offside on a missed field goal, gave them a 1st down. They scored the only TD of the game on that drive. It was they game when the scumbag 49ers rolled LT, and the week that became the "No Medals for Trying" book.
But boy could they use him on STs now. Even at his advanced age. :-)
might have been the best Plan B free agent signing the Giants ever had, with maybe Chris Calloway as the only competition. Smart signing by George Young and the scouts to take him from the Dolphins. Back in early Plan B free agency, teams would leave some of their older/bigger name/over priced players out there with the hopes that a dumb team (ie- the Jets or Raiders) would go after them. The Giants went for younger guys who didn't crack the lineup, but they liked what they could do on the field when they did play, such as Thompson, Calloway, Mark Duckens, Greg Cox (who I had much higher hopes for but he never produced like he did with the Niners). Every now and then, they'd get a veteran to fill a role, such as Joe Fields from the Jets to be a long snapper.
had a role in the nickel defense. A very fast, strong player. Players matter. Schemes are secondary to players. It is good to have him remembered.
I agree except to say that you have to tailor your schemes to your players. The square peg / round hole thing never works.
And Reyna Thompson (Could never understand how that is pronounced "Ren - ay" lol) Was such a great special teams player. There were just so many great role players on that era of Giant teams.
Seemed to really have a knack for how the ball would roll on the Meadowlands concrete (I mean turf).
Also interesting to see how low Landeta let the ball drop before contact. Much different drop than Weatherford and Feagles. Seemed to result in much more of a driving ball pattern, as opposed to getting air under it and letting his coverage get in place. Good thing about Thompson was, but for his being johnny-on-the-spot, Landeta would have been outkicking his coverage much of the time.
Casual fans (of course, not BBIers) don't realize what a huge play it is for a ball to be downed inside the 10 yardline. I get as excited over that as I do a big play on offense.
Thought we had another one of him in Devin Thomas in 2010-2011. Not as good but shows you need more then stars on Offense and Defense to win championships.
He was one of the few ST players from a coverage perspective
that I've seen have an impact on the game every week. He, along with Landetta, neutralized other teams PR. There has been nobody better at slipping the double team on punt coverage than him. Then when he got down near the returner, he had outstanding body control and awareness.
might have been the best Plan B free agent signing the Giants ever had, with maybe Chris Calloway as the only competition. Smart signing by George Young and the scouts to take him from the Dolphins. Back in early Plan B free agency, teams would leave some of their older/bigger name/over priced players out there with the hopes that a dumb team (ie- the Jets or Raiders) would go after them. The Giants went for younger guys who didn't crack the lineup, but they liked what they could do on the field when they did play, such as Thompson, Calloway, Mark Duckens, Greg Cox (who I had much higher hopes for but he never produced like he did with the Niners). Every now and then, they'd get a veteran to fill a role, such as Joe Fields from the Jets to be a long snapper.
Everson Walls was also a Plan B. I think he was at least top 5 of Giants Plan B signings. The '86 defense was incredible and more prolific and dynamic than the '90 defense, but the secondary was weak. The'90 defense wasn't as flashy, it just stopped other teams cold.
That secondary was absolutely stacked. Starters of Guyton, Jackson, Walls and Collins with Duerson, Thompson, Williams, to a lesser extent, Brown as depth. That team was perfectly built to win in the elements at the Meadowlands with the "Hawk".
On a sidenote, can't believe that the 1990 SuperBowl was outvoted by Miracle 2. I guess fans don't remember what a great game XXV was or don't appreciate shutdown defense.
But boy could they use him on STs now. Even at his advanced age. :-)
Who else have we missed more, other than LT? Most everyone else has been relatively replaceable.
Bavaro is the only other one I can think of that has left us with a huge void
Link - ( New Window )
I agree except to say that you have to tailor your schemes to your players. The square peg / round hole thing never works.
And Reyna Thompson (Could never understand how that is pronounced "Ren - ay" lol) Was such a great special teams player. There were just so many great role players on that era of Giant teams.
Man thats good stuff. We need that more than anything.
Watching Dave Meggett return those for TD's was fun to watch. Thanks.
Also interesting to see how low Landeta let the ball drop before contact. Much different drop than Weatherford and Feagles. Seemed to result in much more of a driving ball pattern, as opposed to getting air under it and letting his coverage get in place. Good thing about Thompson was, but for his being johnny-on-the-spot, Landeta would have been outkicking his coverage much of the time.
Casual fans (of course, not BBIers) don't realize what a huge play it is for a ball to be downed inside the 10 yardline. I get as excited over that as I do a big play on offense.
Having just watched the Matt Dodge/Desean Jackson nightmare on NFLN, you really appreciate what good specials mean in a big spot.
Everson Walls was also a Plan B. I think he was at least top 5 of Giants Plan B signings. The '86 defense was incredible and more prolific and dynamic than the '90 defense, but the secondary was weak. The'90 defense wasn't as flashy, it just stopped other teams cold.
That secondary was absolutely stacked. Starters of Guyton, Jackson, Walls and Collins with Duerson, Thompson, Williams, to a lesser extent, Brown as depth. That team was perfectly built to win in the elements at the Meadowlands with the "Hawk".
On a sidenote, can't believe that the 1990 SuperBowl was outvoted by Miracle 2. I guess fans don't remember what a great game XXV was or don't appreciate shutdown defense.