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2002 Giants.

SFGFNCGiantsFan : 6/9/2021 7:03 pm
Fassel's passing-still shocking to me @ least-got me thinking about his time here & especially about the '02 Giants, who one could argue-and I would-was probably the most talented Giants team of Fassel's tenure.

For argument's sake, let's say Shockey catches that TD in SF & we go up 42-14. We end up winning the game fairly easily & then we're onto Tampa. Do the Giants win that Bucs game? And if so, how far do you think they go that year?

Curious to hear people's takes.
I think that drop was even bigger than that game..  
Sean : 6/9/2021 7:23 pm : link
I can argue if Shockey doesn’t drop that ball, Fassel is never fired after 2003. I don’t think the Giants would have beaten a very good Tampa team which had a loaded defense.

I do think getting to the divisional round would have bought Fassel more time. I also believe the 2003 Giants don’t go 4-12 without the hangover of the 39-38 collapse in SF. Could have changed the entire history of the franchise. Something as simple as a Shockey drop at 35-14.
The 2001 Giants often get dismissed..  
Sean : 6/9/2021 7:27 pm : link
but, that team had back to back one point losses (15-14 @ STL) and (10-9 vs PHI). A team which could easily have been 5-1 after those games became 3-3, and then they never really could recover. Add in 9/11 & coming off a super bowl loss, it was too much to overcome. I believe the 2001 Giants could have made some noise as well.
Sandwiched in between SB XXXV were two of the most epic  
Big Blue '56 : 6/9/2021 7:28 pm : link
playoff meltdown in our entire history..EA told a friend of his at lunch (a BBIer) that his biggest regret was not hiring Fox and letting him leave.
RE: The 2001 Giants often get dismissed..  
SFGFNCGiantsFan : 6/9/2021 7:35 pm : link
In comment 15283419 Sean said:
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but, that team had back to back one point losses (15-14 @ STL) and (10-9 vs PHI). A team which could easily have been 5-1 after those games became 3-3, and then they never really could recover. Add in 9/11 & coming off a super bowl loss, it was too much to overcome. I believe the 2001 Giants could have made some noise as well.


I am still pissed about that Rams game. We should have won that. And the Eagles loss was a MNF game right? I believe we were up 9-0 & lost in the closing minutes.
I think it was even money we beat the Bucs  
SLIM_ : 6/9/2021 7:39 pm : link
Our offense was humming and we matched up well against their cover 2.
Sucks that we didn't play in the playoffs that year  
Anakim : 6/9/2021 7:40 pm : link
But alas, San Francisco got a bye
SF,  
Big Blue '56 : 6/9/2021 7:41 pm : link
do you realize those two back to back BS losses, was the first time in our history that we lost two 1 point games in a row?
RE: SF,  
SFGFNCGiantsFan : 6/9/2021 7:43 pm : link
In comment 15283429 Big Blue '56 said:
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do you realize those two back to back BS losses, was the first time in our history that we lost two 1 point games in a row?


BB56, wasn't it like the first time ever ANY team lost back to back games by 1 point? Or am I getting old?
RE: RE: SF,  
Big Blue '56 : 6/9/2021 7:44 pm : link
In comment 15283430 SFGFNCGiantsFan said:
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In comment 15283429 Big Blue '56 said:


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do you realize those two back to back BS losses, was the first time in our history that we lost two 1 point games in a row?



BB56, wasn't it like the first time ever ANY team lost back to back games by 1 point? Or am I getting old?


I believe it was the Giants. No idea about other teams
Baltimore's attacking the Mets infield shifts with success  
Ira : 6/9/2021 7:45 pm : link
.
RE: Baltimore's attacking the Mets infield shifts with success  
Big Blue '56 : 6/9/2021 7:46 pm : link
In comment 15283433 Ira said:
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.


