimately became the second NFC team to win a Super Bowl after three straight playoff victories on the road. The 2007 Giants were the first.

2011 Record: 5-2

Notable additions: Greg Jones, Tyler Sash, Jacquain Williams, Mark Herzlich, David Baas, Jake Ballard, Victor Cruz.

Key subtractions: Steve Smith, Kevin Boss, Shaun O’Hara, Barry Cofield.

Season so far: The Giants have emerged once again as the class of the NFC East nearing the midpoint of the season, but with injuries piling up can they prevent another late-season fade? 

Players left from 2007: Eli Manning, Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, David Diehl, Kareem McKenzie, Chris Snee, Domenik Hixon, Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Dave Tollefson, Mathias Kiwanuka, Zak DeOssie, Corey Webster, Aaron Ross, Lawrence Tynes.

PATRIOTS

2008 record: 11-5

Playoffs: None

Notable additions: Jerod Mayo, Matthew Slater, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Gary Guyton.

Key subtractions: Kyle Brady, Donte Stallworth, Rosevelt Colvin, Asante Samuel, Randall Gay, Eugene Wilson.

Season summary: It was the year of Matt Cassel and the last stand of the veteran defense. The Patriots offered a painful reminder that nothing is ever guaranteed in the NFL, not even the health of their franchise quarterback.

2009 record: 10-6

Playoffs: Lost to Ravens in wild card round.

Notable additions: Pat Chung, Sebastian Vollmer, Rob Ninkovich.

Key subtractions: Cassel, Jabar Gaffney, Mike Vrabel, Heath Evans, Larry Izzo, Ellis Hobbs, Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi, Richard Seymour.

Season summary: Harrison and Bruschi retired while Seymour and Vrabel were traded, taking with them 11 Super Bowl rings and invaluable experience that has yet to be replaced.

2010 record: 14-2

Playoffs: Lost to Jets in divisional round.

Notable additions: Devin McCourty, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Brandon Spikes, Deion Branch, Danny Woodhead

Key subtractions: Jarvis Green, Adalius Thomas, Ben Watson, Randy Moss, Nick Kaczur, Laurence Maroney

Season summary: A year of great expectations dashed in the playoffs that featured the Moss soap opera and the return of Branch, along with the emergence of several new faces on the defensive side of the ball.

2011 record: 5-2

Notable additions: Nate Solder, Stevan Ridley, Andre Carter, Shaun Ellis, Albert Haynesworth, Chad Ochocinco, Brian Waters.

Key subtractions: Brandon Meriweather, James Sanders, Ty Warren, Sammy Morris.

Season so far: The offense is as good as ever, but can the defense provide the necessary support?

Players left from 2007: Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Kevin Faulk, Stephen Gostkowski, Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Vince Wilfork, Mike Wright.