Every time he ran the ball I couldn’t wait to see who he’d flatten.
Also, what about Osi? I remember spontaneously yelling out in front of my kids after he strip sacked Aaron Rogers in the NFC playoff game, “Osi! I want your baby!”
Plus Homer Jones, Roosevelt Brown, Sam Huff,Frank Gifford, Joe Morris, Tiki Barber, JPP , Brandon Jacobs, Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, OBJ, Saquon Barkley and others
I'm 34... so, I'm not going to include guys I didn't get to watch at all as a kid or an adult...
I'd have to say..
Taylor
Strahan
Manning
Toomer is an honrable mention and has a special place because I remember reading practice reports in the sports section of Newsday each day before I went to school when I was in Jr High, and remember the version that was wearing #89, struggling to finish sprints in practice and sinking like a stone on the depth chart.
There was a time when it didn't seem like Toomer would ever amount to much of anything here - but then, the light came on in '99 and he carved out a fantastic career.
It was just cool seeing it all unfold from the very beginning - it sort of aligned with the point in my life where I made the transition from Giants "fan" in a typical childhood way to more of a fanatic where the Giants essentially became my religion each Sunday and I tracked everything they were doing, all of the news year-round, etc.
But too many to make it a top 3 or even 5. To not mention Strahan or tuck would be a disaster, tuck could have 2 Super Bowl MVP's on his mantle for certain, and the 1986 Super Bowl MVP, Phil Simms must be mentioned, and the guy that was the defensive MVP that game, Carl Banks was sensational in the 1986 Super Bowl.
Eli is the only one I would definitely put on the list. After that hard to say, probably Strahan and Tuck. I really liked Tiki as a player but his personality and post-career stuff has a negative impact, also never won a Super Bowl with him.
I saw late LT and Simms but I didn’t see their prime years and also I think LT is a piece of shit person so I wouldn’t put him on my list of favorites.
Very hard to select only 3. Now I feel bad that I just discounted the last 30 years of Giants....but those 80's teams, that was my era, in my 20's when a Giants win or loss determined the course of my week:)
Dave Meggett - Only reason to watch after the Giants fell apart in the early 90s
Rodney Hampton - My favorite player on the 1990 superbowl team.
Derrick Ward - The no huddle offense consisting of what seemed like primarily just a shotgun trap play or a back shoulder fade to Plax was so much fun to watch during such a magical 2007 season. Ward running that trap play made me smile every time.
and, Jared Jload Lorenzen! destroying that patriot lb in preseason and picking up 2 (or was it just one?) key QB sneak first down on the road to the SB!
RE: My favorite, not necessarily the greatest... Â
Mine would be LT, Eli and Harry. Very good to see Troy Archer's name here though and thanks for sharing... As a teenage New York sports fan, my two favorite sports idols were Troy Archer and Thurman Munson. Both died in tragic accidents six weeks apart from each other in the summer of 1979... Archer would have been one of the all time great Giants had he lived. Thanks for the post!
LT
Armstead
Barkley
Cruz
Eli
Tuck/Strahan/OBJ
Odell/Tiki/Simms
Plaxico
LT
Simms
Bavaro
Joe Morris, OJ, Harry Carson, Carl Banks, Eli, Strahan, Tuck, Phil Mcconkey are all in the discussion too.
During the Simms era I was so disappointed when they released him at about Eli s age.
Fran Tarkenton
Phil Simms
2 Homer jones
3 harry carson
Gifford
3. Barkley (I know its early, but I love this guy).
Mendenhall
Lockhart
George Martin
Ron Johnson
Banks
Eli
Bavaro
Fran Tarkenton
Ron Johnson
Saquan Barkley
Mark Bavaro
Phil Sims - Shaquon Barkley (tie)
Del Shofner
2. Eli
3. Tie - Ron Johnson, Homer Jones, Bob Tucker, Junior Coffee, Fran Tarkenton
Bavaro
Strahan
3A - Hakeem Nicks. Knew he was going to be a stud and was just dominant when he finally realized his talent. Damn injury robbed us.
1) ELI (of course)
2) Snee
3) Osi
Also really loved Seubert
Phil Simmes
Mark Bavaro
Also, what about Osi? I remember spontaneously yelling out in front of my kids after he strip sacked Aaron Rogers in the NFC playoff game, “Osi! I want your baby!”