The Ravens? 😂
2002 Bucs had a great defense  
bluepepper : 6/9/2021 8:06 pm : link
and cruised thru the post-season. Closest game was 17 points in Philly. We would not have beaten them in their building
I will add  
bluepepper : 6/9/2021 8:09 pm : link
though that the 2002 team winning in TB is more plausible then the 1997 team winning in GB. I have heard BBI'ers claim that we could have or would have beaten the Pack that year. LOL. No chance.
RE: I will add  
Big Blue '56 : 6/9/2021 8:11 pm : link
In comment 15283449 bluepepper said:
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though that the 2002 team winning in TB is more plausible then the 1997 team winning in GB. I have heard BBI'ers claim that we could have or would have beaten the Pack that year. LOL. No chance.


That’s what they said in ‘08 and ‘12..Nothing’s a lock.
That's why the play the game  
Arkbach : 6/9/2021 8:28 pm : link
remember XLII
RE: 2002 Bucs had a great defense  
rsjem1979 : 6/9/2021 8:35 pm : link
In comment 15283445 bluepepper said:
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and cruised thru the post-season. Closest game was 17 points in Philly. We would not have beaten them in their building


The Bucs would have won convincingly. They picked off Jeff Garcia 3 times. They dominated the Eagles at the Vet. They embarrassed the Raiders.

The only reason Kerry Collins isn't doesn't share the record for INT's in a Super Bowl is because the Bucs picked off Rich Gannon 5 times. People think Collins would have gone into Tampa and won? Come on.
RE: RE: 2002 Bucs had a great defense  
Big Blue '56 : 6/9/2021 8:47 pm : link
In comment 15283475 rsjem1979 said:
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In comment 15283445 bluepepper said:


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and cruised thru the post-season. Closest game was 17 points in Philly. We would not have beaten them in their building



The Bucs would have won convincingly. They picked off Jeff Garcia 3 times. They dominated the Eagles at the Vet. They embarrassed the Raiders.

The only reason Kerry Collins isn't doesn't share the record for INT's in a Super Bowl is because the Bucs picked off Rich Gannon 5 times. People think Collins would have gone into Tampa and won? Come on.


Come on nothing! In 2007 (2008 playoffs) we went into Dallas and beat the 13-3 Cowboys. Then into -23 degrees GB against the 14-3 Packers, then the 18-0 Pats.

in 2011 (2012 playoffs), the 9-7 (10-7 after we whipped Atlanta at home) Giants went into 15-1 Packers and toyed with them. Then of course the Pats again in SB XLVI..

So stop with this “no way” type crap…
RE: RE: RE: 2002 Bucs had a great defense  
jnoble : 6/9/2021 8:53 pm : link
In comment 15283479 Big Blue '56 said:
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In comment 15283475 rsjem1979 said:


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In comment 15283445 bluepepper said:


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and cruised thru the post-season. Closest game was 17 points in Philly. We would not have beaten them in their building



The Bucs would have won convincingly. They picked off Jeff Garcia 3 times. They dominated the Eagles at the Vet. They embarrassed the Raiders.

The only reason Kerry Collins isn't doesn't share the record for INT's in a Super Bowl is because the Bucs picked off Rich Gannon 5 times. People think Collins would have gone into Tampa and won? Come on.



Come on nothing! In 2007 (2008 playoffs) we went into Dallas and beat the 13-3 Cowboys. Then into -23 degrees GB against the 14-3 Packers, then the 18-0 Pats.

in 2011 (2012 playoffs), the 9-7 (10-7 after we whipped Atlanta at home) Giants went into 15-1 Packers and toyed with them. Then of course the Pats again in SB XLVI..

