I'm sure most everyone will either have '89 or '08. For me, it is '08. I got sucked down a Youtube rabbit hole earlier & found myself watching '08 game clips. Man...that team was so freaking good. They ran for over 200-TWO HUNDRED-yards on a Ravens defense. Read that sentence again!
Such a damn shame Plax shot himself/DL wore down as the season progressed. We could have used Osi, that's for sure. Back to back titles would have been damn nice.
That team was 10-1 I believe before Plax shot himself. And they were winning games by a wide margin.
Jacobs. Ward, Bradshaw...it didn’t matter who was toting the rock because they were good for 5 yards a play.
The Plax situation really threw that season off the rails because when he went down, the passing game suffered. They could not win down field w/o Plax.
That said, the 2008 Giants, top to bottom was the best team that didn't win it for me. If Plax didn't shoot himself, they steamroll their way to back to back titles.
No, Da Bears.
Plax or no plax I'm not sure they were a slam dunk pick to win it all...that being said they WERE the most dominant Giants team I've been around for in the regular season.
That running attack was all time great, and they beat both Superbowl participants on the road that year. I just think the whole thing started to fall apart those last few weeks, not just because of Plax.
And Tittle got hurt and threw several INTs. Bears had a great D and no offense.
But the 63 Giants were better than the Bears, until Tittle was forced to play the second half on one leg.
Plax was having an awful year also. I'm pretty sure they beat the Cardinals without him. I believe it was the 1st full weekend after the shooting incident. We are playing Philly. A win then for all intent and purposes wraps up the championship for us and knocks Philly out. Manning finds Hixon deep over the middle for a sure TD and Hixon drops it. That was early in the game. If he scores, that puts us up and softens up the defense as they have to respect the pass at least a little. He drops it...
I
“Frank Gifford’s resolve has never wavered: he ran for a first down late in the fourth quarter of the 1958 N.F.L. championship game against the Baltimore Colts, with the Giants leading, 17-14, but the referee disagreed. So, the Giants punted; the Colts tied it, then won, 23-17 in overtime.
Had the ball been placed where Gifford insisted it belonged, the Giants might have won.”
Confusion came about because Gino Marchetti’s leg was broken on the play and the ball was spotted it was put in the wrong place.
The 08 team would have rolled if the Plax incident hadn't happened.
They ran over Ray Lewis. They made Pittsburgh quit.
And then Plax shot himself. And then the d***ed Eagles. Twice.
Plax or no plax I'm not sure they were a slam dunk pick to win it all...that being said they WERE the most dominant Giants team I've been around for in the regular season.
That running attack was all time great, and they beat both Superbowl participants on the road that year. I just think the whole thing started to fall apart those last few weeks, not just because of Plax.
Defense wasn't at its best late in the season. But the offense averaged just a hair under 30 PPG first 12 weeks of the season, and less than 19 in the final 5 games including playoffs. 4 out of those 5 games they had less than 170 pass yards. They became one dimensional on offense and could not play complimentary football like they did the first 11-12 weeks.
I long for the days of the Giants being a runaway train like they were that year.
If you look at the personnel on that team outside of the OL/DL, they weren't overly talented. Webster was a good corner, obviously a nice mix of RB's, Plax. Besides that, they did not have many standouts. And hardly any team speed...but it goes to show how far having a great line on both sides of the ball can carry a team.
That said, the 2008 Giants, top to bottom was the best team that didn't win it for me. If Plax didn't shoot himself, they steamroll their way to back to back titles.
Off topic but I was thinking this should be a fun week for BigBlueVCR. Some good Chiefs memories going back to the first game post-9/11, the Tiki 200 yard game, the Eli plantar fascia game, Alex Smith trying to throw in the wind in 2017.
I do think that 95 team would have won if they beat the Bears.
Giants had a killer defense with the newly acquired J. Jenkins, Olivier Vernon, and Snacks to go along with JPP, Hankins, Landon Collins and DRC. Offense had Eli at the helm and OBJ and Cruz were both in their prime and shep was the slot WR.
