Giants Top 10 Moments of 2011-2012 Season

It's been five months since the Giants were in a sea of red, white, and confetti, celebrating their latest run through the NFL's elite to another Lombardi Trophy. Eli Manning collected his second Super Bowl MVP, and the Giants took down Tom Brady and the Patriots for the second time in four years.

Now it's time to re-live the Top 10 moments of a Giants season that was filled with people writing them off during their game in Dallas, and an improbable run into and through the playoffs, and ending with a Super Bowl Victory.


10. Manning, Nicks lead fourth-quarter comeback against Cardinals (Week 4)


The Arizona Cardinals looked to be in full control of the game after Beenie Wells rushed for his third touchdown of the game and gave the Cardinals a 27-17 lead. With under four minutes in the game, Manning hit Hakeem Nicks  for 26 yards, and set up a TD pass to Jake Ballard.

Less than two minutes later, the Giants were driving again. Manning hit Victor Cruz for a first down in Cardinal territory, and Cruz willingly went down and then let go of the ball. The Cardinals challenged but the play stood as Cruz willfully gave himself up. With under three minutes, Manning connected with Nicks again for the go ahead score. The Giants went on to win 31-27 and improve to 3-1, and was the first of many late fourth quarter comebacks by Manning and the Giants.

9. Manning beats Patriots in the fourth quarter (Week 9)


 After losing the lead with just under two minutes left in the game, Eli Manning orchestrated one of his many fourth quarter drives. Manning hit tight end Jake Ballard on a third down to keep the Giants alive, and after a pass interference call on New England, Manning hit Ballard in the back of the end zone with 15 seconds left. The win brought the Giants record to 6-2, and also foreshadowed a meeting between the two teams on February 5, 2012.

8. Giants stop Falcons twice on Fourth and One (NFC Wild Card)


Yes the Giants defense made one of the top moments of the season. The Giants were heavily criticized all season, and rightly so, for their poor play during the regular season, but they turned it around in the playoffs. The Atlanta Falcons were driving on the Giants, but the Giants D stuffed Michael Turner on third and one, and then stopped Matt Ryan on fourth and one to get Eli and the offense the ball.

In the third quarter, with the Giants leading 10-2, Matt Ryan connected with Roddy White for 14 yards, setting up another fourth and one for Atlanta. The Giants D stuffed Matt Ryan for the second time in the game, and gave the momentum back to the Giants who went on to win 24-2.

7. JPP, Giants stun Cowboys in Dallas


The Giants were all but finished against the Cowboys. They trailed 34-22 with four minutes to play. Manning hit Jake Ballard for a touchdown and cut the lead to 34-29.

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On a third and five, Tony Romo overthrew a wide open Miles Austin, and it forced the Cowboys to punt. Manning was at it again and he led the Giants down to the Cowboys one yard line with just over a minute left. Brandon Jacobs scored two plays later, and the Giants converted on the two-point conversion.

Romo led the Cowboys down the field, and gave the Cowboys a chance to tie the game at 37. Kicker Dan Bailey hit the 47 yard field goal attempt, but the refs blew the play dead for a timeout by Tom Coughlin and the Giants.

Bailey's next attempt would be blocked by Jason Pierre-Paul and would preserve a 37-34 victory for the Giants. The win tied the Giants with the Cowboys atop the division, and keep their playoff hopes alive.


6. Giants win the NFC East, get into playoffs (Week 17)


 It was a do or die game for the Giants and Cowboys. The winner would take the NFC East title and get into the playoffs. The Giants got off to a fast start, with the help a 74 yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Victor Cruz. Ahmad Bradshaw scored twice, one rushing and one receiving, and the Giants held a commanding 21-0 lead.

The Cowboys fought back to cut the lead to 21-14, but the Giants answered scoring the final 10 points and beat the Cowboys 31-14.

The Giants won the NFC East title and were set to face the Atlanta Falcons the next week at MetLife Stadium.