So stop with this “no way” type crap…


Eli was a smarter QB than Collins especially under pressure. As much as I respect what Kerry did with us during his time here, no way would he have been able to do what Manning did during the '07 & '11 playoff runs. Especially the beating he took during the 2012 49ers NFC Championship game. Kerry turned into jello like Simon from Airplane II under a pass rush
RE: RE: RE: RE: 2002 Bucs had a great defense  
Big Blue '56 : 6/9/2021 9:07 pm : link
In comment 15283485 jnoble said:
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In comment 15283479 Big Blue '56 said:


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In comment 15283475 rsjem1979 said:


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In comment 15283445 bluepepper said:


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and cruised thru the post-season. Closest game was 17 points in Philly. We would not have beaten them in their building



The Bucs would have won convincingly. They picked off Jeff Garcia 3 times. They dominated the Eagles at the Vet. They embarrassed the Raiders.

The only reason Kerry Collins isn't doesn't share the record for INT's in a Super Bowl is because the Bucs picked off Rich Gannon 5 times. People think Collins would have gone into Tampa and won? Come on.



Come on nothing! In 2007 (2008 playoffs) we went into Dallas and beat the 13-3 Cowboys. Then into -23 degrees GB against the 14-3 Packers, then the 18-0 Pats.

in 2011 (2012 playoffs), the 9-7 (10-7 after we whipped Atlanta at home) Giants went into 15-1 Packers and toyed with them. Then of course the Pats again in SB XLVI..

So stop with this “no way” type crap…



Eli was a smarter QB than Collins especially under pressure. As much as I respect what Kerry did with us during his time here, no way would he have been able to do what Manning did during the '07 & '11 playoff runs. Especially the beating he took during the 2012 49ers NFC Championship game. Kerry turned into jello like Simon from Airplane II under a pass rush


No question. My major point is, there’s no such thing as no way. That’s been proven to be the case in more situations than I can count..Were the Vikes favored over us in the 41-0 rout game? Granted many felt we had a chance, but there are no real locks anymore, imv
RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: 2002 Bucs had a great defense  
jnoble : 6/9/2021 9:49 pm : link
In comment 15283493 Big Blue '56 said:
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In comment 15283479 Big Blue '56 said:


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and cruised thru the post-season. Closest game was 17 points in Philly. We would not have beaten them in their building



The Bucs would have won convincingly. They picked off Jeff Garcia 3 times. They dominated the Eagles at the Vet. They embarrassed the Raiders.

The only reason Kerry Collins isn't doesn't share the record for INT's in a Super Bowl is because the Bucs picked off Rich Gannon 5 times. People think Collins would have gone into Tampa and won? Come on.



Come on nothing! In 2007 (2008 playoffs) we went into Dallas and beat the 13-3 Cowboys. Then into -23 degrees GB against the 14-3 Packers, then the 18-0 Pats.

in 2011 (2012 playoffs), the 9-7 (10-7 after we whipped Atlanta at home) Giants went into 15-1 Packers and toyed with them. Then of course the Pats again in SB XLVI..

So stop with this “no way” type crap…



Eli was a smarter QB than Collins especially under pressure. As much as I respect what Kerry did with us during his time here, no way would he have been able to do what Manning did during the '07 & '11 playoff runs. Especially the beating he took during the 2012 49ers NFC Championship game. Kerry turned into jello like Simon from Airplane II under a pass rush



No question. My major point is, there’s no such thing as no way. That’s been proven to be the case in more situations than I can count..Were the Vikes favored over us in the 41-0 rout game? Granted many felt we had a chance, but there are no real locks anymore, imv


This is true. I've never once thought "Oh man, we've got no chance" whenever the Giants made the playoffs.
Buuuut...Looking back in hindsight knowing what we do about the level of talent on the various Giant teams during different eras I'd say it's fairly accurate what some have said. For example, the '97 Giants vs the Packers if they got past Minny. Our only hope would've been the defense. No way Danny Kannell was going to out-duel young in his prime Brett Favre.
The 2002 team going to Tampa would've been interesting. I'm not convinced we lose that one if the offense was able to keep rolling like they were.
RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: 2002 Bucs had a great defense  
Angel Eyes : 6/9/2021 9:50 pm : link
In comment 15283540 jnoble said:
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In comment 15283479 Big Blue '56 said:


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and cruised thru the post-season. Closest game was 17 points in Philly. We would not have beaten them in their building



The Bucs would have won convincingly. They picked off Jeff Garcia 3 times. They dominated the Eagles at the Vet. They embarrassed the Raiders.

