Once the emotions have settled, objective evaluation has to begins. The highs of a surprise playoff berth, and maybe even a victory, and the bitter disappointment of being ejected from the post season are very dramatic and often lead to subjective delusion.
The questions need to be asked: is what went right sustainable? Is what went wrong fixable? Do we need better players or a different scheme? Do we stay the course or do we require radical change? Is there something to build off here or was it just a fluke?
The answers aren't always in plain view, there are a lot of grey areas that need to be navigated.
Three Giant season illustrate this conundrum very well: 1981 and 1984 were both surprisingly good years where nothing was expected from those teams that were coming off double-digit loss seasons. The 1989 outlook wasn't quite a bleak, most prognosticators had New York finishing around 8-8 with Washington and Philadelphia as the class of the NFC East.
The 1981 and 1984 Giants enjoyed Wild Card victories on the road as heavy underdogs before losing out to the eventual Super Bowl Champion 49ers. Both losses showed the Giants putting forth a good effort but losing to a clearly better team. The 1989 Giants had a bye week before losing in stunning fashion in OT to the Wild Card Rams.
The aftermath of these seasons were a mixed bag of optimism for the future - particularly 1981 & 1984 - and despair of a missed opportunity - 1989.
Two of the year-end assessments were punctuated by surprise announcements from the head coaches on open competitions for the QB position: Ray Perkins opened the door for the 1982 season between Phil Simms and Jeff Hostetler and Bill Parcells fired a shot across Simms' bow by declaring Jeff Hostetler could unseat the long time starter in 1990.
There's all kinds of year end grades, musings and predictions to sort through and a lot of names from the past will be resurrected with new insight.
Let the off season debates begin.
Enjoy!
1981
New York Times
Perkins not satisfied, better times for Giants & Jets
https://i.imgur.com/w3f0Xb5.png
Giants preparing a list
https://i.imgur.com/sr4xIn8.png
New York Daily News
Simms & Brunner will compete part 1
https://i.imgur.com/50YT3fa.jpg
Simms & Brunner part 2, Taylor blows off reporters
https://i.imgur.com/R9DHj6E.jpg
Just the beginning for upstart Giants, predict Cowboys over 49ers
https://i.imgur.com/dMVChEC.jpg
Giants know they are for real
https://i.imgur.com/t5MFwoa.jpg
Newsday
Simms vs Brunner, Wellington Mara, hits & misses from players & coaches
https://i.imgur.com/uGxntTE.jpg
Perkins let himself go
https://i.imgur.com/dydQICK.jpg
Bergen Record
Wait until this year, Simms vs Brunner
https://i.imgur.com/SaiVA4R.jpg
1984
New York Times
Giants are upbeat
https://i.imgur.com/qxxZm7X.png
Giants seek reinforcements
https://i.imgur.com/J8yLkj5.png
New York Daily News
What could have been, mixed emotions
https://i.imgur.com/ZHP2Dz4.jpg
Newsday
more mixed emotions
https://i.imgur.com/oa2aq94.jpg
discussing John Madden and the Giants game
https://i.imgur.com/kv3dIWw.jpg
Just a few players short
https://i.imgur.com/EKoxEKa.jpg
Bergen Record
Giants seek slight alterations, Carson will be back in '85
https://i.imgur.com/NENkfMs.jpg
1989
New York Times
Simms may face a tryout
https://i.imgur.com/dwVBrzs.png
Giants go home on optimistic note
https://i.imgur.com/lbLw6BT.png
Giants offer no excuses
https://i.imgur.com/WiP9SKo.png
New York Daily News
Simms vs Hostetler, LT is going golfing
https://i.imgur.com/ElDtEIf.jpg
Parcells sleepless
https://i.imgur.com/zJsbMAo.jpg
Agony of defeat for Giants fans
https://i.imgur.com/cz5zNAY.jpg
1990 looks promising
https://i.imgur.com/2mkZtZy.jpg
Jim Burt the 49er
https://i.imgur.com/MvwFhDw.jpg
Newsday
Parcells says it was a bad call, who stays and who goes?
https://i.imgur.com/cn2DrEr.jpg
Simms vs Hostetler, Parcells' pain part 1
https://i.imgur.com/0zobkbZ.jpg
Parcells' pain part 2
https://i.imgur.com/IJmFeW1.jpg
White says he's innocent, Rams were better
https://i.imgur.com/ejWaj61.jpg
Giant future looks bright
https://i.imgur.com/hEmjpHm.jpg
Bergen Record
Simms vs Hostetler, Collins' broken bone, Giants try to cope
https://i.imgur.com/9fk1xBP.jpg
Grading the team for 1990
https://i.imgur.com/CN87oeM.jpg
"Someday," Parcells said, "when there's another quarterback here, you'll be saying, 'He's pretty good, but he's no Phil Simms' "
I grew up watching the giants of the 90s through the Dave Brown years and I remember my Dad saying how me missed Phil.
I remember saying the same thing to my son about Eli.
"Someday," Parcells said, "when there's another quarterback here, you'll be saying, 'He's pretty good, but he's no Phil Simms' "
I grew up watching the giants of the 90s through the Dave Brown years and I remember my Dad saying how me missed Phil.
I remember saying the same thing to my son about Eli.
I'm still saying that...
He knew how to motivate players, and Simms was really not very good in 1989, including the playoff game when he threw a brutal INT before halftime.
Bill Walsh did the same kind of stuff with Montana and Young too.
I remember the 1983 game where Simms had his thumb nearly torn off. (Yes, it was that bad; I once talked to him about it. It was worse than they told us at the time.) Brunner started, and the Giants looked like they always looked on offense: flat, drab and unproductive. Simms came in and they looked like a different team. He added a huge shot of adrenaline. They were moving the ball and pushing the ball down the field. Then he had the thumb injury. So much for that season.
Quote:
It's wild how Parcells was openly considering replacing Simms in those end-of-1989 season articles.
Parcells played Brunner over Simms at first. I think he has admitted that was a mistake. No wonder they had a terrible first season under Parcells. Brunner... wasn't good.
I remember the 1983 game where Simms had his thumb nearly torn off. (Yes, it was that bad; I once talked to him about it. It was worse than they told us at the time.) Brunner started, and the Giants looked like they always looked on offense: flat, drab and unproductive. Simms came in and they looked like a different team. He added a huge shot of adrenaline. They were moving the ball and pushing the ball down the field. Then he had the thumb injury. So much for that season.
As I remember Simms' hand got caught in tape(somehow!) on the facemask of Eagles' DE Dennis Harrison, and it resulted in a compound fracture.
The NFL then outlawed any type of tape on the helmet the following year.
Quote:
In comment 16011438 Lambuth_Special said:
Quote:
It's wild how Parcells was openly considering replacing Simms in those end-of-1989 season articles.
Parcells played Brunner over Simms at first. I think he has admitted that was a mistake. No wonder they had a terrible first season under Parcells. Brunner... wasn't good.
I remember the 1983 game where Simms had his thumb nearly torn off. (Yes, it was that bad; I once talked to him about it. It was worse than they told us at the time.) Brunner started, and the Giants looked like they always looked on offense: flat, drab and unproductive. Simms came in and they looked like a different team. He added a huge shot of adrenaline. They were moving the ball and pushing the ball down the field. Then he had the thumb injury. So much for that season.
As I remember Simms' hand got caught in tape(somehow!) on the facemask of Eagles' DE Dennis Harrison, and it resulted in a compound fracture.
The NFL then outlawed any type of tape on the helmet the following year.