5. Victor Cruz, enough said

The Giants receiving core consisted of Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, and Domenik Hixon through the first two weeks of the season, but when Hixon went down against the Rams with a torn ACL, the Giants looked to UMass grad Victor Cruz. It did not take long for Cruz to have an impact for the Giants. The next week Cruz caught two touchdown passes from Manning in the Giants 29-16 win over the division favorite Philadelphia Eagles. The next week Cruz made a circus catch in double coverage against the Seattle Seahawks, and flashed his salsa dance for the first time in front of the home crowd.

Cruz finished the season with 82 catches for 1,536 yards, and 9 touchdowns.

4. Jaqcuian Williams strips Kyle Williams (NFC Championship)

The Giants and San Francisco 49ers were tied at 17 in overtime of the NFC Championship game. The Niners punt returner, Ted Ginn, was not available so backup Kyle Williams was the man. Earlier in the game Kyle Williams let a bouncing ball deflect off his leg, and it was recovered by the Giants, and led to a Giants touchdown.

Now in overtime, Kyle Williams caught the ball and tried to run before securing the ball. Rookie Jacquian Williams stuck his hand in and knocked the ball loose before it was secured. Devin Thomas jumped on the loose ball and the Giants were on the San Francisco 24 yard line.

Four plays later Lawrence Tynes kicked a 31 yard field goal and sent the Giants to the Super Bowl, just like he did four years ago.

3. Victor Cruz 99 yard TD catch (Week 16)


The Giants were facing off with the rival New York Jets, who they share the stadium with, and the game had an impact on both teams playoff hopes.

The Giants were trailing 7-3 in the second quarter, and were facing a third and long on their own one yard line. Eli Manning found Victor Cruz for a ten yard completion, but Cruz wasn't done. Cruz changed direction on Jets corner back Antonio Cromartie, and was off to the races. Cruz took it to the house for a 99 yard touchdown that gave the Giants the lead for good, and the Giants won 29-14.

From that play on, the Giants began a run that would take them all the way through the playoffs, and into the Superbowl.

2. "The Catch II" Manning to Manningham (Super Bowl XLVI) 

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With the Giants trailing the Patriots 17-15 with under four minutes in the fourth quarter, it was up to Eli Manning to lead another game-winning drive. The Giants were backed up on their own 10 yard line when Manning dropped back to pass. He looked right, saw nothing, came back left and let one go down the sideline for Mario Manningham. The ball was thrown where only Manningham could catch it, and Manningham did while keeping both feet in bounds.

The 38 yard pass set the Giants up for the eventual game-winning score in Super Bowl XLVI, and will now be known by Giants fans as "The Catch II".

The Manningham catch came four years after Manning hit Tyree in Super Bowl XLII for one of the greatest catches in Superbowl history.

1. Giants win their fourth Lombardi Trophy


The Giants completed their improbable run by winning their fourth Super Bowl in team history. The Giants defeated Tom Brady and the New England Patriots for the second time in four years, and Eli Manning left no doubt that he is an elite quarterback with his second Super Bowl MVP trophy.

The Giants scored with just under a minute left to take 21-17 lead over the Patriots. Tom Brady led the Patriots out to the 50 yard line with enough time for one more play. Brady hoisted the ball towards the end zone, and the Giants knocked the ball down and sealed the victory.

Head Coach Tom Coughlin preached one word to his team all year "finish", and thats what the Giants did. The Giants ended the season, including playoffs, on a six game win streak and won seven of their last eight to capture the Lombardi Trophy.

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New York Giants Select RB David Wilson

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With the 32^nd pick in the First Round of the 2012 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected Running Back, David Wilson of Virginia Tech.  The Giants were in need of a running back after Brandon Jacobs left this off-season and signed with the San Francisco 49ers, so drafting Wilson not only added talent but filled a need.  This is the earliest the Giants have taken a running back since drafting Ron Dayne out of Wisconsin in the first round in 2000.

Wilson is 5’9” tall and weighs 206 pounds.  Wilson has big-play ability, which is something the Giants rushing game sorely lacked this past season.  He had runs of 51, 68 and 57yards long in the last three seasons at Virginia Tech.  Another thing the Giants liked is the overall production Wilson had.  Last season he ran for 1,709 yards and nine touchdowns, breaking the 100 yard mark in 10 separate games, tying the Virginia Tech single-season record.  He also added 22 receptions of out the backfield for 129 yards and a touchdown.  All in all, Wilson ended the season with 2,253 all purpose yards and was a first team All-American. 

