Do you guys and gals remember 1981 and the incredible feeling of optimism that we had after LT hit town? Do you have the same feeling today with Beckham now a Giant? LT singlehandedly turned a terrible Giants team into a team to be reckoned with...basically by himself.
There was still work to be done...more work than I think what is needed for these Giants...but the Giants became a must see because you never knew what LT was going to do. You just knew that it was going to be something special. For you younger Giants fans, it is hard to describe the feeling of those days as we were building a dominant defense. LT was the second big piece to go with Harry (not to mention George) then we added Leonard, Carl, Burt, Howard, Collins, Reasons, Kinard and others. Our backup Lbs...we would drool over today...Hunt, Headen, then Pepper.
I think we need another beast up front for next year but if Cruz is healthy, we may be there...certainly Tom seems to have got Randle's attention. On D, I would like to see what we could do with everyone healthy, especially in the secondary.
But, bottom line, with Beckham in our lineup, it seems this offense could be at the top with anyone next season. Personally, I haven't felt this kind of excitement for next season since no. 56 played in Big Blue.
I don't have the same kind of feeling i had as Perkins turned the team around because the Giants aren't that far from being good. But the last few games have been fun because the kids -- OBJ, Kennard, Donnell, Wynn and others -- have been playing well, and that bodes well for the future.
Wow.
I think if we can get a beast at guard to help our running game or a big time tackle and move Pugh inside then we may be set. Another receiver for depth or if Randle goes back in the tank would also be great.
Add a little more depth and nastiness to the D-line (get rid of Patterson and probably Kuhn) and perhaps a LB or safety, re-sign JPP...and we could be set. Eli has shown he is still a franchise QB (he has had a great year), get Jennings healthy, Williams experience and we may not be as far off as many think.
He will always be targeted by opponents.
In 1981, LT came into a defense with some good talent and made it elite. I think they also switched to a 3-4 at that time to match the star player. The offense was struggling to find an identity and a QB. The offense developed with the addition of Rob Carpenter and then Joe Morris, and with the development of Phil Simms. Also, there was a head coaching change.
You get the feeling that a healthy Cruz, at 85-90% of what he was, a head out of his butt RR, and 2 good OLs, and they can rack up points w/OBJ and gang.
At this point the 2 more good OLs will let the run game open up the passing game.
Some speed on D at the back 7 and power at DT will help stop opponents 3rd down conversions, get them off the field and let the O do its thing.
Nowadays, team quality fluctuates from year to year far more than it did in the 60s-80s.
So, LT was a revelation, but no one was hanging banners yet. I went to that last Dallas game in 1981. After winning that one, you could see the attitude of the fans turning around. There was a lot of optimism. Even after the SF loss in the playoffs, the bad old days of Arnsberger seemed to be behind them.
This team is 3 years from its last SB victory, so we expect more.
What is exciting is just Beckham. What will he do today???
The key is getting everybody healthy and staying healthy. We definitely need another beast on the Oline. It may not be a 1st rounder if it is a guard we need but if a tackle falls into our lap then we can move Pugh inside. But we also need another high pick on an offensive lineman for depth. It will be interesting to see what they do with Walton. I don't know the complete implications, salary cap wise, of cutting him.
Also, we need to re-sign JPP and Rolle. I think that will be important especially Rolle's leadership. With Thurmond and Prince back healthy as well as Victor...all of a sudden the scenario changes.
Let's face it...Donnell has given us the best pass catching tight end we have had since Shockey. No question he needs to get better at blocking but he has shown that ability. He is just not consistent. Plus, I have been impressed by Fells and would like to see him back also.
All I want to point out, within reason, is that we are now, because of Beckham, a lot closer than we may have thought. Another beast to go with Hankins would be nice also. Moore going into his third year then add Wynn, Jenkins, Bromley for depth...Beason, McLain, Kennard at LB...the secondary back and healthy. All of a sudden, things look a lot different.
beckham is terrific but we'll need more than that particularly in the trenches to be really competitive again
LT was great, and exciting - but the Giants of that era were a complete laughingstock, so optimism was much more guarded.
The arrival of ROB CARPENTER in late September via trade is what changed the team into an actual contender, and gave fans hope. They ripped 3 straight wins after Carpenter arrived, got to 5-3, and had a very strong finish, famously beating Dallas in the season finale.