The only reason Kerry Collins isn't doesn't share the record for INT's in a Super Bowl is because the Bucs picked off Rich Gannon 5 times. People think Collins would have gone into Tampa and won? Come on.



Come on nothing! In 2007 (2008 playoffs) we went into Dallas and beat the 13-3 Cowboys. Then into -23 degrees GB against the 14-3 Packers, then the 18-0 Pats.

in 2011 (2012 playoffs), the 9-7 (10-7 after we whipped Atlanta at home) Giants went into 15-1 Packers and toyed with them. Then of course the Pats again in SB XLVI..

So stop with this “no way” type crap…



Eli was a smarter QB than Collins especially under pressure. As much as I respect what Kerry did with us during his time here, no way would he have been able to do what Manning did during the '07 & '11 playoff runs. Especially the beating he took during the 2012 49ers NFC Championship game. Kerry turned into jello like Simon from Airplane II under a pass rush



No question. My major point is, there’s no such thing as no way. That’s been proven to be the case in more situations than I can count..Were the Vikes favored over us in the 41-0 rout game? Granted many felt we had a chance, but there are no real locks anymore, imv



This is true. I've never once thought "Oh man, we've got no chance" whenever the Giants made the playoffs.
Buuuut...Looking back in hindsight knowing what we do about the level of talent on the various Giant teams during different eras I'd say it's fairly accurate what some have said. For example, the '97 Giants vs the Packers if they got past Minny. Our only hope would've been the defense. No way Danny Kannell was going to out-duel young in his prime Brett Favre.
The 2002 team going to Tampa would've been interesting. I'm not convinced we lose that one if the offense was able to keep rolling like they were.

Say if we beat the Bucs, would we have been able to beat the Raiders in the Super Bowl?
RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: 2002 Bucs had a great defense  
jnoble : 6/9/2021 10:00 pm : link
In comment 15283541 Angel Eyes said:
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In comment 15283493 Big Blue '56 said:


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and cruised thru the post-season. Closest game was 17 points in Philly. We would not have beaten them in their building



The Bucs would have won convincingly. They picked off Jeff Garcia 3 times. They dominated the Eagles at the Vet. They embarrassed the Raiders.

The only reason Kerry Collins isn't doesn't share the record for INT's in a Super Bowl is because the Bucs picked off Rich Gannon 5 times. People think Collins would have gone into Tampa and won? Come on.



Come on nothing! In 2007 (2008 playoffs) we went into Dallas and beat the 13-3 Cowboys. Then into -23 degrees GB against the 14-3 Packers, then the 18-0 Pats.

in 2011 (2012 playoffs), the 9-7 (10-7 after we whipped Atlanta at home) Giants went into 15-1 Packers and toyed with them. Then of course the Pats again in SB XLVI..

So stop with this “no way” type crap…



Eli was a smarter QB than Collins especially under pressure. As much as I respect what Kerry did with us during his time here, no way would he have been able to do what Manning did during the '07 & '11 playoff runs. Especially the beating he took during the 2012 49ers NFC Championship game. Kerry turned into jello like Simon from Airplane II under a pass rush



No question. My major point is, there’s no such thing as no way. That’s been proven to be the case in more situations than I can count..Were the Vikes favored over us in the 41-0 rout game? Granted many felt we had a chance, but there are no real locks anymore, imv



This is true. I've never once thought "Oh man, we've got no chance" whenever the Giants made the playoffs.
Buuuut...Looking back in hindsight knowing what we do about the level of talent on the various Giant teams during different eras I'd say it's fairly accurate what some have said. For example, the '97 Giants vs the Packers if they got past Minny. Our only hope would've been the defense. No way Danny Kannell was going to out-duel young in his prime Brett Favre.
The 2002 team going to Tampa would've been interesting. I'm not convinced we lose that one if the offense was able to keep rolling like they were.


