I will say that Justin Tuck is one of a very short list of players who I followed after their Giants careers and felt like were legit off-field role models. And I don't normally care about that stuff, I'm a root for laundry guy, but Tuck really stood out on and off the field.
Justin Tuck: two SB's of dominance - he really could have been MVP in both and no one would have argued too much (side note: Patriots fans after the games thought he was one of the best DL they've seen).
Leonard Marshall: hit on Montana
JPP: FG block against Dallas and running down Jimmy Graham to force a 4th down
Osi: so many forced fumbles, and play alterations with his speed off the edge - the GB altered throw against Rodgers is up there
George Martin: all the return TD's - the one against Denver Parcells called "the greatest football play I've ever seen"
For some reason, Jack Gregory was a favorite of mine. That was around the time I first started following the Giants. And Jack came over in a trade with Cleveland. The cost in trade was expensive, but, lo and behold....he played well.
That wasn't always how it worked out with the G-men in those days.
Because I remember going to a training camp as a teenager with my little brother and he found a grassy spot in the shade after practice where he sat down and signed a while bunch of autographs while chatting with fans. I thought that was so cool both then and now.
Plus there's that whole NFC championship game vs SF and the Montana hit...
Love the guys who went with the original fearsome foursome. Rosey, Andy, Little Mo, the Kat.(the Milford mauler I think might have weighed 240 or 250 but quick)
Jack Gregory and John Mendenhall were great to watch during the real down years.
Freddie Dryer until he became a jackass and needed to go to LA.
Finally the tragic Troy Archer. What a rookie season and what potential. I lived in Pleasantville at the time and met him a few times at a local bar. Really nice and fun guy.
Ill add Chad Bratzke, didnt see it mentioned. He brought it for a guy i didnt think was the most gifted athletically. Giant fans have been blessed through the years with some enjoyable defensive lineman to watch every Sunday.
I'd argue he was the best DL of his era. He was an all-world pass rusher but was even better versus the run. His technique was something to behold and should be taught to young ends everywhere. His "stomped you out," speeches were epic.
2nd place has to be Tuck. Class act, difference maker during his peak, and I find myself constantly rewatching his onfield speech before SB46, as well as the "everyone knows whose house this is" speech after the parade.
Gotta throw some love Keith Hamilton's way as well, very underrated tackle and to do this day that was a bullshit phantom holding call that negated Armstead's pick 6.
Andy Robustelli, Jim Katkavage, Dick Modzielewski, Rosey Grier, John Mendenhall, Jack Gregory, Curtiss McGriff, John Washington, Keith Hamilton, Jim Burt, Leonard Marshall, Michael Strahan, and Justin Tuck are all in the running.
my all time favorite lineman is justin tuck and a close second is the hammer
when i became a giants fan hamilton was just a tough rugged player and i fell involve with line play was never a big skill position guy all my favorite giants were those blue collar do the dirty work type. Hamilton to me exemplified what it means to be a giant. Plus his nickname to an 11 year old boy was just so cool. Tuck i watched in college and loved his game. As a new yorker we all know we get notre dame football games on nbc. Loved when the giants selected him and he surpassed anyone's expectations. Had his best 2 games in the biggest 2 games of his life.
Strahan was a better player but he was also more of a self-promoter.
Tuck was the better man. I'll never forget what he said when reporters questioned him about signing a big deal right BEFORE he had his breakout performance in the playoffs. Said something to the effect: "If you had told me when I was a kid that I was going to be making 6 million a year, I would have been ecstatic. Why should I feel differently now just because it could have been 8 million?"
Jack Gregory......Troy Archer.....Fred Dryer.....Mendenhall....Marshall.....Martin....Hamilton......Osi....Tuck.....Cofield.....JPP.....
But of them all, Strahan was the best.....pass rush or stop the run....and I don't know if he ever forgot to contribute the the Referee's Fund, but that guy was held more times than I can remember, and the refs never saw them....
When I was a kid I was in awe of his strength and how he dominated constantly. Not many defensive lineman of the period could do what he did continuously. After all these years he is still my favorite
Just going back and watching early games from the mid-90's. They don't make players like that anymore. Unreal he wasn't a Perennial Pro Bowler but there was a lot of tough DLs playing then.
I used to say he was underrated back when he was playing and i still say it now. He was a tremendous force at the 3/4 DE spot. And that's a tough spot to play. Have to hold up well against the run and get after the Qb.
Marshall also played very well in the postseason.
Runner up would be Hammer. Pretty similar player to Marshall even though he spent the majority of his career at 4/3 DT. He actually enjoyed his first big season as a 3/4 end in 1993...
