"The Beginning of the End" of Fassel game .

Demanding a PI flag was disgraceful. He just bumbled off the field with a bewildered look on his face.

I will NEVER forget that game. NEVER.

I don't even want to discuss it...I get so mad. I guess the one consolation is that the Bucs would have beaten us the following weekend in Tampa.

The only playoff meltdown, the Viking loss was another meltdown, players fighting with each on the field, a total disgrace, Keith Hamilton, then the super bowl humiliation. Fassel was ok, with Peyton and Fox.

The only playoff meltdown, the Viking loss was another meltdown, players fighting with each on the field, a total disgrace, Keith Hamilton, then the super bowl humiliation. Fassel was ok, with Peyton and Fox.

Mind numbing. Losing the Cowboy game to Parcells on a Monday night when he rufused to run down the clock to having just 1 play left was incomprehensible.

And a shockey dropping q3 touchdown
Still irks me
Throw in hammer holding call during sb ( we weren’t winning anyway but may have made it competitive)

I have a very glowing view of Jim Fassel.

Pat Shurmur couldn't carry his ditty bag.

In comment 14913571 Ben in Tampa said:

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Demanding a PI flag was disgraceful. He just bumbled off the field with a bewildered look on his face.

This remains such a stupid complaint. He could have yelled and screamed until the cows come home and it wouldn't have changed a damned thing.

My buddy predicted a Giants loss. He doesn't talk smack like that.

But you could do a lot worse as a head coach.

Probably my favorite thing about his teams were their December records. His overall resume is pretty damn good when you compare it to the dog shit we’ve had since Coughlin left.

I know XXXV leaves a bad taste, but I think the better team won that day. That was a historic defense.

my opinion of Fassel has changed. A very good coach, had that sweaty lipped beady eyed cunning to him, which our last two HCs completely lacked.

who had sat the whole season to be our long snapper for the playoffs was an epically bad decision.

And then there was the Quincy Carter game week 2 next season when he decides to kick a FG on 2nd down with 17 seconds left because he was so terrified of a repeat. Cost us the game and started the downward spiral to 4-12 and goodbye Jim.

Fassel looks like Lombardi & Belichick rolled into one.

and it was not about the last play because the game was lost 30 min before that. It also was not about ONE dropped pass. Y

We lost the game for these two reasons..

1. Our offense essentially stopped trying to move the ball at the end of the 3rd quarter. Every play call was the safe call to run out the clock. We tried to run out an entire quarter and could not get first downs giving the ball right back to the 49ers every time. I blame Fassel for this.

2. Our defense had a complete melt down. I am not just talking about not making plays. They lost their cool getting personal foul calls extending the 49ers drives. We had no leaders on the defensive side of the ball that day. Nobody to get everyone's head screwed on straight again. Guys like Strahan need to take a lot of blame for what happened in that 4th Qtr.

In comment 14913574 PaulN said:

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The only playoff meltdown, the Viking loss was another meltdown, players fighting with each on the field, a total disgrace, Keith Hamilton, then the super bowl humiliation. Fassel was ok, with Peyton and Fox.

The best thing about Fassel was that he hired John Fox. They were respectable for his first three years because of Fox and his defense. The offense was a joke until 2000 with Collins. If it weren’t for a John Fox and the defense they would have won 4-6 games in 98 and 99 and Fassel would have been gone.

In comment 14913584 Greg from LI said:

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In comment 14913571 Ben in Tampa said: Quote: Demanding a PI flag was disgraceful. He just bumbled off the field with a bewildered look on his face. This remains such a stupid complaint. He could have yelled and screamed until the cows come home and it wouldn't have changed a damned thing.

Since you brought up stupidity, Greg, you missed the point.

Fassel’s prime weakness was he was a push over, and especially later in his career, a happy to be there coach. The end of that game demonstrated it.

You better believe Coughlin would have up Ron Winter’s ass the second the whistle blew. So would Belichick. So would Tomlin, Harbaugh, Reid, etc.

Just for the record. But he had a lot of warts.

In comment 14913603 EricJ said:

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and it was not about the last play because the game was lost 30 min before that. It also was not about ONE dropped pass. Y We lost the game for these two reasons.. 1. Our offense essentially stopped trying to move the ball at the end of the 3rd quarter. Every play call was the safe call to run out the clock. We tried to run out an entire quarter and could not get first downs giving the ball right back to the 49ers every time. I blame Fassel for this. 2. Our defense had a complete melt down. I am not just talking about not making plays. They lost their cool getting personal foul calls extending the 49ers drives. We had no leaders on the defensive side of the ball that day. Nobody to get everyone's head screwed on straight again. Guys like Strahan need to take a lot of blame for what happened in that 4th Qtr.