Say if we beat the Bucs, would we have been able to beat the Raiders in the Super Bowl?


I can't say for sure but we would've had a better chance against them than that damned Ravens team
That game was so hard to digest  
mpinmaine : 6/9/2021 11:40 pm : link
If the Giants had pulled it out I'd say they had a fighters chance against TB..

That took a long time to get over,,SF

We couldn't get off the field 4th qtr. if memory serves..
Jeff Garcia?!

Giants had no business losing that but I don't feel they would have won the SB that year,,(that's what we tell ourselves)
.
Who knows. Fassel was a decent coach for us. RIP
The '02 49ers game was like the '78 Philly game  
BlackLight : 6/10/2021 12:24 am : link
Brutal to live through in the moment, but in hindsight, you probably wouldn't trade it. If the Giants win that game, the team probably doesn't implode and quit on Fassel the following season. He keeps his job, which means no Coughlin and no Eli in '04.
RE: RE: RE: 2002 Bucs had a great defense  
rsjem1979 : 6/10/2021 6:43 am : link
In comment 15283479 Big Blue '56 said:
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In comment 15283475 rsjem1979 said:


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In comment 15283445 bluepepper said:


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and cruised thru the post-season. Closest game was 17 points in Philly. We would not have beaten them in their building



The Bucs would have won convincingly. They picked off Jeff Garcia 3 times. They dominated the Eagles at the Vet. They embarrassed the Raiders.

The only reason Kerry Collins isn't doesn't share the record for INT's in a Super Bowl is because the Bucs picked off Rich Gannon 5 times. People think Collins would have gone into Tampa and won? Come on.



Come on nothing! In 2007 (2008 playoffs) we went into Dallas and beat the 13-3 Cowboys. Then into -23 degrees GB against the 14-3 Packers, then the 18-0 Pats.

in 2011 (2012 playoffs), the 9-7 (10-7 after we whipped Atlanta at home) Giants went into 15-1 Packers and toyed with them. Then of course the Pats again in SB XLVI..

So stop with this “no way” type crap…


The question asked for opinions on how far the Giants would have gone if they hadn't completely imploded in San Francisco.

My opinion is that they would have lost convincingly in Tampa to a superior team. I don't know why that's unacceptable to you.
I think they would have had a good shot  
Lines of Scrimmage : 6/10/2021 6:52 am : link
Fassel was in a groove calling plays and as mentioned they found a formula dealing with Cover 2. Garcia killed them with his legs and the TB QB was not quite as nimble.

The Raiders had a really good offense. Enormous OL and they could run the ball. Gannon was very well protected. Losing the Center prior to the SB and then the Gruden factor (whether it was true or not about not changing the verbage) and the consequent blowout cast a shad over what was a very good team. If the Giants had played them that would have been a very tough game to win.
Bucs defense was a buzzsaw in 2002  
JonC : 6/10/2021 8:07 am : link
Don't think Giants would've beaten them in Tampa. 2002 Giants had some talent, but were thin and didn't always play with confidence. Remember how many bad performances they put on the field going 6-6.

In 2002 was pre-upset era, there were very few big upsets and defenses were still allowed to do their thing.
RE: Bucs defense was a buzzsaw in 2002  
FatMan in Charlotte : 6/10/2021 8:44 am : link
In comment 15283659 JonC said:
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Don't think Giants would've beaten them in Tampa. 2002 Giants had some talent, but were thin and didn't always play with confidence. Remember how many bad performances they put on the field going 6-6.

In 2002 was pre-upset era, there were very few big upsets and defenses were still allowed to do their thing.


