NEW YORK (WFAN) — There was a time when Tom Coughlin wasn’t so beloved in New York — in the locker room, the media, you name it.

Criticized for being a rigid authoritarian, the Giants coach knew an adjustment was needed after the 2006 season.

“I went home one night and my wife said, ‘They hate you,’ ” Coughlin told WFAN’s Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton on Thursday. “‘The print media hates you. You’re going to have to do something.’ ”

After a discussion with Big Blue public relations chief Pat Hanlon, Coughlin decided to “take the gloves off” — one-on-one — with each member of the media.

“I was not helping them do their job to the best of their abilities,” Coughlin said. “That was wrong. I was wrong.”