New York Giants Information
The New York Giants have been playing in the NFL since the 1925 season. Over their storied history, the Giants have made 25 playoff appearances, 13 via a division championship. They’ve won nine conference championships and have won six league championships including the 1986 and 1990 Super Bowls. Bill Parcells was the coach of both championship teams but has since moved on and is now coaching division rival Dallas and the Cowboys. The only coach to make the Super Bowl since was Jim Fassel who led the team to a 2000 Super Bowl loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Fassel was released at the end of the 2003 season and disciplinarian Tom Coughlin was signed as the new coach. Coughlin finished with a 68-60 record as coach of the Jaguars in their first eight seasons in the league including two division championships and playoff appearances in four straight seasons from 1996-1999.
The New York Giants might have made the two biggest moves in the off-season. In the draft, Ole Miss Quarterback Eli Manning was taken by the Chargers with the number one overall pick, but the Giants made a deal to acquire his rights for draft picks. The other move was releasing QB Kerry Collins and signing former MVP and Super Bowl winner Kurt Warner to compete with and tutor Manning at the QB position. Warner has struggled of late in St. Louis but many felt he was still more than capable of finding his old form and leading an NFL team, but now it looks as though he’ll be relegated to the bench in New York. With the rest of their draft picks, the Giants selected three offensive players and three defensive players with three of the six picks being linemen.
Kerry Collins was the quarterback in New York last year and played well by throwing for more than 3,000 yards and 13 touchdowns but was released in a salary cap move. Manning and Warner are expected to compete for the spot in training camp, but the team realizes that if Manning turns out to be a bust, Warner is still able to step in and lead the Giants to wins. Tiki Barber has proven to be quite an asset in New York over the years. The twin brother of Tampa Bay cornerback Ronde, Tiki rushed for more than 1,200 yards and caught another 69 balls out of the backfield in 2003. Barber has had some troubles over the past few seasons with fumbling the ball away but he’s confident it won’t be an issue in the 2004 season. Amani Toomer was the team’s leading receiver last year with 63 catches for more than 1,000 yards. Ike Hilliard also had 60 catches for over 600 yards before an injury prematurely ended his season. The big name in New York has to be tight end Jeremy Shockey, a tight end in his second season out of the University of Miami. Shockey is outspoken, blunt, and fearless, all characteristics that will play to the fans of the Big Apple.
Mike Barrow led the Giants in 2003 with 150 tackles (115 solo) with 12 of those tackles being behind the line of scrimmage. Barrow also tied Michael Strahan for the team lead with three forced fumbles. Strahan has become quite a celebrity since setting the single season sacks record two years ago. Best known for his work with Eagles QB Donovan McNabb in the Campbell’s Chunky Soup ads and his gap toothed smile, Strahan has become a crowd favorite in New York. Strahan followed up his sack record with another season of 18 sacks in 2003, averaging more than one per game. Osi Umenyiora led the team with two blocked kicks and four players, Johnnie Harris, Will Allen, Ralph Brown, and Frank Walker, tied for the team lead with two interceptions each.