That's exactly how I felt. Very rarely in that timeframe were top defenses losing in the playoffs, especially at home. You never know what might have happened in terms of the Bucs doing something sloppy on offense, but the Giants likely had little chance.
RE: RE: The 2001 Giants often get dismissed..  
Johnny5 : 6/10/2021 9:23 am : link
In comment 15283424 SFGFNCGiantsFan said:
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In comment 15283419 Sean said:


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but, that team had back to back one point losses (15-14 @ STL) and (10-9 vs PHI). A team which could easily have been 5-1 after those games became 3-3, and then they never really could recover. Add in 9/11 & coming off a super bowl loss, it was too much to overcome. I believe the 2001 Giants could have made some noise as well.



I am still pissed about that Rams game. We should have won that. And the Eagles loss was a MNF game right? I believe we were up 9-0 & lost in the closing minutes.

Ugh yeah that Eagles game was awful. I still remember that Monday night game because I felt like we had it in the bag, and we fell apart at the end for the loss. It's burned into my brain because my daughter was 1.5 years old at the time sleeping on my chest during the game and I had to control my rage after we fell apart in the 4th quarter. I liked Fassel but it seemed like a recurring theme for him with the inconsistency and meltdowns, especially 2 of the worst Giants losses in my Memory ('97 playoff vs Vikings and '02 playoff vs SF). I was definitely not sad to see him go. But still I respected what he did for the Giants after the disaster that was Dan Reeves.
Awful memories from that loss to San Fran but  
NYGgolfer : 6/10/2021 9:27 am : link
Giants wouldn't have gotten past Tampa anyway.

2002 wasn't any kind of "lost ring" season.
RE: RE: RE: The 2001 Giants often get dismissed..  
LTIsTheGreatest : 6/10/2021 9:34 am : link
In comment 15283699 Johnny5 said:
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In comment 15283424 SFGFNCGiantsFan said:


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In comment 15283419 Sean said:


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but, that team had back to back one point losses (15-14 @ STL) and (10-9 vs PHI). A team which could easily have been 5-1 after those games became 3-3, and then they never really could recover. Add in 9/11 & coming off a super bowl loss, it was too much to overcome. I believe the 2001 Giants could have made some noise as well.



I am still pissed about that Rams game. We should have won that. And the Eagles loss was a MNF game right? I believe we were up 9-0 & lost in the closing minutes.


Ugh yeah that Eagles game was awful. I still remember that Monday night game because I felt like we had it in the bag, and we fell apart at the end for the loss. It's burned into my brain because my daughter was 1.5 years old at the time sleeping on my chest during the game and I had to control my rage after we fell apart in the 4th quarter. I liked Fassel but it seemed like a recurring theme for him with the inconsistency and meltdowns, especially 2 of the worst Giants losses in my Memory ('97 playoff vs Vikings and '02 playoff vs SF). I was definitely not sad to see him go. But still I respected what he did for the Giants after the disaster that was Dan Reeves.


I was furious after that Rams game. The officials made at least 3 BS calls against us that really hurt us. The Eagles game was on the offense. Had numerous chances to extend the lead and kept letting the Eagles hang around, you could see that coming.
I remember that second Eagles game in Philly where Giants took the lead with less than 3 minutes left and blew it. That was the game where they almost pulled off a miracle at the end with a flip to Ron Dixon and he was just caught from behind at the 4 yard line.
I never forgave Jurevicius for coughing up the ball at the end  
Greg from LI : 6/10/2021 9:39 am : link
of that Rams game. Hated that guy.
Wasn't that..  
FatMan in Charlotte : 6/10/2021 9:42 am : link
Rams game the tackling by helmet bullshit and the Dayne PF calls?
RE: Wasn't that..  
Greg from LI : 6/10/2021 9:46 am : link
In comment 15283724 FatMan in Charlotte said:
Quote:
Rams game the tackling by helmet bullshit and the Dayne PF calls?


