To inspire his players, the New York Giants coach showed them Ramsay Bolton’s death scene

NFL coaches are notorious for using any means necessary to motivate their teams for the upcoming season. And with NFL season kicking off this season, it’s time to experiment. According to the New York Post, first year head coach Ben McAdoo recently used a brutal scene from Game of Thrones to inspire the New York Giants. (Their season begins this Sunday, with a game against rivals the Dallas Cowboys.) How did he inspire them? McAdoo played the scene from “Battle of the Bastards” where Ramsay Bolton meets his end at the hands mouths of his own hounds.

Go long.

And what was McAdoo trying to say with the clip? “It was about being hungry,” one Giant said. “Just being the hungriest team in the NFL, in the NFC, all that.”

The Giants are hungry to return to the playoffs for the first time in four years, something the Cowboys accomplished in 2014. They’re also enjoying the flip side of Coach McAdoo’s message: embrace the villain within.

Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. made a splash as soon as he entered the NFL. Like Ramsay, he’s quickly become one of the organization’s most hated figures. (Although obviously he hasn’t done anything nearly as heinous.) So do the similarities end there, or does Beckham embrace his inner villain like actor Iwan Rheon seemed to on Game of Thrones?

"I have fun, I’m myself at all times, and I don’t think necessarily it’s liked all the time, unless you’re on my side. EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – AUGUST 27: Odell Beckham #13 of the New York Giants warms up prior to the preseason game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on August 27, 2016 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)"

If we follow this train of thought, should we think of Eli Manning as SmallJon Umber? And fellow wide receiver Victor Cruz could be Harald Karstark?

Either way, the NFC East division kicks off this Sunday. Game (0f thrones) on.

Who rules the NFC East?