Tag: Michael Strahan

Michael Strahan amused that Jon Runyan has to root for Giants

Michael Strahan is delighted that his long-time rival and friend, Jon Runyan, now has to root for the New York Giants.

It’s no secret by now that New York Giants Hall of Fame defensive end Michael Strahan and former Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jon Runyan are long-time friends.

It didn’t start out that way. The two men were fierce rivals on the field with Runyon charged with keeping Strahan off Donovan McNabb’s back.

Strahan recently told Giants.com’s Michael Eisen the story of how their friendship was forged back in 2002 at the Pro Bowl by Runyan’s wife, Loretta.

“We’re hanging out by the pool, and there’s this nice lady talking to me,” Strahan said. “She said, ‘You should meet my husband. There’s just families hanging out.’ And I’m like, ‘Okay, I’ll meet your husband.’ Freaking Jon Runyan. It was his wife (Loretta). She set me up.

“I’d never had a conversation with him, never desired to. We literally talked there, and from then on, I could play tough and hard against him, but I couldn’t hate him. I had to channel something else besides thinking I had to hate the guy to play well against him because he’s such a nice guy, such a good guy, and his wife was such a sweetheart. I can’t hate this guy.”

Runyan was mentioned in Strahan’s Hall of Fame acceptance speech, an event in which Runyon — and his son, Jon Jr. — attended.

This week, when the Giants signed Jon Runyan Jr. to a free agent contract, the relationship came ‘full circle’ as the younger Runyon stated.

Strahan got a kick out of his old team adding the son of his nemesis/friend this week.

“One of my favorite things is knowing that Jon Runyan has to root for the Giants,” Strahan said, laughing. “That was the first thing that came to my mind, ‘Thank God, now Jon has to actually root for the Giants. This is going to be awesome.'”

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See it: Rangers honor Giants legends with Stadium Series goalie helmets

The New York Rangers will honor a pair of New York Giants legends with custom helmets for the 2024 NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium.

The New York Rangers will take on the New York Islanders in the 2024 NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

For the Rangers, history is on the table. They are 4-0 in their outdoor games and with a win over the Islanders, they would become the first team to ever win five straight in such a setting.

Given the unique nature and location of the game, the Rangers ordered up new goalie helmets and drew inspiration from their surroundings.

Jonathan Quick will honor New York Giants legends Lawrence Taylor and Michael Strahan with a beautiful airbrush.

Check it out:

Taylor is, of course, the greatest defensive player of all time — someone who revolutionized the game of football and how offensive game plans are designed.

Strahan was a game-changing defender in his own right, holding down the defensive end position for the Giants over a span of 15 years. He set the all-time single-season sacks record with 22.5 in 2001 (later tied by T.J. Watt).

Combined, Taylor and Strahan have three Super Bowl rings and four NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards.

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Peter King names 8 Giants to his All-Time 53-Man Roster

8 former members of the New York Giants were named to Peter King’s All-Time 53-Man roster, including a few surprises.

The NFL offseason is a relatively dry time for content and that leads to a number of odd projects and fantasy scenarios.

Peter King of NBC Sports recently took on one of those exercises and compiled an All-Time 53-Man roster. What makes this roster unique is that it’s not made up of the best players of all time but rather, the best team players of all time.

King broke things down by position and his depth guys were true depth guys. His special teams players were true special teams players.

And in total, eight former members of the New York Giants were among the 53.

Michael Strahan: ‘No way’ Giants beat 2007 Patriots in playoff series

Retired New York Giants legend Michael Strahan says there’s “no way” they could’ve beaten the 2007 New England Patriots in a playoff series.

It’s been a long time since the New York Giants had a decent run in the postseason. The last time was back when Tom Coughlin was in charge.

There have been other appearances, but he was the last one to win a Super Bowl. Not only that, but he managed to beat the New England Patriots twice, something no other coach has done in the Bill Belichick era.

One of Coughlin’s best players was former defensive end Michael Strahan. He didn’t take part in the 2011 victory but was part of the 2007 team that earned Eli Manning his first Super Bowl ring.