Yes, and a pathetically weak PI call on Garnes that handed the Rams the go-ahead TD
RE: I never forgave Jurevicius for coughing up the ball at the end  
Sean : 6/10/2021 9:48 am : link
In comment 15283719 Greg from LI said:
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of that Rams game. Hated that guy.

That was an awful loss. Fortunately for the Yankee fans on this site, I believe the Jeter flip game was later that night.
I agree that the 2002 team was the most talented  
Section331 : 6/10/2021 10:05 am : link
of the Fassel era, certainly offensively. They were explosive. The Shockey drop was big, but the D had to be able to hold a 21 pt lead in the 2nd half.

I think they matched up well with TB. Shockey was a matchup problem for their Cover 2, and offensively, they were mediocre. And Fassel had Philly's number if we met them in the NFCCG. Another SB appearance would have changed the course of the franchise. No TC, no Eli. So in the end, I think things worked out better for NYG.
I think we tend to overrate  
DieHard : 6/10/2021 1:24 pm : link
the Giants' 2002 offense a bit. Toomer and Shockey had pretty stats, and Tiki had his best pre-Coughlin year (when he wasn't too busy fumbling), but for all the pretty plays, they scored 320 points that year. 22nd out of 32 teams.

They found a nice little groove near the end of the season against teams coached by the likes of Steve Spurrier and Dave Campo, and people point to the Niners playoff game as evidence they were peaking, but these are the same guys who scored 10 points the week before vs Philly. Anything is possible, but I think the pendulum would have swung the other way against the Bucs. And with Johnnie ("Whoops, we prepared for the wrong opponent") Lynn as defensive coordinator, that team's overall ceiling was always limited.

Maybe the 2000 edition wasn't as explosive, but they were way steadier, with a better D. I refuse to even reminisce about 2001. What a terrible year in general, and frustrating season that was.
DieHard  
JonC : 6/10/2021 1:27 pm : link
+1, very good post.
I think Tampa  
Les in TO : 6/10/2021 1:33 pm : link
would have crushed us. Similar outcome to the 2000 super bowl vs Baltimore
RE: The 2001 Giants often get dismissed..  
Gatorade Dunk : 6/10/2021 1:55 pm : link
In comment 15283419 Sean said:
Quote:
but, that team had back to back one point losses (15-14 @ STL) and (10-9 vs PHI). A team which could easily have been 5-1 after those games became 3-3, and then they never really could recover. Add in 9/11 & coming off a super bowl loss, it was too much to overcome. I believe the 2001 Giants could have made some noise as well.

Sort of a trend with TC teams. A bit of negative inertia could submarine a season, despite how great a tactician TC was.

And we saw it a few times. It wasn't a fluke.
2001 Giants  
JonC : 6/10/2021 2:06 pm : link
rode a monster season from Strahan as best they could. But, the common theme for 2000-2002 was inconsistent performances, often coming up short in the big games, playing down to the level of their opponent, and often showing pea brains to the media. It often appeared Fassel would take certain opponents for granted, and gameplans and player performance mirrored it.

I've played and watched enough football over nearly 45 years to know this is more often the case than not with football teams. It is the ultimate team sport with literally hundreds of moving parts, techniques, instincts, and reactions per player per play. So much can and will go wrong. When you watch a really good football team perform, it's obvious and enjoyable.
RE: That game was so hard to digest  
LTIsTheGreatest : 6/10/2021 2:18 pm : link
In comment 15283612 mpinmaine said:
Quote:
If the Giants had pulled it out I'd say they had a fighters chance against TB..

That took a long time to get over,,SF

We couldn't get off the field 4th qtr. if memory serves..
Jeff Garcia?!

