David Diehl saw Chris Snee's sons Dylan and Cooper doing confetti angels on the field. He was asked about (twice) winning a Super Bowl even though many said it couldn't be done with him at left tackle. And he finally revealed he played most of this season with a broken hand.

The emotion of it all overcame the 6-foot-5, 319-pounder today.

"This is a team game and not only myself," the nine-year Giants veteran said after the rally at MetLife Stadium, when asked about his hand. "We've got tough guys on this team. That's the thing. We talk about 'all in.' It's not about yourself, it's about the guys lining up next to you."

His voice cracking and his eyes watering, Diehl added: “I’m getting choked up. This is unbelievable.”

Diehl’s hand injury never appeared on the injury report. Coach Tom Coughlin mentioned it only when asked by a reporter who saw Diehl headed for X-rays after the Dec. 11 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Coughlin said at that point it was a “nagging” injury with which Diehl was dealing.

Diehl had his fingers taped together in that game. For the rest of the season, through the Super Bowl XLVI victory over the New England Patriots, he had a protective piece on his ring finger and pinky, both of which he couldn’t extend fully.

“Especially when it’s your left hand and you have a cast over it,” Diehl said. “But this isn’t just about me. This is about my teammates and my brothers. I can’t say enough about them.”

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Diehl, who slid over from guard after Will Beatty suffered a detached retina in the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 20, also couldn’t say enough about the doubters who didn’t believe he could be an effective left tackle.

Actually, he didn’t say much at all. And that indicated plenty.

“Let them say what they want to say, but I have two Super Bowl rings to show of what I’m capable of doing,” he said. “Otherwise, I don’t think this would’ve happened.”

But it did. And there was Diehl along with his teammates getting a key to New York City from Mayor Michael Bloomberg. That was his favorite part of the day because it gave him hope he could “walk around and do what I want whenever.” (Plaxico Burress found out nine months after Bloomberg gave him the key that wasn’t the case. But we digress.)

Today was an emotional day for Diehl, whose voice again began to crack as he spoke about what this team accomplished.

“You just talk about tough guys, guys that regardless of what was going to happen, guys selling out for one another,” he said. “And Coach Coughlin talked about it on Sunday and Saturday night at the meeting — love for one another. It’s amazing.”

Mike Garafolo: mgarafolo@starledger.com; twitter.com/MikeGarafolo