The New York Giants have a great history of championships, dominant players, and elite head coaches. They have four Super Bowl championships under their belt and a reputation of being a well-run franchise.
This narrative has changed in recent years. The Giants have struggled to find a competent head coach and Dave Gettleman has made some interesting decisions during his time as general manager. New York is hoping that Daniel Jones and Joe Judge turn into the next great coach and quarterback duo in the league.
While there are no great moments to list recently, the history of the Giants is full of them. Here are five moments that come to mind immediately.
5. Drafting Lawrence Taylor
Is it possible to consider a No. 2 overall pick a steal? Well, that was the case in 1981 when the Giants selected a linebacker out of North Carolina named Lawrence Taylor.
After the New Orleans Saints opted to go with running back George Rogers with the first selection, New York welcomed Taylor to town with open arms. This proved to be a home run selection.
Taylor won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 1981. He was named a Pro Bowler in the first 10 years of his career. Taylor led the NFL in sacks in 1986 with 20.5. That was the same year he was unanimously named league MVP. Taylor was the second defensive player to ever win MVP and first to be selected unanimously. He finished his career with a total of 132.5 sacks.
Taylor was on the Giants during two Super Bowls. He is without a doubt the best linebacker to ever play the game and is widely regarded as the best defensive player ever. This will not change for quite some time.
4. Eli Manning Trade
This is another instance where the Giants landed an all-time great on draft night, but this situation was not as simple. The Giants held the fourth pick in the 2004 NFL Draft and were in need of a quarterback. There were two at the top of the list.
The San Diego Chargers held the No. 1 overall pick and selected Ole Miss product Eli Manning. Prior to the draft, Manning made it clear that he would not play for the Chargers. He even threatened to sit out the season if selected. This forced the Chargers' hand. New York selected N.C. State quarterback Philip Rivers three picks later.
The Giants sent Rivers and three draft picks to San Diego in return for Manning. The rest is history. Manning would go on to win two Super Bowls with the Giants and turn into the best quarterback in franchise history.
Rivers, now with the Indianapolis Colts, had a successful career with the Chargers but was never able to win the big game. It is safe to say that the Giants got the better end of the deal and that Manning is still not too popular with the San Diego crowd.
3. Mario Manningham Catch
The 2011 season was a magical one for the Giants. After a 9-7 season that ended with an NFC East title, the Giants blew out the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers in the playoffs. They marched into San Francisco for the NFC Championship Game and pulled off a major upset 20-17.
This was nowhere near the upset they would pull off in Super Bowl XLVI. The Giants were up against the New England Patriots. They trailed late in the fourth quarter and were pinned on their own 12-year line. On the first play of the drive, Manning delivered an absolute dime down the left sideline for Manningham. He corralled it and absorbed a big hit from Patrick Chung.
The drive ended with an Ahmad Bradshaw touchdown run and the Giants took a 21-17 lead. This would be the final score adding another championship for the Giants. The throw made by Manning on this particular play will go down in Super Bowl history.
2. Wide Right
The 1990 Super Bowl featured two 13-3 teams with the Giants and Buffalo Bills. Bill Parcells led the Giants to a first-round bye after an NFC East title. They blew out the Chicago Bears 31-3 then squeaked by the 49ers in the NFC title game.
Jim Kelly and the Bills awaited in the Super Bowl. This game went back and forth all night. The Bills took a 19-17 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter thanks to a Thurman Thomas touchdown run. The Giants would respond on the next possession with a 21-yard field goal by Matt Bahr. The score would hold up until the Bills got the ball back with one final chance with 2:16 remaining.
Kelly led the drive from Buffalo's own 10-yard line down to the Giants' 40. An 11-yard run by Thomas gave the Bills a first down and set them up in field goal range. With eight seconds left, Scott Norwood lined up for a 47-yard field goal. This would have been his longest kick on grass. Perfect snap, good hold, wide right.
This game will forever live in infamy for the Bills. This began their run of four straight Super Bowl losses. For the Giants, it is one of their best moments of all time.
1. David takes down Goliath
There is no doubt what the best moment in Giants' history was. Super Bowl XLII comes to mind immediately but the entire postseason run was complete magic.
The Giants finished 10-6 in 2007 and were second in the NFC East. This forced them to play on wild card weekend and they took home a 24-14 win in Tampa Bay. This set up a matchup with the No. 1 seeded Dallas Cowboys. It was a 21-17 victory for New York and they were on to Green Bay. The NFC Championship Game against the Packers is an honorable mention for this list. They played in sub-zero temperatures and won on an overtime field goal by Lawrence Tynes.
After three straight road playoff victories, the Giants had one more monster to defeat. This was the undefeated Patriots with the best offense of all time. Tom Brady finished with 50 touchdowns in 2007, 23 of them went to Randy Moss. The Giants were 12.5-point underdogs in the game but that did not stop them from slowing down the dynamic offense of the Patriots.
A Brady and Moss touchdown connection late in the fourth quarter would give the Patriots a 14-10 lead. The next possession would be the drive of Manning's career. It was highlighted by an escape act at the line of scrimmage and heave downfield. David Tyree made one of the best catches in Super Bowl history with the ball pinned on his helmet. The helmet catch was for 32 yards and set the Giants up in striking distance.
Four plays later, Manning found Plaxico Burress in the left corner of the end zone for a 17-14 lead. This is still one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history.
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