Giants had no business losing that but I don't feel they would have won the SB that year,,(that's what we tell ourselves)
.
Who knows. Fassel was a decent coach for us. RIP


Garcia was a thorn in our side for sure. He also sent us home in 2006 in that 23-20 loss to Philly
......  
Route 9 : 6/11/2021 5:46 am : link
I don't know but I REALLY wanted Philly in the playoffs that year. Donovan McNabb coming off of an injury and that last game in week 17 and noting how well the Giants moved the ball but only tallying up 10 points, plus OT, was ridiculous. If Atlanta doesn't pull the upset in Green Bay in the wild card round, and the Giants won in SF, the Giants were heading to Philly.

No way the Giants lose that game. NO way.

Then SF gets blown out by Tampa anyway. I don't know if the Giants beat Tampa Bay but it would have been a lot better than what Tampa Bay did to San Francisco.
The Offense for the 2002 Giants was most certainly peaking  
Jimmy Googs : 6/11/2021 8:16 am : link
by the end of the year. Their last 6 games (including playoff game) they scored 29, 27, 37, 44, 10 and 38 points. The last 3 games they were well over 400 yards in total offense.

And the only reason they scored that low 10 versus Philly was they turned the ball over 4 times. In that game they had nearly 250 yards passing and over 200 yards rushing.

But nevertheless, I don't think they get past Tampa if they had beaten San Fran.
Jimmy gubes  
Route 9 : 6/11/2021 8:33 am : link
Yeah, no shit. I remember that game very well and the Tiki Barber fumbles and missed field goals. I was in high school at the time so I was getting ahead of myself and saw Philly on the horizon. I'm sure a lot of people saw the next game on the horizon during the 49ers game but the Giants do what the Giants do.

My point is, with how well the ball was moving against Philly in week 17 in 2002, it was a seductive power that made me want to see them again on the road, for the Vet's final game. How great would have that been if it were the Giants that closed that place down instead of Tampa Bay? We need all the bragging rights we could get against those useless boobs.
Notch!  
Jimmy Googs : 6/11/2021 9:43 am : link
.
RE: RE: I never forgave Jurevicius for coughing up the ball at the end  
FatMan in Charlotte : 6/11/2021 9:59 am : link
In comment 15283734 Sean said:
Quote:
In comment 15283719 Greg from LI said:


Quote:


of that Rams game. Hated that guy.


That was an awful loss. Fortunately for the Yankee fans on this site, I believe the Jeter flip game was later that night.


I thought the Jeter flip game was after we won in Atlanta. I was in Atlanta when I saw that Yankees game and would likely only have been there for the Giants. I was in San Antonio for the Rams game.
RE: The Offense for the 2002 Giants was most certainly peaking  
McNally's_Nuts : 6/11/2021 1:50 pm : link
In comment 15284418 Jimmy Googs said:
Quote:
by the end of the year. Their last 6 games (including playoff game) they scored 29, 27, 37, 44, 10 and 38 points. The last 3 games they were well over 400 yards in total offense.

And the only reason they scored that low 10 versus Philly was they turned the ball over 4 times. In that game they had nearly 250 yards passing and over 200 yards rushing.

But nevertheless, I don't think they get past Tampa if they had beaten San Fran.


They also had 2 touchdowns taken away on some shoddy penalties as well.
RE: I think it was even money we beat the Bucs  
DisgruntledNYGfan : 6/12/2021 9:02 am : link
In comment 15283427 SLIM_ said:
Quote:
Our offense was humming and we matched up well against their cover 2.


There is no way we were going to beat the Buccaneers if we had hung on against San Fran. Sbockey and Tiki were great that year but outside of Toomer we had no other receiver that was a threat or even NFL caliber. Hilliard was on IR because of that dirty ass hit by Dawkins that tore Hilliard’s labrum. I can’t remember the name of the receiver that we were starting opposite Toomer in that San Fran game but he was a rookie and he was completely over-matched.

Even worse than that was the state of our defensive line and linebackers by that point in the season. We were starting street free agents alongside Strahan and Armstead. Our STs were also a mess.
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