Andy Robustelli, Jim Katkavage, Dick Modzielewski, Rosey Grier, John Mendenhall, Jack Gregory, Curtiss McGriff, John Washington, Keith Hamilton, Jim Burt, Leonard Marshall, Michael Strahan, and Justin Tuck are all in the running.
So basically one from every generation haha just messing around. Wish I saw guys like robustelli and Grier
a good guy, for the most part. Loved Leonard Marshall and Hammer too. Burt gets tossed for being a real douchebag. Loved his game, hated some of his personality stuff. Not a good guy.
Insane ability to dominate bigger men with tenacity, technique and intelligence. All-round player too. He's really not far behind LT for me.
He grew as a leader, there were some rocky patches, but he turned it round and became an all-time Giant.
We've had some great players through here and some are before my time but post-85 when I started Strahan separates himself and it is a diservice to suggest otherwise, much though we love those other guys.
good thread -- too many outstanding DL to just pick one
Ill add Chad Bratzke, didnt see it mentioned. He brought it for a guy i didnt think was the most gifted athletically. Giant fans have been blessed through the years with some enjoyable defensive lineman to watch every Sunday.
One of the last great Grambling DL to come into the league. 6'1" 255 lbs of sheer determination on some of the worst teams ever fielded. If he had been 3" taller and 25 lbs heavier he would have been a perennial Pro Bowler and probably more. Constantly defeated bigger guys and never got the credit he deserved.
Honorable mention to tough guy Erik Howard.
Ill add Chad Bratzke, didnt see it mentioned. He brought it for a guy i didnt think was the most gifted athletically. Giant fans have been blessed through the years with some enjoyable defensive lineman to watch every Sunday.
Very underrated Giant. Great call!
bratzke emerged for a year or two but then signed his second contract with the colts. while he was good for a brief period of time, I wouldn't put him in the same class as a strahan, marshall, tuck, hammer or osi in terms of modern giants.
Consistent excellence for such an extended stretch is hard to come by. Also a player to be proud of off the field. Kudos to him. He's a player the organization and fans can be proud of. It still irks me he wasn't a first ballod Hall of Fame selection. He was deserving of that recognition for his stellar career.
Because he was a great player who I think frequently is overlooked even by Giants fans. His signature play, of course, was forcing Roger Craig's fumble late in the 4th quarter in the greatest football game I've ever seen, the 1990 NFC title game. Without Erik Howard, the Giants lose that game 13-12.
Michael Strahan. Often talked about for the sacks he racked up but very few DE's have been as good as he was against the run. Just an elite two-way DE.. watching him in his prime was the best. There were times when teams had to triple team him to keep him from getting into the backfield.
Watching him abuse Jon Runyan routinely was a thing of beauty. The guy just had no answer for MS.
#1 is Mendenhall - a lone bright spot in the 1970's
#2 Carter Campbell - a mediocre 1972-3 DE for those lousy Giants teams. I had a stuffed Camel names Carter.
#3 Justin Tuck - all class and great Super Bowls.
I started following the Giants in the mid to late 70s
I can't remember when he joined the Giants, but I've always liked George Martin. He is such a class act, and he played hard for the team. Plus I loved the fact that he had personally scored so many touchdowns on Defense & Offense.
not so much as a player because I don't think I ever saw him play, but because he was on Sesame Street, and he sang the song, "It Was OK To Cry." Sounds lame, but as an 5 to 8 year old kid in the early to mid 70s, he made a huge impression on me. Rosie was very cool.
Strahan = Best. Memorable for their great play = Fred Dryer, Jack Gregory, Mendy, Troy Archer, George Martin, Erik Howard, Jim Burt, Hammer, Osi, Justin Tuck.
His play in XLII & XLVI. The man was a big time performer.
for his quiet grace and humble power!!!
Keith Hamilton
Justin Tuck
George Martin - The 2 signature plays are his INT for a TD against the Broncos and the safety in the SB
Justin Tuck: two SB's of dominance - he really could have been MVP in both and no one would have argued too much (side note: Patriots fans after the games thought he was one of the best DL they've seen).
Leonard Marshall: hit on Montana
JPP: FG block against Dallas and running down Jimmy Graham to force a 4th down
Osi: so many forced fumbles, and play alterations with his speed off the edge - the GB altered throw against Rodgers is up there
George Martin: all the return TD's - the one against Denver Parcells called "the greatest football play I've ever seen"
Erik Howard: forced fumble to prevent 3-peat
I'd also put George Marin up here. He was an over achiever tpe
Jim Katcavage
Rosey Grier
Dick Modzelewski
And last, but not least...
