for display only
Big Blue Interactive The Corner Forum  
Back to the Corner

Archived Thread

NY Giants Special Teams Legend - Reyna Thompson

Ira : 7/20/2015 9:46 am
Thompson played 3 seasons for the Giantsand went to the Pro Bowl in 1990. The video link below has 12 of his great plays. There were many more.
Link - ( New Window )
He was a difference-maker  
WideRight : 7/20/2015 9:51 am : link
A true legend
Watching him play was a lot of fun  
MadPlaid : 7/20/2015 9:53 am : link
He was a revelation. I never saw anything like him before. He made watching punts exciting.
I agree that Reyna was a very, very special player.......  
GiantBlue : 7/20/2015 10:01 am : link
but feel that another very good gunner Steve Tasker (Buffalo Bills) seemed to get more of the publicity/glory for revolutionizing the role.

I have a very close friend who is born and bred a Bills fan and we used to have some pretty good arguments about Tasker vs. Thompson.

I remember Madden seemed more enamoured with Tasker.
Tasker had a much longer career  
WideRight : 7/20/2015 10:08 am : link
thats the major differecne
If we can  
lester : 7/20/2015 10:40 am : link
only achieve somewhat of a resemblance of that ST unit......one can only wish.
Sign him up  
CT Charlie : 7/20/2015 10:44 am : link
now. Or bring back Trindon Holliday as a gunner.
In the 1990 season review video  
LAGiant : 7/20/2015 11:17 am : link
He was interviewed and said he loved to give a guy a "snot bubbler." When asked what that was he said when you hit a guy so hard and look down, he had a bubble of snot coming out of his nose. My buddy and I still laugh at that today.
Tasker  
djstat : 7/20/2015 11:17 am : link
Was played at the high level a lot longer then Thompson. That said, in his 3 years with NYG he was fantastic.
Shortly after he came here I remember Landeta  
Mad Mike : 7/20/2015 11:23 am : link
saying he'd been talking to Reggie Roby who was practically beside himself over losing Thompson, raving about him to Landeta. He certainly proved himself worth the raves.
all great, but I'm still pissed at his off side on the missed  
Victor in CT : 7/20/2015 11:30 am : link
FG against the 49ers in 1989 on Monday night. :-)

Changed the whole game
RE: all great, but I'm still pissed at his off side on the missed  
Giants2012 : 7/20/2015 11:32 am : link
In comment 12377545 Victor in CT said:
Quote:
FG against the 49ers in 1989 on Monday night. :-)

Changed the whole game


Good memory (I mean, your recall, not the play) :)
RE: RE: all great, but I'm still pissed at his off side on the missed  
Victor in CT : 7/20/2015 11:36 am : link
In comment 12377549 Giants2012 said:
Quote:
In comment 12377545 Victor in CT said:


Quote:


FG against the 49ers in 1989 on Monday night. :-)

Changed the whole game



Good memory (I mean, your recall, not the play) :)


Thanks. That was the same game that the dirty McKettrick schooled 49ers rolled LT, leading to the "No Medals for Trying" week.
I threw a beer bottle against the wall of my dorm living room after  
Mad Mike : 7/20/2015 12:15 pm : link
that play. Did not endear myself to my dorm mates.
great video - sure do miss the old Giants Stadium -  
Del Shofner : 7/20/2015 12:24 pm : link
also, funny seeing DeOssie Senior in on the punt coverages.
here's a good one of Larry Flowers  
Victor in CT : 7/20/2015 12:35 pm : link
......
Larry Flowers highlights - ( New Window )
Interesting to see Landeta's lack of follow through on his punts  
FranknWeezer : 7/20/2015 12:58 pm : link
Much of the time, he used a very different "punch" style punt than we've seen with Feagles and Weatherford. Wonder if that was dictated by the winds in the old Giants Stadium?





RE: Interesting to see Landeta's lack of follow through on his punts  
Victor in CT : 7/20/2015 1:00 pm : link
In comment 12377718 FranknWeezer said:
Quote:
Much of the time, he used a very different "punch" style punt than we've seen with Feagles and Weatherford. Wonder if that was dictated by the winds in the old Giants Stadium?


or Soldier Field?




You could argue that Thompson was one of the most  
Matt in SGS : 7/20/2015 2:55 pm : link
impactful Plan B free agents ever signed. Most teams used Plan B to get rid of older players on big contracts, or some fringe scrubs. Teams like the Raiders jumped at the big names (Ronnie Lott and Roger Craig). To the Giants credit, they went after younger players who were caught up in a numbers game but had talent to work with. Guys like Greg Cox, a safety/LB from the Niners and Mark Duckens, a DE from Washington, and Chris Calloway from the Steelers. But they were able to steal Thompson from the Dolphins and for a short stretch was the best special teamer in the NFL, with only Tasker in Buffalo in the conversation.

The only other guy in Plan B who was as prolific was Dan Saleaumua. Saleaumua was a nose tackle on the Lions who was blocked by Jerry Ball, a perennial Pro Bowler. So he signed with the Chiefs in 1989 and joined their up and coming defense with Derrick Thomas, Neil Smith, etc and cemented their defensive line. He played 8 years in KC and earned All Pro honors a couple of times.
When he first came to the club ....  
Manny in CA : 7/20/2015 6:46 pm : link
I was very confused about how to pronounce his name. Back then I'd never heard of anyone (male) with that name.

(Later I found out it's pronounced Ray-Nay)

Reminds me of back in the 60s, My cousin sent us a birth announcement. Her baby's name was Leslie (no indication whether male or female). That was difficult - trying to figure out what to send the baby

Remember "Pat" from Saturday Night Live ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKXbqsPhWJQ


Ron Stone  
ciggy : 7/20/2015 6:47 pm : link
A huge Plan B signing
RE: Ron Stone  
Matt in SGS : 7/20/2015 6:56 pm : link
In comment 12378218 ciggy said:
Quote:
A huge Plan B signing


Stone wasn't a Plan B free agent. Plan B free agency ended after the 1992 season and went to regular free agency in 1993 (with no salary cap). The cap didn't come until 1994.

Stone was a restricted free agent with the Cowboys. The Giants were smart enough to see the potential in him and sign him to a deal that they knew Dallas couldn't match because they were up against the cap with all their big name players, and had Larry Allen and Nate Newton at guard. One they paid a good sum for a backup player on the Cowboys, they had to let him go to the Giants.

They did the same thing with Robert Harris as well, getting him from the Vikings, because they knew Minnesota couldn't keep him when they had John Randle and Henry Thomas at DT.

In most respects, the Giants were smart in free agency. They didn't give big money and long deals to over the hill players (the Redskins strategy). They would sign young guys who were blocked by bigger stars and give short term deals to veterans as stop gaps.
Would love to get a similar impact with Dwayne Harris this season.  
Eli's Got This Stuff : 7/20/2015 6:57 pm : link
Nice video. As younger fan I had never heard of this guy before.
Back to the Corner