Strahan recently appeared on the Let’s Go! podcast with former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to discuss that particular game. During the conversation, Strahan revealed that he didn’t think the Giants could have defeated the Patriots in a series of games.

“Beating you guys in the Super Bowl, I’ve never been that exhausted in my life. Ever. When they say leave it on the field, it was nothing left,” said Strahan. “That last pass rush I had, that was like, not even fumes in the tank. You guys were so good, and we were just a bunch of guys who were just happy not to be home because we didn’t want our story to end.

“We didn’t want our togetherness to end because we loved being around each other so much. I always say, the great thing about football, you just got to win one. You don’t have to win one out of three, one out of five, one out of seven. There’s no way we would have done that against you guys. No way.”

There’s a reason football games are one-and-done, though. It would be incredibly taxing on the players to have a series of games to play in the postseason. And it’s clearly a good thing that they don’t play series’ in the NFL, or the Giants might not have those Super Bowl wins at all.

The good news is, they do have those wins and Tom Coughlin remains one of the greatest Giants’ head coaches of all time. And the Giants got to ruin the Patriots’ season on two separate occasions — including that not-so-perfect run in 2007.

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Michael Strahan says ‘no way’ Giants beat 2007 Patriots in playoff series

Michael Strahan admits playing the 2007 Patriots in a playoff series would have been a different ending

The New York Giants needed their best game to spoil the perfect ending for the unbeaten New England Patriots at Super Bowl XLII.

It came down to one team playing their best football on one night. That team ended up being the Giants, who pulled off one of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history to knock off the Tom Brady-led Patriots, 17-14.

Former Giants defensive end and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan joined former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on the “Let’s Go!” podcast and talked about the historic championship game.

Strahan claimed he left everything on the field in that game, and he also admitted there’s “no way” the Giants would have beaten the 2007 Patriots team in a playoff series.

“Beating you guys in the Super Bowl, I’ve never been that exhausted in my life, ever. When they say leave it on the field, it was nothing left,” said Strahan. “That last pass rush I had, that was like, not even fumes in the tank. You guys were so good, and we were just a bunch of guys who were just happy not to be home because we didn’t want our story to end.

“We didn’t want our togetherness to end because we loved being around each other so much. I always say, the great thing about football, you just got to win one. You don’t have to win one out of three, one out of five, one out of seven. There’s no way we would have done that against you guys. No way.”

The Giants squeezed into the postseason as a fifth seed with a 10-6 record in the 2007 season. It was a true David versus Goliath story with them going head-to-head with the 16-0 Patriots.

Granted, the Patriots had multiple opportunities to close out the game to the point that it still sickens fans to this day. But at the same time, you have to tip your cap to the Giants for making the crucial plays down the stretch to pull off the upset.

If not for the Giants, who also beat New England at Super Bowl XLVI, Brady would have nine Super Bowl rings, and the Patriots’ organization would have eight.

If you weren’t sick before, that one is sure to do it for you.

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Michael Strahan’s daughter, Isabella, reveals brain cancer battle

Isabella, the daughter of New York Giants legend Michael Strahan, emotionally revealed her ongoing battle with brain cancer on Thursday.

Isabella, the 19-year-old daughter of New York Giants legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Michael Strahan, revealed her battle with brain cancer on Thursday.

Sitting next to her father during an appearance on Good Morning America, Isabella recalled her Medulloblastoma diagnosis in October 2023.

“I’m feeling good, not too bad. I’m very excited for this whole process to wrap but you just have to keep living every day through the whole thing,” she said, via the New York Post.

Isabella underwent brain surgery shortly after the diagnosis last October followed by six weeks of radiation treatments. She began chemotherapy at Duke University, where her sister attends, in February.

In partnership with Duke Children’s Hospital & Health Center, Isabella is launching a YouTube channel to chronicle her cancer battle, hoping to lift the spirits of others dealing with similar health issues.

“With my platform, I hope to just kind of be a voice and be a person who people who maybe are going through something similar, going through chemotherapy or radiation, can look at and just hear and just watch, or find something interesting about their day,” he said. “I’m just excited for that.”