...from Milford CT, a graduate from Arnold College:
Andy Robustelli
There you have it... the original fearsome Foursome I grew up on!!!
They made a star out of Sam Huff
That wasn't always how it worked out with the G-men in those days.
Plus there's that whole NFC championship game vs SF and the Montana hit...
Jack Gregory and John Mendenhall were great to watch during the real down years.
Freddie Dryer until he became a jackass and needed to go to LA.
Finally the tragic Troy Archer. What a rookie season and what potential. I lived in Pleasantville at the time and met him a few times at a local bar. Really nice and fun guy.
Thanks again Eric
2nd place has to be Tuck. Class act, difference maker during his peak, and I find myself constantly rewatching his onfield speech before SB46, as well as the "everyone knows whose house this is" speech after the parade.
Gotta throw some love Keith Hamilton's way as well, very underrated tackle and to do this day that was a bullshit phantom holding call that negated Armstead's pick 6.
+1
when i became a giants fan hamilton was just a tough rugged player and i fell involve with line play was never a big skill position guy all my favorite giants were those blue collar do the dirty work type. Hamilton to me exemplified what it means to be a giant. Plus his nickname to an 11 year old boy was just so cool. Tuck i watched in college and loved his game. As a new yorker we all know we get notre dame football games on nbc. Loved when the giants selected him and he surpassed anyone's expectations. Had his best 2 games in the biggest 2 games of his life.
Tuck was the better man. I'll never forget what he said when reporters questioned him about signing a big deal right BEFORE he had his breakout performance in the playoffs. Said something to the effect: "If you had told me when I was a kid that I was going to be making 6 million a year, I would have been ecstatic. Why should I feel differently now just because it could have been 8 million?"
But somehow can't see s thread like this without thinking about Troy Archer.
Favorite, though, is Strahan. Enjoyed his whole career from beginning to end.
100 miles an hour on teams that didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of making the playoffs.
Jack Gregory......Troy Archer.....Fred Dryer.....Mendenhall....Marshall.....Martin....Hamilton......Osi....Tuck.....Cofield.....JPP.....
But of them all, Strahan was the best.....pass rush or stop the run....and I don't know if he ever forgot to contribute the the Referee's Fund, but that guy was held more times than I can remember, and the refs never saw them....
Marshall also played very well in the postseason.
Runner up would be Hammer. Pretty similar player to Marshall even though he spent the majority of his career at 4/3 DT. He actually enjoyed his first big season as a 3/4 end in 1993...
To my mind, no one is close.
Some lesser favorites - Hammer, Robert Harris, Fred Robbins
So basically one from every generation haha just messing around. Wish I saw guys like robustelli and Grier
Ditto.
Quote:
Guy was undersized but went 100 miles an hour on every play.
+1
BEAST Sideline to sideline +2
He grew as a leader, there were some rocky patches, but he turned it round and became an all-time Giant.
We've had some great players through here and some are before my time but post-85 when I started Strahan separates himself and it is a diservice to suggest otherwise, much though we love those other guys.
Some really good ones mentioned and enjoyed recalling most of them. Some I only read about and never saw playing.
Well done BBI ( don't get to say this often ) !
Very underrated Giant. Great call!
One of the last great Grambling DL to come into the league. 6'1" 255 lbs of sheer determination on some of the worst teams ever fielded. If he had been 3" taller and 25 lbs heavier he would have been a perennial Pro Bowler and probably more. Constantly defeated bigger guys and never got the credit he deserved.
Honorable mention to tough guy Erik Howard.
Quote:
Ill add Chad Bratzke, didnt see it mentioned. He brought it for a guy i didnt think was the most gifted athletically. Giant fans have been blessed through the years with some enjoyable defensive lineman to watch every Sunday.
Very underrated Giant. Great call!
Watching him abuse Jon Runyan routinely was a thing of beauty. The guy just had no answer for MS.
#2 Carter Campbell - a mediocre 1972-3 DE for those lousy Giants teams. I had a stuffed Camel names Carter.
#3 Justin Tuck - all class and great Super Bowls.
Loved Leonard Marshall too...he could really turn up pressure on QB and was unusually fast for his size.
got to give Dave Tollefson some love. always rooted so hard for him to do well.
This, the unblockable one :-)
Loved Martin. This guy scored a shitload of points on Defense returning fumbles, tipped passes, ints and getting safeties.
MArshall
Martin
Erik Howard