Tag: Dave Tollefson

Lawrence Tynes: Eli Manning more qualified for Canton than Aaron Rodgers

Lawrence Tynes believes retired New York Giants QB Eli Manning is a “more qualified Hall of Famer” than Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.

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During the latter part of Eli Manning’s career, the debate started over whether or not the two-time Super Bowl champion would get the nod to be inducted into the Hall of Fame when he was eligible. Now, with his playing days in the rearview mirror, the debate continues.

While some of Manning’s accolades certainly put him in the conversation, many “Eli-haters” get stuck on his .500 record and usually fall back on the “well, if you take away the two Super Bowls” argument.

One of Manning’s former New York Giants teammates, kicker Lawrence Tynes, believes Eli happens to be more qualified for the Hall of Fame than a quarterback who will very likely get in on the first ballot: Aaron Rodgers.

The former kicker’s tweet came following an early exit for the top-seeded Packers in the divisional round of this years playoffs, which included the a sub-par performance by Rodgers.

Tynes had another former teammate, Dave Tollefson, step in and offer some support for the argument.

Certainly, nobody is suggesting that Manning is more talented than Rodgers. However, in a game played to achieve the ultimate prize of winning a Super Bowl, Manning has two Super Bowl rings to Rodger’s one ring.

Manning’s postseason resume is impressive and includes one win at Lambeau Field over the Rodgers-led Green Bay Packers on their way to Super Bowl XLVI. However, Manning’s more impressive Super Bowl run was the earlier of the two when the Giants took down the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

When it’s all said and done, Manning will likely get the nod but the question is more how many years will it take.

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Ex-Giants take issue with 2007 Patriots being named one of best teams of century

Several retired New York Giants got a chuckle out of the 2007 New England Patriots being named one of the best teams of the century.

The 2007 New England Patriots were absolutely perfect. Until they weren’t.

Everyone knows the story by now… The Bill Belichick-coached, Tom Brady-led Patriots went 16-0 in the regular before ripping off three playoff wins to reach Super Bowl XLII where they would meet the New York Giants and easily take home the Lombardi Trophy.

Of course, that’s not how things played out.

After showing the Patriots they could hang during an electric Week 17 game, the Giants came to party. And party they did, upsetting the perfect Patriots, 17-14, to win their third Super Bowl title and first since 1990.

The win was magical and is still considered one of the greatest upsets of all-time, except to those Giants. They knew they were going to beat New England that day — it was never a question in their mind.

Still, when looking back at some of the greatest teams of the 2000s and some of the greatest teams of the century, the 2007 Patriots often get the nod and the 2007 Giants don’t.

Such was the case earlier this week when Bleacher Report released their list of the 10 best teams of the decade and had the 2007 Patriots sitting pretty at No. 4.

Retired Giants defensive linemen Justin Tuck and Dave Tollefson got a good chuckle out of the whole thing.

The Giants were relentlessly disrespected in 2007 and continue to be more than a decade later. They will never get the recognition they deserve with many passing them off as a “fluke team.”

In the end however, those Giants will forever have the last laugh. No amount of salt or disrespect will change the fact that they stomped Tom Brady and the perfect Patriots out.

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Former Giants DE Dave Tollefson ‘not a fan’ of Jerry Reese, Marc Ross

Retired New York Giants DE Dave Tollefson admits he was “not a fan” of former GM Jerry Reese and his right-hand man, Marc Ross.

Retired defensive end Dave Tollefson helped the New York Giants win two Super Bowl titles from 2007-2012 and was a key role player in their impressive rotation of pass rushers.

Tollefson recorded 10 sacks in five seasons with Big Blue, half of them coming in 2011 when they won Super Bowl XLVI.

Unlike the coaching staff, certain members of the Giants front office did not value what Tollefson brought to the table, specifically former general manager Jerry Reese.

“I am not a big fan of Jerry. I don’t think he liked me and that’s why he signed me to five straight one-year deals. I wasn’t too upset when [Giants ownership] moved on from him,” Tollefson told Giants Wire.

However, Reese wasn’t the only one who questioned Tollefson’s worth. Vice President of Player Evaluation and Reese’s right-hand man, Marc Ross, was not on great terms with the defensive lineman, either.

“Marc used to go around telling people it was going to be easy to take my spot, which I heard from several reputable people in the building,” Tollefson said.

Ross interviewed for the Giants’ general manager job after Reese was let go, but once the team brought in current general manager Dave Gettleman, Ross was let go from the organization.

Since his firing, Ross has appeared numerous times on NFL Network to bash Gettleman, Eli Manning and the Giants organization rather than take any accountability for the disappointing draft classes both he and Reese brought in from 2008-2017.

“When they let us all go after 2011 and 2012, Jerry Reese didn’t give me close to a respectable offer after being third on the team with five sacks,” said Tollefson, who believes the team still had a chance to be playoff contenders had Reese kept the group together for another season or two.

Of course, Tollefson is referring to Reese letting go of some of the key contributors to those winning rosters including himself, Brandon Jacobs, Mario Manningham, Ahmad Bradshaw, Justin Tuck and Chris Canty, among others.

The Giants won two Super Bowls and were consistent playoff contenders from 2005-2012 going a minimum of .500 in each season. Obviously, the group was starting to age by the end of their run, but the cupboard was so bare due to their poor draft classes that they had no one to step up and replace the veterans they moved on from.

Speaking of Manning, Tollefson also expressed his displeasure about how the former regime wasted the two-time Super Bowl MVP’s prime years following Super Bowl XLVI. Tollefson feels the roster they surrounded the quarterback with from 2013-2019 was inexcusable and hurt Manning’s legacy.

The Giants are 51-77 with only one playoff appearance since winning Super Bowl XLVI. The team fired Reese and Ross in 2017 after their questionable draft classes from 2008-2017 and 2016 free agent spending spree left the team lacking depth and paying expensive veterans, who won all of three games in their final season.

The team is now on their fourth head coach since 2015 following Tom Coughlin’s 12-year run in blue.

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