Really set the tone but a panful loss to Philly and a fun boat cruise ruined everything.
I wish Plax didn’t fuck up that 2008 season but am grateful for what he did for this franchise at the same time. The 2002 team would have been my second choice.
Giants had a killer defense with the newly acquired J. Jenkins, Olivier Vernon, and Snacks to go along with JPP, Hankins, Landon Collins and DRC. Offense had Eli at the helm and OBJ and Cruz were both in their prime and shep was the slot WR.
Really set the tone but a panful loss to Philly and a fun boat cruise ruined everything.
I have to disagree with you on this one. That team was a mirage. Their rate of victory in close games I remember reading was almost impossible from a historical perspective.
Parcells was flat out wrong about the 89 team being better than the 90 team. The 90 team knew how to win. Look at what they did to the Rams in LA that year and look what they did when their backs were up against the wall. The 89 team wasn't able to do that. Plus, the 90 squad's secondary was better than the 90 version. Guyton and Jackson were killing it at safety in 90, whereas they were still getting their feet wet in 89. Everson Walls was a HUGE addition to the 90 squad as well and Matt Bahr was a killer in the clutch---better than Allegre.
It was always a sore point to wonder what would have happened if the Refs didn't throw the flag on the phantom holding call by Keith Hamilton during the Jesse Armstead pick 6 of Dilfer to tie the Super Bowl 7-7. The game got out of hand quickly after that point, but I still have great memories or this team which Wellington Mara fondly called the "worst 12-4 team" to make the Super Bowl when they beat the Viking in the NFC Championship game.
and we couldn't get past the Rams.
1985 team was the second best team in the league behind Chicago. Our defense wasn't great that season.
2008 still breaks my heart. Solid complete team until Plax...
People mentioning 1988. Our defense wasn't good that year and we had an easy schedule.
you mean Bears
THe revenge game in 1990 was one of my all time faves though.
Best team in the league til' Plax shot himself.
and we couldn't get past the Rams.
1985 team was the second best team in the league behind Chicago. Our defense wasn't great that season.
2008 still breaks my heart. Solid complete team until Plax...
People mentioning 1988. Our defense wasn't good that year and we had an easy schedule.
I will say this here as I have said going back to the days when Eric and I did BBI Online LIve, the 88 team had they not blown the late lead against SF probably wins it all or at the very least changes the history of the 49ers. Had the Giants won, they would have been in the playoff as an 11-5 team, instead of missing as a 10-6 team and the 49ers would not have been in the playoffs period. Every narrative about SF in the late 80's (88, 89 and 90) changes with that one win and the Giants history becomes even more dominant then.
The 88 team was beat up at the end of the season but that loss to SF was the big blow.
The '89 team was going to have to go to San Francisco. That would have been an incredible NFCC and a rematch of a great MNF game. The same scenario that played out the next year.
Giants had a killer defense with the newly acquired J. Jenkins, Olivier Vernon, and Snacks to go along with JPP, Hankins, Landon Collins and DRC. Offense had Eli at the helm and OBJ and Cruz were both in their prime and shep was the slot WR.
Really set the tone but a panful loss to Philly and a fun boat cruise ruined everything.
Quote:
Problem is the Niners were so good that year...
and we couldn't get past the Rams.
1985 team was the second best team in the league behind Chicago. Our defense wasn't great that season.
2008 still breaks my heart. Solid complete team until Plax...
People mentioning 1988. Our defense wasn't good that year and we had an easy schedule.
I will say this here as I have said going back to the days when Eric and I did BBI Online LIve, the 88 team had they not blown the late lead against SF probably wins it all or at the very least changes the history of the 49ers. Had the Giants won, they would have been in the playoff as an 11-5 team, instead of missing as a 10-6 team and the 49ers would not have been in the playoffs period. Every narrative about SF in the late 80's (88, 89 and 90) changes with that one win and the Giants history becomes even more dominant then.
The 88 team was beat up at the end of the season but that loss to SF was the big blow.