How were you feeling? It's hard to believe, but we're only 15 days away from the anniversary of the game. I ask because I had the '90 Giants America Game on in the man cave earlier.
I don't really remember how I felt because I was so young, but just looking back at the particulars-backup QB facing a team coming off a 51-3 AFC Championship win/had beaten us in Giants Stadium only a month before-I probably wasn't thinking we were going to win.
I know this is talked about a lot and BB's game plan is in the hall of fame, but the Bills scored 19 points in 19 minutes. The best defense we had that game was Time of Possession. The OLine and Otis Anderson just mauled them. That drive to start the second half was a beauty. I love BB for all his years here, I had his red starter jacket as a young kid in the 80s, but I often think he gets too much credit for this one (believe me, though, there so much to give him credit for in his years here).
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The GIANTS don't win SB XXV without little bill.
I know this is talked about a lot and BB's game plan is in the hall of fame, but the Bills scored 19 points in 19 minutes. The best defense we had that game was Time of Possession. The OLine and Otis Anderson just mauled them. That drive to start the second half was a beauty. I love BB for all his years here, I had his red starter jacket as a young kid in the 80s, but I often think he gets too much credit for this one (believe me, though, there so much to give him credit for in his years here).
Yes. Erhardt's execution of Parcells' order to "shorten the game" doesn't get nearly the credit it deserves.
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In comment 15120687 Leg of Theismann said:
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wasn't this still back during that period when the NFC was still head and shoulders better than the AFC? The NFC dominance I thought lasted all the way up until '98 and then shifted with Elway winning 2 in a row and then of course the rise of the Pats. That would've made me think back then that if the Giants could get through the NFC playoffs they could beat just about any AFC team, no?
Part of the Bills hype was they were going to break the NFC's SB streak in that they were similar to and NFC team in that Buffalo is a cold weather city, they could run the ball with Thomas and the defense with Bruce Smith was good. In fact, Smith wasn't shy about telling anyone with a mic that he was better than LT and Reggie White.
In addition, Buffalo was 3-1 vs the NFC East that year, with the only loss coming Week 17 at Washington in a game that was meaningless for the Bills as they had already locked up the #1 seed in the AFC. I don't recall if they rested any starters for that game or not though.
The Giants were pushing them around pretty good though in that game at Giants Stadium until Simms got hurt, and then IIRC Hampton left the game too.
I got called out about that for a while afterwards and felt stupid so the next time the Giants made it the Super Bowl I decided to go to a party. After that debacle and how shitty it was seeing my team get blown out amongst a bunch of jag offs talking about the commercials and telling me to calm down, I didn't fell dumb any more! :)
My father-in-law had Super Bowl parties for the last two Bowls and there was no way I was going so I watched both of those by myself while my wife and kids went to NJ. I still get crap for that too but I don't care. And you're welcome!!
At that point, the AFC was a lower-level league. The NFC had already won 6 straight Superbowl wins, in the middle of a 13 straight year run of such wins and this was not by fluke. The NFC had franchises that were simply that much stronger. Niners, Bears, Redskins, Giants, later Cowboys and Packers added to the dogpile - until Plan B Free Agency began breaking these teams up, they were taking the Lombardi year after year.
So in 1990 - yes, we knew the Bills had a dangerous offense, but the Giants had already faced the Bills and only lost by 4, despite losing Simms in that game - indeed, in that game, the Giants led in all offensive categories.
A loss would have been an upset, IMO.
I remember being so angry after the loss to Buffalo during the regular season when Simms broke his leg that I literally ripped his poster off my wall (I later taped it back up).
I also remember that my friend Nick and I bet our friends (twin brothers, Bears fans) $2 each that the Giants would win. Pretty sweet collecting on that bet on Monday.
damn straight!
"David Halberstam wrote that one of defensive coordinator Bill Belichick's specific plans to combat the Bills involved convincing his defense (who had been the best unit against the run in the NFL that season) that they would win the game if Thurman Thomas ran for more than 100 yards. Belichick also felt that Jim Kelly was not as good at reading defenses as some other elite quarterbacks were (for example, Joe Montana), and that Kelly tended to "freeze" what he was seeing from a series and then use that information on the next one, which meant the Giants could be a step ahead of him all game if they alternated their cover plans from drive to drive."