The New York Giants have been around since 1925 and have a long history of great moments to choose from. They also have quite bit of forgettable moments as well.
The NFL, as part of their 100th anniversary have compiled a list of the their 100 greatest plays over the last century.
We recently covered the first 70 plays and today, we’ll cover the top 30, in which the Giants are involved in four of.
No. 23
November 19, 1979
“Miracle at the Meadowlands”
NFL.com: “As bloopers and boneheaded play calls go, this one was as costly and head-scratching as it gets. On November 19, 1978, the Giants hosted the Eagles at the Meadowlands and were on the verge of an important franchise win: they led, 17-12, in the game’s final seconds and had the ball, and the Eagles were out of timeouts. After five straight losing seasons, the Giants were about to even their record at 6-6, with a chance at the playoffs. Quarterback Joe Pisarcik took a snap – “there is nothing the Eagles can do,” broadcaster Merrill Reese said at the time – but rather than kneel on the turf and allow the clock to expire, he went to hand off the ball to his fullback, Larry Csonka. Pisarcik clumsily lost the control of the ball, which bounced on the turf and into the arms of Eagles defensive back Herm Edwards, who returned the fumble 26 yards for the touchdown as Philadelphia won, 19-17. The next day, Bob Gibson, the Giants’ offensive coordinator, was fired. He’d never coach football again. At 9-7, the Eagles made the playoffs; Giants head coach John McVay was terminated after the season, his last as a head coach in the NFL. The bungled play gave rise to the universal acceptance of the “Victory” kneel play, in which the QB simply takes a knee when games are in the bag.”
Fennelly: As I’ve written many times….Pisarcik told me the entire huddle told him to kneel on the ball but the coaches were adamant he run a play. He was already in hot water for changing the plays that were being sent in by head coach John McVay and offensive coordinator Bob Gibson. They threatened to bench him if he did it again, so he decided to run the play. The rest is history.
No. 19
December 28, 1958
Winning TD in Greatest Game Ever Played
NFL.com: “The one-yard run, at New York’s Yankee Stadium in the final days of 1958, was the final and deciding touchdown in that year’s NFL Championship, what many have called “The Greatest Game Ever Played.” After regulation, the game was tied 17-17. In the sudden death overtime period, the Colts, led by quarterback Johnny Unitas, led his offense from his own 20 all the way down the field, to the Giants’ 1. Alan Ameche, a six-foot, 218-pound Pro Bowl fullback, stood in the backfield. Unitas handed the ball off to Ameche, who ran right, crashed through the line of scrimmage while following a block, and rolled into the end zone, for the game-winning score. Ameche was mobbed by fans and teammates and the goal posts were torn down after a contest that had helped popularize professional football in front of a nationwide TV audience.”
Fennelly: Before my time, naturally, but a significant mile marker in NFL history. The play itself is nothing special but the game put the NFL on the map. Up to that time, college football was more popular than pro football in America and this was the beginning of the NFL owning Sunday afternoons like the college game had taken over Saturdays.
No. 16
November 23, 2014
Odell Beckham Jr.’s one-handed catch
NFL.com: “Sports announcers regularly use hyperbole to describe the great plays of athletes, but when NFL color analyst Cris Collinsworth described this Odell Beckham, Jr. catch as “absolutely impossible,” he wasn’t exaggerating. It happened on a Sunday night in November of 2014, in a game between the Giants and Cowboys at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. It was the first play of the second quarter, and the Giants, winning 7-3, had the ball at the Cowboys’ 43 on first down and 10. Off of play action, quarterback Eli Manning threw one deep down the right sideline to Beckham, Jr., who was being closely covered and fronted by a Dallas cornerback, Brandon Carr. At the 5, with the ball still coming down, Carr locked ahold of Beckham Jr.’s arm; as Carr fell to the turf and pass interference flags flew, Beckham, Jr. reached way, way back with his right hand and – while falling backward in mid-air – caught the ball and brought it into his chest with his momentum carrying him into the end zone for a touchdown. The Giants would lose the game and their record would drop to 3-8, but the Beckham play would be the highlight in an otherwise forgettable Giants season.”
Fennelly: OBJ became an instant star with that play and went on an odyssey that is still playing out. The catch was an unbelievable feat and the fact that it occurred on a highly-watched, nationally-televised game made it even more prominent. Beckham became one of the game’s most popular players off that play (and others, to be fair) and many fans are still stung by the team’s decision to trade him to Cleveland in March.
No. 3
February 3, 2008
David Tyree helmet catch in Super Bowl XLII
NFL.com: “On Feb. 3, 2008, an improbable catch by an unlikely hero keyed one of the great upsets in NFL history. With 1:15 left in Super Bowl XLII, the Tom Brady-led Patriots led the Giants, 14-10, and were on the verge of becoming the league’s first undefeated champion since the ’72 Dolphins. The New York Giants offense faced a third and 5 on their own 44. Quarterback Eli Manning dropped back and eluded numerous pass rushers – one of whom grabbed his jersey –and launched a jump ball downfield that floated between the Patriots’ Rodney Harrison and Giants receiver David Tyree, an unheralded backup receiver. At the top of his jump, Tyree secured the ball by pinning it against his helmet for a 32-yard catch at the New England 24. The Giants, who had lost six games during the season and entered the Super Bowl as 12-point underdogs, scored a touchdown four plays later and won, 17-14. Bill Belichick’s Patriots were denied a perfect record and a fourth Super Bowl title in seven years.”
Fennelly: It was going to take a miracle — or two — for the Giants to knock off the undefeated Patriots in this game, but we all had a feeling they could play a close game, which they had done just a few weeks before. Tyree was the Giants’ go-to receiver in close games, having caught a touchdown earlier in that game and he came through big time with a catch for the ages again here. Ironically, Tyree had a severe case of the dropsies all week in practice leading up to the Super Bowl.