You make 2 very very good points there (As far as I am concerned )

In comment 14913616 Ben in Tampa said:

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In comment 14913584 Greg from LI said: Quote: In comment 14913571 Ben in Tampa said: Quote: Demanding a PI flag was disgraceful. He just bumbled off the field with a bewildered look on his face. This remains such a stupid complaint. He could have yelled and screamed until the cows come home and it wouldn't have changed a damned thing. Since you brought up stupidity, Greg, you missed the point. Fassel’s prime weakness was he was a push over, and especially later in his career, a happy to be there coach. The end of that game demonstrated it. You better believe Coughlin would have up Ron Winter’s ass the second the whistle blew. So would Belichick. So would Tomlin, Harbaugh, Reid, etc.

Greg is right; this is a vacuous criticism. Nothing was going to change and the refs were not going to bail out a team that turned a 41 yard FG try into an opera bouffe with the punter heaving up a desperation wounded duck to an offensive lineman.

is that it shouldn't come as a surprise. First of all, that season the league cracked down on defensive holding. Second of all, if I remember correctly Hamilton was the most flagged defensive player (or top 3) for the season. So, it was par for the course for him to get flagged.

That said, that play is where the game ended for me. Had the INT and resulting TD stood, it was a very different game going into halftime. Without it, the game was done.

that was most egregious was leaving that field without a full account of right and wrong.

Fassel was embarrassed with the events that had taken place and should acted with his head and not his broken heart.

An out pass with like 30 secs left that got intercepted and ran in for a TD right before halftime

In comment 14913573 SFGFNCGiantsFan said:

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I will NEVER forget that game. NEVER. I don't even want to discuss it...I get so mad. I guess the one consolation is that the Bucs would have beaten us the following weekend in Tampa.

Me either. As long as I live. If I think about that game longer than a few minutes I start to get all riled up again!

the worst part is we were playing incredible ball then
and the road to Super Bowl was ours

we would have destroyed the Bucs (Barber brothers playing against each other in playoff game would have been epic )
and then we wold have handled The Eagles the next week

Having a record over .500 with a Super Bowl appearance in 7 seasons despite his best QB being an alcoholic they got from the trash heap is damn good.

In comment 14913697 giantfan2000 said:

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the worst part is we were playing incredible ball then and the road to Super Bowl was ours we would have destroyed the Bucs (Barber brothers playing against each other in playoff game would have been epic ) and then we wold have handled The Eagles the next week

That's pure speculation, we don't know that for sure. If we won in SF, perhaps they would've choked it away the week after against Tampa

Yes worse than Flipper Anderson and Desean Jackson. I just have never felt as empty and sick after a game as this.

discipline of Fassel's teams. Shockey in particular was a total asshole that day, arguing with fans, throwing water cups at them.

In comment 14913585 Coach Red Beaulieu said:

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My buddy predicted a Giants loss. He doesn't talk smack like that.

This is how I know you're full of shit.

There's no chance that you have a buddy.

In comment 14913724 Gatorade Dunk said:

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In comment 14913585 Coach Red Beaulieu said: Quote: My buddy predicted a Giants loss. He doesn't talk smack like that. This is how I know you're full of shit. There's no chance that you have a buddy.

I am very anti-social.

of that game is this:

It started to turn when Kenny Holmes, who was having an awesome game, got hurt. And Michael Strahan couldn't beat Scott Gragg, who he used to call pussy when he was a Giant.

In comment 14913697 giantfan2000 said:

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the worst part is we were playing incredible ball then and the road to Super Bowl was ours we would have destroyed the Bucs (Barber brothers playing against each other in playoff game would have been epic ) and then we wold have handled The Eagles the next week

When I was watching that NFL Network re-broadcast as the Giants where building that lead they had ...... The announcers calling the game where wondering if any team in ENTIRE NFL where was playing as well as the Giants !!!!!.......Like wondering if Giants where a Super Bowl contender .

the lousy punt with a personal foul tacked on that gave SF the ball at the 25 at 38-22. That's the moment when I started getting queasy.

In comment 14913786 Eric from BBI said:

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of that game is this: It started to turn when Kenny Holmes, who was having an awesome game, got hurt. And Michael Strahan couldn't beat Scott Gragg, who he used to call pussy when he was a Giant.

Holmes getting hurt was definitely a factor in the defensive part of the meltdown. The thing that always puzzled me was that the offense went into hibernation for no reason. They just got sloppy and seemed to lose focus until the final possession when they finally woke up to a point.

Failure to sign a decent long snapper during the week preceding the game, and failure to give Strahan a few plays off in the 4th quarter so he could catch his breath. The guy was dying on the field, waving to the sidelines, "take me out, take me out", but he was forced to stay in the game and was a non-factor as Jeff Garcia ran free, looking for receivers and finding them.

In comment 14913616 Ben in Tampa said:

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In comment 14913584 Greg from LI said: Quote: In comment 14913571 Ben in Tampa said: Quote: Demanding a PI flag was disgraceful. He just bumbled off the field with a bewildered look on his face. This remains such a stupid complaint. He could have yelled and screamed until the cows come home and it wouldn't have changed a damned thing. Since you brought up stupidity, Greg, you missed the point. Fassel’s prime weakness was he was a push over, and especially later in his career, a happy to be there coach. The end of that game demonstrated it. You better believe Coughlin would have up Ron Winter’s ass the second the whistle blew. So would Belichick. So would Tomlin, Harbaugh, Reid, etc.