Not really LT-only, but I went to college near Philadelphia in '79. That playoff win against the Eagles in 1981...it is one of my favorite memories as a Giants fan.
Taylor was a whole different thing. He didn't just do things better than anyone else, like Beckham. He did things nobody had ever done before.
He has raised the level of play for the entire team. I don't think any of his teammates want to be part of the reason any of his performances go wasted with a loss and they all play just that much harder.
He has energized the entire organization and fan base
He is dominating at his position from his first game played
He is a player you want to watch each play just to see what he does next.
The differences:
In addition to all of the above,
With LT everyone in the league quickly new he was something never ever seen before.
Teams went beyond just focusing on him, they changed their offences and eventually created new positions in attempts to try and find a way to just slow him up.
He dominated the entire league as no player had ever done prior to his entering the league. It was like there was the NFL before LT and the NFL after
Odell has lifted the Giants in similar fashion I just think fans are either to young to have truly appreciated or with time have forgotten what LT was like if they think he is an equivalent player
My answer is that LT gave me much more confidence than OBJ. And I love what OBJ brings but it is tempered with position. LT actually seemed like superman -- he was big, fast and quick, also mean and scary. And not scary to other teams because of just what he could do to their offense, but just scary physically, if they did not slow him own.
OBJ plays a position where you get hit, you don't hit; where time generally wears hard on the players, where longevity is generally not in the cards, and he is a relatively small guy. He is scary to defenses, but not in the physical way, just what he can to to their defense but ONLY if the QB gets solid blocking.
Love OBJ, but there he is not LT.
But the reason I say they are not comparable, to me anyway, is because we've won 2 Super Bowls in the last 7 years. So I am not looking at OBJ as this significant turning point for the Giants because of their recent success. No doubt he is an exciting player and I would love to see Eli win another SB before he calls it quits, but the feeling of optimism is not the same as it was back in the early 80s.
The other thing that caused excitement that year was the trade for Rob Carpenter. Damn! We have a running back. There was still work to do on the OL and at TE, and Simms had to emerge as the QB he would eventually become, but the O was out of the cellar.
There is a big difference between the two eras.
Was that tie 21-21 on Monday night? That game was a boring waste of 3 hours. It was almost enough to make you not watch another game ever again!
As a receiver, ODJ is only involved in the passing plays that the ball is thrown to him. We might have seen a little more of what he's doing to defenses yesterday with Ruben Randell open more.
Agree. The similarity is in the excitement and optimism he brings to the team, along with his otherworldly talent.
Obviously, you can't expect a wide receiver to "change" the way people HAVE had to with L.T. Because of the nature of the positions themselves. The wide out basically does one thing -- run great routes and catch the ball. Sure, he can block downfield the way Plax did, but his dimension is ONE.
A linebacker, on the other hand, can be all over the place and do many different things to disrupt an offense.
Anyway, I'm thrilled we have him. .And yes, I remember watching the early L.T. Even then .... man ... even then you knew
1) he will break a few
2) not worried(I know he dropped the one against the Skins)that he will drop a punt
We are a 6-9, sub .500 team and EVERY network is talking about Beckum every single week.
It's like he's put us back on the national stage.
Taylor was a whole different thing. He didn't just do things better than anyone else, like Beckham. He did things nobody had ever done before.
I was gonna respond harshly because the comparison to LT, the greatest NFL defender ever, is so blatantly over the top. The sense of root optimism Phil brought - a key player with HOF ability- is much more appropriate. Enough ridiculous comparisons for a guy that is not quite yet earning full time double coverage from the defense he's facing.
I think the OBJ hype is very similar to the arrival of LT in 1981. Well deserved hype, the kid is having the same kind of impact as LT did. The play after the Ram tried to take his head off, he responded by burning the Rams deep for a huge TD. Very LT like...
As a great Giants coach once said, "let's not put him in Canton quite yet." That said, its obvious OBJ is special. He has the potential to be a great player.
He's the reason I watch the games, just to see what he does next...I hope he crushes Philly Sunday.
I think the OBJ hype is very similar to the arrival of LT in 1981. Well deserved hype, the kid is having the same kind of impact as LT did. The play after the Ram tried to take his head off, he responded by burning the Rams deep for a huge TD. Very LT like...
As a great Giants coach once said, "let's not put him in Canton quite yet." That said, its obvious OBJ is special. He has the potential to be a great player.
He's the reason I watch the games, just to see what he does next...I hope he crushes Philly Sunday.