That may be what the Giants actually covet most and could be the big reason why the Giants selected Wilson.  He is a more than capable return man, going for 1,324 kickoff return yards and two touchdowns in his three years at Virginia Tech.  Wilson offers the Giants another option to the backfield and can bring some excitement to the return game as well, two areas in which the team struggled in last season. 

Wilson should be able to come in and compete for the backup job behind starter Ahmad Bradshaw right away.  He provides the team with depth and more insurance incase Bradshaw is unable to make it through the season and his feet begin to act up again.  The potential is there for Wilson to be very successful with the Giants as the main backup option and primary kick returner. 

There are some things that Wilson will have to work on, as like any rookie coming into the NFL out of college.  As Tom Coughlin said, “Needs some work in some of the other areas – pass protection and that kind of thing, as do a lot of these young guys.  And also the question comes up about ball security and we’ll remind him of that right away.” Wilson’s had problems with sometimes holding onto the ball, fumbling seven times last year, losing the ball four of the times.  Luckily for him, Coughlin has been pretty good at fixing that problem with running backs in the past.

“He’s the kind of guy that we felt would add very much to our present situation in terms of big play potential,” Coughlin said.  “He’s one of the guys that has the speed and maneuverability to make the big play and that’s what was very important to us at this time.”

“We’re looking at the fact that Brandon [Jacobs] is no longer here and we do have to try to balance that out,” Coughlin would later add.  “We believe that you do have to have multiple runners or at least two that can effectively take the field at any time, and this young man we thought was one of those that can be a big play threat.”

Jerry Reese would admit that there were many options available for the Giants when they were on the clock that they were not expecting to be there.  But he was quick to say that Wilson was their guy.  They had him as the second rated running back behind Trent Richardson and when their pick came around Wilson’s name was atop the board.  Reese seemed to be very happy with the pick while being interviewed afterwards.  “

“Terrific football player,” Reese said.  “This guy loves to play football.  He is fast, he is productive, he can do anything you want him to do.  He can catch the ball and return kicks.  He is a good piece to put in our running back stable.” 

There are not many people who can rival the athleticism of Wilson, who is able to do more than a dozen back flips.  The Giants actually have one of the few people who can in Jason Pierre-Paul who is a renowned acrobat in his own right.  The Giants have fared pretty well so far with Pierre-Paul and can only hope Wilson can bring the same type of impact. 

Here are the videos of Wilson and Pierre-Paul showing off their athleticism.  

New York Giants Draft Preview: Running Back

This is the second installment in the series of posts breaking down the Giants position by position for the upcoming NFL Draft.  The next position up is Running Back.

At Running Back, the Giants depth chart currently includes Ahmad Bradshaw, D.J. Ware, Da’Rel Scott, Andre Brown and Henry Hynoski.

Last season the running game for the Giants was non-existent, finishing with 1,427 yards, which was the least in the NFL.  The outlook for the Giants running game is murky currently with Brandon Jacobs leaving in free agency and Andre Brown being suspended for the first four games of the upcoming season.  It also does not help that Bradshaw received an injection to help the healing process of the fracture he has in his ankle.  Bradshaw says he is capable of a bigger work load with Jacobs leaving town, but it is one thing to say something; showing it is a whole different case.  Bradshaw has surgically repaired feet and ankles and can break down at any second. 

Ware got sporadic playing time last season, seeing his most action in garbage time.  Ware was also seen a lot for draw plays and on screen passes. 

Scott was a burner at Maryland University and has shown that speed in the action he has gotten in pre-season games.  The coaching staff though does not have trust in him, something he will have to earn if he wants to get some serious playing time that means something in the regular season.  Scott making the team was impressive enough as a 7^th round pick.  Without much of an off-season to work on his game because of the lockout I give Scott kudos for making the team at all and being talked about now.  He will be given all the opportunities to make a positive impression on the coaching staff this time around. 

The Giants drafted Brown in the 4^th round out of North Carolina State in the 2009 NFL Draft.  The Giants like the skills Brown brings to the table, but will be without him for the first four games of the season as he serves his suspension because he violated the league’s policy on performance enhancing substances. 