Having said all that, it’s:
LT
Rambo
Jacobs
Guys who personified Giants football.
easy choices
3rd is harder, but I am going to pick Banks. He never gets enough credit IMO.
I do think though, unless something unplanned happens, Barkley could take that 3rd spot from Banks.
Strahan or Mendenhall or Harry Carson
Phil
Jay Alford
LT (on field)
Bavaro
Honorable mentions
Strahan
Jacobs
Barkley (even after only 1 season; high potential to eventually make top 3)
Harry Carson
Francis Asbury Tarkenton
Kerry Collins (Relief after some pretty brutal QB's)
Bavaro
2. Michael Strahan
3. Brandon Jacobs
I'd have to say..
Taylor
Strahan
Manning
Toomer is an honrable mention and has a special place because I remember reading practice reports in the sports section of Newsday each day before I went to school when I was in Jr High, and remember the version that was wearing #89, struggling to finish sprints in practice and sinking like a stone on the depth chart.
There was a time when it didn't seem like Toomer would ever amount to much of anything here - but then, the light came on in '99 and he carved out a fantastic career.
It was just cool seeing it all unfold from the very beginning - it sort of aligned with the point in my life where I made the transition from Giants "fan" in a typical childhood way to more of a fanatic where the Giants essentially became my religion each Sunday and I tracked everything they were doing, all of the news year-round, etc.
Bavaro
Eli
Carson
YA
Bavaro
Eli
Carson
YA
Simms
Strahan
Tuck
Banks
Huff
Those are players that must be mentioned in the teams history.
2) 92
3) 11
Bavaro
Eli
Carson
YA
Simms
Strahan
Tuck
Banks
Huff
To them I would add Jack Gregory, Leonard Marshall and Jumbo Elliott
Those are players that must be mentioned in the teams history.
Toomer
Harry Carson
Phil Simms
I wish I could have watched Em Tunnell play
Eli
Tuck/Seubert
Gifford
katcavage
I think you should also do this by decades
Tuck
Bradshaw
3. Pierce
I saw late LT and Simms but I didn’t see their prime years and also I think LT is a piece of shit person so I wouldn’t put him on my list of favorites.
Jesse Armstead
Honorable mention - Eli, Jason Seahorn(pre-injury), SQ (I know it's early), Justin Tuck, Ahmad Bradshaw)
Banks
Very hard to select only 3. Now I feel bad that I just discounted the last 30 years of Giants....but those 80's teams, that was my era, in my 20's when a Giants win or loss determined the course of my week:)
1b. Michael Strahan
3. Lawrence Taylor
1.Eli
2.Simms
3.Rodney Hampton
Would list LT number one but I just can no longer look past the years and years of truly abhorrent criminal conduct.
2-- Ron Johnson
3-- John Mednehall
Honorable mention Simms, Carson, and Carpenter.
No- you were right the first time - Tooooomer!
2-Rodney Hampton
3-Richie Seubert
this
For class acts I'd say Eli, Rosey and Carson.
Eli
Dave Meggett (is he still in jail?)
Strahan's attitude pissed me off for a small portion of his career and Bavaro wasn't around long enough - otherwise one of them would be on there.
Barkley is likely to bump Meggett very shortly.
Mark Bavaro
2. Bavaro
3. Eli
Tiki
Martin
Bavaro
(honorable mention: Jacobs)
LT
Brandon Jacobs
And Eli...
2-LT
3-Homer Jones
Jeremy Lincoln
Erek Flowers
LT
Gary Reasons
Rodney Hampton - My favorite player on the 1990 superbowl team.
Derrick Ward - The no huddle offense consisting of what seemed like primarily just a shotgun trap play or a back shoulder fade to Plax was so much fun to watch during such a magical 2007 season. Ward running that trap play made me smile every time.
Harry Carson.
Each one of these three didn't have close to the G-d given talent of LT.
But they gave you every ounce of what talent they had...
Then reached down inside and gave a few ounces more.
They left everything they had on the field. What more can you ask of your favorites?
2-Simms
3-Troy Archer
3) Carson
2. Eli
3. Tuck
2-Simms
3-Troy Archer
Mine would be LT, Eli and Harry. Very good to see Troy Archer's name here though and thanks for sharing... As a teenage New York sports fan, my two favorite sports idols were Troy Archer and Thurman Munson. Both died in tragic accidents six weeks apart from each other in the summer of 1979... Archer would have been one of the all time great Giants had he lived. Thanks for the post!
Y.A. Tittle
LT