The emotional Isabella, a model, began to tear up at points during her story, drawing a supportive reaction from her father.

“I know she’s going through it, but I know that we’re never given more than we can handle,” Strahan said. “She is going to crush this.

“I know this has been tough, but you keep living Isabella. We love you. We’re here for you and you got this.”

Strahan was absent for “personal family matters” for several weeks in October and November but never revealed the cause upon his return to GMA. Now the world knows.

Giants Nation offers their love, support, and prayers to Isabella, Michael, and the entire Strahan family.

Snoop Dogg’s Amazon Prime flick ‘Underdoggs’ has football royalty, including Deion Sanders and Michael Strahan

Snoop Dogg, hilarious one-liners and football? Sign us up.

Snoop Dogg is a national treasure.

If you’ve been paying attention over the last few months, Snoop has been turning heads across the internet in the best possible. As a lyrical connoisseur, he made the bold decision to partner with Chris Stapleton earlier this year to reimagine the Monday Night Football theme song.

Then, he followed that up by doing perhaps the most Snoop Dogg thing ever. In a stroke of pure genius, he absolutely nailed his new campaign with Solo Stove by telling his fans he was “giving up smoke.” The news left his supporters reeling for several days, only for him to announce in November that the move was related to smokeless firepits.

Now, he’s back with more jokes in a new movie called The Underdoggs, a comedy that loosely pays tribute to Snoop’s work as a youth football coach in Long Beach, California.

On Wednesday, Amazon Prime dropped the trailer, and it looks glorious.

(Warning: NSFW language.)

The movie debuts on January 26, 2024, and includes a star-studded supporting cast with Mike Epps, Andrew Schultz, Tika Sumpter and George Lopez.

It also features cameos by Deion Sanders, Michael Strahan and the Fox NFL studio team.

Giants legend Michael Strahan named to Senior Bowl 75th Anniversary Team

New York Giants legend Michael Strahan has been named to the Reese’s Senior Bowl 75th Anniversary Team.

The Reese’s Senior Bowl has taken place annually in Mobile, Alabama since 1948. The longest continual-running all-star game has produced 100 draft picks each of the last four years.

It is widely regarded as the top all-star game each year, and the 2024 season will commemorate the 75th Reese’s Senior Bowl with a highly regarded 75th Anniversary team.

The theme for the 75th Anniversary will be “The Legends Return,” which is evidenced in the selection of players named to the team.

Included in the roster are Hall of Famers, former NFL players who have won MVP awards, former players who were First- and Second-Team All-Pro selections, and various Player of the Year selections.

Retired New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan is on this list, which is unsurprising to anyone who follows the Giants.

Strahan’s illustrious career spanned 15 years and earned him a slew of accolades. Super Bowl Champion. Four-time First-Team All-Pro. Two-time Second-Team All-Pro. Defensive Player of the Year. Seven-time Pro Bowler. And that’s just a few.

During his tenure in New York, Strahan racked up 854 tackles, 141.5 sacks, four interceptions, and 24 forced fumbles. He is currently tied with T.J. Watt for most sacks in a single season with 22.5, and he led the league in sacks for two seasons while active.

The 75th Anniversary Reese’s Senior Bowl Team will commemorate these players at halftime on February 24, 2024.

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ESPN lists 2 Giants pass rushers among the best of all-time

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently listed the NFL’s all-time best pass rushers by year and 2 New York Giants made the cut.

The New York Giants have had plenty of great players on the defensive side of the ball throughout their history. During all four of their Super Bowl runs, pass rushers are who stole the show.

Last week, ESPN listed the best pass-rushers of all-time, ranking one player per year and two of the Giants’ most famous pass rushers made the list.

Lawrence Taylor, whom many consider the greatest defensive player of all-time, made the list for the years of 1981-1986.

1981-86: Lawrence Taylor, Giants

Taylor was both Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 1981, when he helped a Giants defense that had been 27th in points allowed jump to third in one season. He was Defensive Player of the Year again in 1982 and won the award again in 1986, becoming the second and most recent defender to win league MVP honors in the process.