Hynoski was a nice surprise for the Giants last season.  He was yet another shrewd move by GM Jerry Reese, adding Hynoski as an undrafted free agent during the off-season.  Hynoski should only improve as a blocker going into his second season.  What the real surprise was the hands he has coming out of the backfield.  As the season wore on, Hynoski showed good hands coming out of the backfield as a safety option for Eli Manning.

Running Back is an interesting position for the Giants heading into the draft.  They need to prepare themselves in case Ware and Scott are not ready or capable of increased roles in the offense.  They could, at the very least, take a running back to groom, much like the same situation they can have at Quarterback.  Bradshaw is a huge injury risk as well, so they need to protect themselves in case an injury occurs to their starting running back.  Tom Coughlin likes the speed and power combo Bradshaw and Jacobs provides, but there are not many running backs that are 6’4 and 265 pounds like Jacobs available. 

The last time the Giants selected a running back in the draft was last year, 2011, when they selected Scott in the 7^th round.  Do not be surprised if the Giants snag a running back this year as well.  It is not the Giants M.O. to spend high picks on running backs, (Ron Dayne was selected in the first round by the Giants in 2000.  Since then, they have not selected a running back higher than the 4^th round) instead finding gems later in the draft like Bradshaw (7^th round pick) and Jacobs (4^th round pick). 

Some names to keep an eye on are David Wilson of Virginia Tech and Lamichael James of Oregon.  Both are explosive runners who could be available when the Giants turn to pick comes around in the 2^nd round.  The Giants strategy is usually to take the best player available, but this is definitely a need position for them this season.  With so much uncertainty surrounding the backfield, I would put the necessity of adding a running back at 9 on a scale of 1-10 for the Giants. 

Five Giants Games to Keep Your Eyes On

With the Giants being the reigning Super Bowl champs, every team will be gunning for them.  They also have the toughest schedule in the NFL this upcoming season, so every game will be important for the Giants in their quest to repeat as champs. 

Like every year, divisional games will be crucial.  The Giants get right into divisional play on opening night against the Dallas Cowboys week 1 at MetLife Stadium.  Much like last season, winning the NFC East may be the route to the postseason for the Giants.  Handling business in division is something that playoff teams and Super Bowl contenders do season in and season out. 

Another crucial game for the Giants this season is against the New Orleans Saints during a daunting December stretch of games.  No one is sure how the Saints will look by that time though because of the limbo the franchise is currently in stemming from the Bounty Scandal and the breaking news of potential wiretapping being done by GM Mickey Loomis.  One thing we know for sure is that the Saints will be without mastermind Head Coach Sean Payton.  With that being said, here are five games to keep and eye on and circle on your calendars.

Week 6, Sunday October 14^th @San Francisco 49ers

The Giants return to the Bay Area to play against the 49ers for the 3^rd time in the last 2 seasons. The Giants lost there in the regular season 27-20, but won the NFC Championship Game there on the road to the Super Bowl 20-17 in overtime.  The 49ers will be playing some familiar faces to Giants fans, as the 49ers now employ Mario Manningham and Brandon Jacobs on their offense.  Last year both meetings went down to the wire and were hard fought games that could have gone either way.  This also is the first game in an 11 game stretch in which the Giants will play post season participants last season or division foes.

Week 9, Sunday November 4^th vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

This match-up pits two of the most respected franchises in the NFL against each other.  Any game that includes a Super Bowl winning quarterback starting for both teams is a big game.  It is also a big game because those two quarterbacks, Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger were selected in same draft so they will forever be linked together.  It is also an opportunity to see where the Giants offense is at going up against one of the best defensive units in the NFL.  This game against the Steelers is the first of what is yet another tough November and December for the Giants. 

Week 12, Sunday November 25^th vs. Green Bay Packers

The past two Super Bowl champs meet up for a second consecutive season in the regular season at MetLife Stadium in a Sunday Night Football primetime game.  Last years regular season meeting was a shoot-out with the Packers coming away with the victory 38-35.  The Giants, however, came away with the win in the more important playoff game, shocking the Packers in Lambeau Field in the divisional playoff round handily 37-20.  It will be a tough task for the Giants defense to hold Aaron Rodgers in check for two games in a row. 

