New York Giants fans might see some familiar faces on the sidelines at this Sunday’s Super Bowl between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 49ers have three ex-Giants on their roster, but only kicker Robbie Gould is active. He kicked for Big Blue in 10 games during the 2016 season. The other two players — defensive end Damontre Moore and center Weston Richburg — are on injured reserve.
Linebacker Joey Alfieri spent this past summer with the Giant at training camp and was released before the season. He is now on the Niners’ practice squad.
The Chiefs do not have any ex-Giants on their roster, but as a side note, Pat Shurmur’s son, Kyle — a quarterback — is on their practice squad.
Kansas City does have three ex-Giants coaches on Andy Reid’s staff starting with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Spags served two stints as the Giants’ defensive coordinator. The first was under Tom Coughlin from 2007-2008, leading the Giants’ defense in their Super Bowl XLII victory over the undefeated New England Patriots.
Spagnuolo’s second stint was under Coughlin again from 2015 and stayed on after Ben McAdoo took over in 2016. Spags was named interim head coach when McAdoo was fired late in the 2017 season.
Dave Merritt is the Chiefs’ defensive backs coach. Merritt was a long-time Giants assistant under Tom Coughlin and then Ben McAdoo, sticking with the Giants from 2004-2017. He coached the Arizona Cardinals’ defensive backs in 2018 before joining Reid in Kansas City this season.
Sam Madison was a 12-year NFL veteran who played his first nine seasons for the Dolphins in Miami before signing with the Giants in 2006. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro with Miami, but his biggest moment came in Blue as a key member of the Giants’ secondary in their Super Bowl XLII drive.
The 49ers have one coach with a Giants connection and it’s only because he’s a local product — offensive quality control coach Miles Austin, a Summit, New Jersey native who played his college ball at Monmouth. Austin, a wide receiver, played eight seasons for the Dallas Cowboys from 2006-13, making the Pro Bowl twice.
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