Greg's point is proven here. Coughlin could have been up Winter's ass and the same outcome would have occurred. Di the refs change the call when a jutted jaw of Bill Cowher shoved a polaroid in a ref's pocket?

It is also a falsehood anyway. Fassel went ballistic after the game. Which is one of the reasons the NFL was so quick to offer an apology. What he didn't do is charge at the refs as they quickly left the field. Watch the replays, he's pleading with them and they run off.

In comment 14913883 GeofromNJ said:

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Failure to sign a decent long snapper during the week preceding the game, and failure to give Strahan a few plays off in the 4th quarter so he could catch his breath. The guy was dying on the field, waving to the sidelines, "take me out, take me out", but he was forced to stay in the game and was a non-factor as Jeff Garcia ran free, looking for receivers and finding them.

This is also a complaint I don't get.

What decent long snappers are available at that point of the season?? Trey Junkin was an excellent long snapper. But what do you think you're going to get from a street guy?

Mariucci (so?) moved Terrell Owens into the slot and the Giants couldn’t cover it. It took awhile for the Giants to adjust and they eventually moved the outside CB (Collins?) to the slot but by then the 49ers were on fire. I also remember the Giants getting the ball back and on a makable 3rd down play threw the ball deep down the sideline on a low percentage pass to Shockey. Last, I always thought Fassel had to throw a shit fit on the last non call on PI and almost had to force the officials to consult to get the call right. Walking off the field really added to the pain.

Fassel was an ok coach. They didn’t win games because of his coaching. On the flip side, they didn’t lose many because of coaching.

I was begging at the TV for them to double him but they never did.

Trey Junkin had a helluva career for a long snapper. In the situation, it made sense to sign him - as Fats says, who exactly does anyone think was available to sign after the playoffs had started.

but it comes doen to this for me: We’re up 24 points in a playoff game with 18-19 minutes left. If we ran the ball in the 4th qtr, to stem the tide and MOST IMPORTANTLY run some minutes off the clock, even if we gain zero yards, they don’t have the time to fully come back, imo..I recall nearly bursting a blood vessel yelling at the screen to “run the fucking clock down!”

.

Giants losses of all time. But keep in mind going into 2003, there was buzz about the Giants being a factor for a Super Bowl. They got hot late in 2002, they had a 3 headed offensive monster in Tiki, Toomer, and Shockey. Collins looked to be a QB who you can win with. And the Giants diagnosed their problem as their special teams, fixating on the meltdown.

So they signed Jeff Feagles to punt. Brian Mitchell as a return man. And they also signed Ryan Kuehl to be a long snapping specialist.

But they ignored key areas, like the offensive line, where they figured Jim McNally turned JAGs like Bober and Whittle into starters, so he can do that with the Ian Allens and Jeff Roehl's of the world.

Johnny Lynn was an awful DC and should have been fired after the Niner loss. He was clueless and so the story goes, he went into a defensive meeting before a game in 2003 and was presenting the wrong the team for that week and didn't know it.

Anyway, the point is, 2003 there were hopes. For me the real crash and burn of Fassel came in the Dallas game in Week 2 of 2003. The Giants took the lead late in the game and Matt Bryant kicked the ball off and kicked it out of bounds. No time off the clock and the Cowboys got it at the 45. A couple of plays later, Dallas ties it at the gun and Giants lose in OT. That set up everything we needed to know that things were bad. They made it to 4-4 after 2 wins and faced Kurt Kittner at home against a bad Falcons team. And they got blown out 27-7. Fassel lost the rest of his games after that. So, to me, the Dallas loss was the start of things looking bad and Falcons loss was the end of Fassel.

In comment 14913706 Blue Dream said:

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Yes worse than Flipper Anderson and Desean Jackson. I just have never felt as empty and sick after a game as this.

I agree 100%, was worse than the SB loss to the Ravens as well. It took me a long time to get over that one. I might still not be over it

In comment 14914038 cjac said:

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In comment 14913706 Blue Dream said: Quote: Yes worse than Flipper Anderson and Desean Jackson. I just have never felt as empty and sick after a game as this. I agree 100%, was worse than the SB loss to the Ravens as well. It took me a long time to get over that one. I might still not be over it

Too stunned to feel pain. My worst loss is still the ‘97 Meltdown playoff game against the Vikes. Up 10 with 90 seconds to play. Calloway hands. up 22-3 at the half.

In comment 14913573 SFGFNCGiantsFan said:

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I will NEVER forget that game. NEVER. I don't even want to discuss it...I get so mad. I guess the one consolation is that the Bucs would have beaten us the following weekend in Tampa.

We would have beaten the Bucs, we lost a ring that day.

Did the 49'rs beat us ?.......Or did we beat ourselves AND BLOW a REAL CHANCE (In my mind at least ) at making a real run in the playoffs and ......AND GETTING ANOTHER RING ?????