Week 15, Sunday December 16^th @ Atlanta Falcons

Yet another rematch from the playoffs last year, the Giants will pay a visit to the Falcons. The Giants dominated the NFC Wildcard game last postseason, dismantling the Falcons 24-2.  This time around it will be a much more difficult match-up outside the friendly confines of MetLife Stadium and visiting the Georgia Dome.  This game is the third-to-last game of the season for the Giants, so winning could be very important in fighting for a playoff spot or for positioning.  This is the first of two very difficult back-to-back road games as the Giants will visit the Baltimore Ravens the following week in what has the potential to either be season defining or season ruining games. 

Week 17, Sunday December 30^th vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Since taking over as Commissioner Roger Goodell has made it a point to have meaningful games throughout the season.  The solution to this was having divisional games for every team the last week of the season.  Last year the Giants faced the Cowboys for the NFC East title on the last weekend of the season, and it is very possible they could be heading for the same thing this season.  Having the hardest schedule in the NFL, it is conceivable that winning the division may be the route the Giants take into the playoffs.  Beating the Eagles would go a long way in helping that cause, especially at home.  It would be a nice victory for the Giants haven’t beaten the Eagles at home since 2007.  We all remember what happened when the NFC East title was on the line in 2010 when the Eagles visited the Giants.     

New York Giants Start to Free Agency

There was a ton of euphoria surrounding the Giants following their rousing Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots for the 2nd time in 4 years. Eventually you have to move on and start focusing on next season. That time is now for the New York Giants. 


Tuesday, March 13, the free agency period will open up in the NFL and players will begin flooding the waiver wire and open market. But for certain teams, like the Giants, tough decisions and hard work are already being put in before free agency begins. 


The Giants have over 20 free agents, and it will be impossible to retain all of them, so they will have to pick and choose smartly which players are worthy of keeping, and which they will need to let go and eventually replace. The Giants have already re-signed Wide Receiver Domenick Hixon, who is coming off his second ACL tear in back-to-back years, Cornerback Bruce Johnson, who is coming off an ACL tear suffered in the pre-season, and Tight End Jake Ballard, who suffered an ACL tear during the Super Bowl. 


One player who may not be lucky enough to return is Wide Receiver Mario Manningham. After having a so-so season, dealing with multiple injuries, Manningham may have priced himself out of the Giants price range because of his performance in the Super Bowl and throughout the playoffs. There have been conflicting reports as to the percent chances that Manningham is leaving, but general consensus is that Manningham will leave because he believes he is worth top receiver money, and the Giants will need to find a way to pay Wide Receivers Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz in the next two off-seasons. 


To free up some cap space, the Giants and Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning agreed to a restructuring of his contract. They were $9 million over the cap at one point, according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter. But Reese the restructuring of Eli Manning's contract has given them some relief; approximately $6.75 million in cap space according to reports. Manning's base salary is now $1.75 million, down from $10.75 million, according to the NFL Players Association. The franchise quarterback will still get all of that money with $9 million of that $10.75 million being paid up front and guaranteed according to the Newark Star-Ledger. Manning's 2012 cap number counts for $9.6 million now, down from $16.35 million according to the New York Daily News. 


Restructuring Eli’s contract alone will not get the Giants the cap relief they need, so other tough decisions needed to be done. Some high profile moves the Giants made were releasing long-time Giants Brandon Jacobs and Kareem McKenzie. The Giants and Jacobs could not agree to a restructured contract, ending his seven year tenure with the team. The Giants were going to be on the hook for a 4.9 million dollar base salary and $500,000 roster bonus, so releasing Jacobs saved the Giants $5million in cap. Just like in years past, the Giants are taking the approach to add younger talent to the offensive line, telling Kareem McKenzie that he can go shopping to find a new team. McKenzie joined the Giants after 4 years with the New York Jets, and was a very important piece to both Super Bowl victories. Giant fans will miss McKenzie, who was both a warrior and mentor on the field for eight seasons.