History of the New York Giants (1979–1993)
Led by a run-oriented offense and a defense nicknamed the "Big Blue Wrecking Crew", the team qualified for the postseason six times in 10 seasons from 1981 to 1990.
Taylor was the second selection in the 1981 NFL draft and, in contrast to Simms, was an immediate success, winning the league's Defensive Player of the Year Award in both his rookie and sophomore season.
The team's success in this period was aided by head coach Bill Parcells, running back Joe Morris, and Hall of Fame linebacker Harry Carson.
Following the 1990 season and a victory in Super Bowl XXV, Parcells resigned as coach and was replaced by the team's offensive coordinator, Ray Handley.
"[2] Despite the hiring and subsequent success, the rift between Wellington and Tim lasted for several years[4] and, at one point a partition had to be put between the two in the owner's box.
Taylor impressed right from the start; in training camp his teammates took to calling him Superman and jokingly suggested that his locker should be replaced with a phone booth.
His arrival raised the Giants linebacker corps—which already included Brad Van Pelt and future Hall of Famer Harry Carson—into one of the league's best: the Crunch Bunch.
[13] They defeated the Los Angeles Rams 10–7 and the St. Louis Cardinals 20–10 setting up a season finale against the Dallas Cowboys,[13] in which a win, along with a New York Jets victory over the Green Bay Packers the next day, would clinch a playoff spot for the Giants.
[13] The Giants were unable to build on their success in 1982, due in part to the 1982 NFL Players Strike which reduced the schedule to 9 games, and also to Ray Perkins' mid-season announcement that he was leaving the team at season's end to coach at the University of Alabama.
In New York's second game (against Green Bay on Monday Night Football) Carson recorded 25 tackles; 20 solo and 5 assists.
[18] Simms, who had been unable to stabilize the quarterback situation up to that point, missed the entire season with a knee injury suffered in a preseason game against the New York Jets.
[23] Finally, in a week six game against the Eagles, he brought Simms back to thunderous fan applause, only to see him suffer a season-ending hand injury.
In the first round, they defeated the Los Angeles Rams 16-13 in Anaheim before losing, 21–10, to the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers.
[30] Standout performers included Rob Carpenter and Joe Morris, who split running back duties, combining for over 1,300 yards and 11 touchdowns.
[40] The following week, veteran defensive end George Martin intercepted a pass from Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway and returned it 78 yards for a touchdown.
[41] In a Monday night encounter at San Francisco the next week, the Giants overcame a 17–0 halftime deficit to Joe Montana's 49ers en route to a 21–17 victory.
Here is a description of the play taken from a Monday Night Football broadcast in 2005: "On Dec. 1 1986, New York Giants tight end Mark Bavaro cements his reputation as one of the toughest men in the NFL.
Also making the Pro Bowl were Bavaro, who caught 66 passes for 1,001 yards,[38] Carson, Jim Burt, Leonard Marshall, and Brad Benson, giving the Giants seven representatives.
[50] Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson later picked up on the ploy and would often sneak up on Coach Parcells near the end of games to dump the remaining Gatorade over his head.
In the game quarterback Ken O'Brien found Al Toon in the corner of the endzone in the final minute to give the Jets a victory.
After suffering through a 1–3 stretch,[60] including a 31–10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Anaheim, the Giants rallied to win their final three games to secure the second best record in the NFC at 12–4.
After he caught the pass, Anderson raced down the sideline, through the end zone, and into the tunnel that led to the locker rooms, silencing the crowd.
[67] To secure a first round bye, the Giants needed to beat two of the NFL's worst teams, the Phoenix Cardinals and New England Patriots on the road.
The Giants defeated the Chicago Bears 31–3 in the divisional playoff round,[66] setting up a rematch with the 49ers in San Francisco for the NFC Championship and a Super Bowl berth.
On the game's last play, Bahr hit a 42–yard field goal to give the Giants the NFC title, 15–13, over the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.
The opening drive ran for over 9 minutes[72] (a Super Bowl record) and culminated in a 1-yard touchdown run by Ottis Anderson, giving the Giants a 17–12 lead.
[75] The Giants set a Super Bowl record for time of possession with a mark of 40:33,[47] and Ottis Anderson was named MVP of the game after rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown.
[80] As with Parcells eight years previous, one of Handley's first major decisions as head coach involved replacing Phil Simms as the starting quarterback.
[81] Though they rallied to a record of 7-5 after a dramatic 21-14 win at Tampa Bay in week 13 and were in the hunt for a post-season spot, the Giants lost their next three behind Phil Simms who reclaimed his starting position when Hostetler went down with a broken back.
One of the few promising young players to emerge during the year was second–year running back Rodney Hampton, who led the Giants in rushing with 1,059 yards, while also catching 43 passes.