To put Taylor’s performance in context, I’ll remind you of what coach Bill Belichick said about him in talking to ESPN’s Mike Reiss: “I’ve been fortunate to coach a lot of great, great defensive players,” Belichick said, “but when you talk about Lawrence Taylor, now that’s a whole different conversation. I mean, honestly, he could have played any position on defense except corner. He probably could have played corner, too, but safety, linebacker, inside, outside, defensive end, defensive tackle. He played nose guard at North Carolina, so put him wherever you want.”

There were players who might have competed with Taylor during this stretch. Mark Gastineau led the league with 19 sacks in 1983 and then hit 22 sacks in 1984, setting an NFL record that stood for more than a decade. Richard Dent had consecutive 17-sack seasons in 1984 and 1985 for the Bears, who fielded what might have been the best defense in NFL history during the latter season. Even given how productive those players were, though, the majority of NFL observers at the time would have suggested that the Jets and Bears would have improved if Taylor replaced Gastineau or Dent in the lineup. There was just no replacing Taylor.

There is no surprise here as Taylor was by far the most feared defensive player during his time in the league. In his prime there was no one better.

Meanwhile, Michael Strahan was listed for his record breaking 2001season when he set the single-season sack record.

2001: Michael Strahan, Giants

Yes, once upon a time, before he became a television star and morning personality, Strahan was a pretty good football player! It looked like he had peaked with a 15-sack season in 1998, but then came 2001. He was off the scoresheet for the first two weeks of the season but got going fast. He racked up 15 sacks over his next seven games, including a three-sack effort against the Saints and a four-bagger against the Rams.

Strahan’s final sack of that record-setting season might be infamous, given that quarterback Brett Favre seemed to go down innocuously under pressure from an unblocked Strahan. Politely, I’ll just suggest most quarterbacks in their right minds would take a knee against an unblocked Strahan and call it a day as opposed to trying to take on a dominant edge rusher. Even if you want to paint his single-season record with an asterisk, he still managed 22.5 sacks. No other Giants player had more than six.

Strahan’s 22.5 sack total still stands as the most in a single season despite the NFL moving to a 17-game season in 2021. Strahan did make the list again for his 2003 campaign.

2003: Michael Strahan, Giants

Strahan took back the belt in 2003 with an 18.5-sack campaign on a downright miserable Giants team. In a year in which they won four games, faced only 519 pass attempts and didn’t have a single other defensive player with more than 5.5 sacks, he routinely took on double-teams and still managed to consistently make plays. While 2001 was about Strahan taking over a handful of games, 2003 was about consistency. He had 12 different games with at least one sack, a figure that tied him for the league record at the time. (It has since been topped, including once by a player who will later appear on this list.)

This was Strahan’s last dominant season; he missed half of 2004 after tearing a pectoral muscle on his right side and was further sidelined by a right foot ailment in 2006. He considered retiring after the season before returning for one final campaign in 2007. Of course, he made the right choice, as he went off into the sunset, having helped the Giants upset the previously undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

Both Strahan and Taylor are in the Hall of Fame for their accolades after spending the entirety of their NFL careers with Big Blue. They were most certainly two of the best pass rushers in the league during their prime and rightfully earned a spot on the list.

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Michael Strahan expects strong second year from Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux

Retired New York Giants legend Michael Strahan expects big things out of Kayvon Thibodeaux in his second season.

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During the 2022 NFL draft, the New York Giants made it clear that bolstering the defense was a priority by drafting linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux with the fifth overall pick.

Along with some other strategic decisions by the new front office, the 2022 season was largely a success for the Giants.

At first, it seemed uncertain that Thibodeaux would live up to his hype. But he ended the season with 49 tackles (33 solo), two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown), 13 quarterback hits and four sacks. Only Dexter Lawrence had more quarterback hits than Thibodeaux.

Thibodeaux not only made an impact last season, but we learned that there would be more to come from this young player. He showed promise, untapped potential that has yet to come to fruition. But it’s coming, according to retired Giants legend Michael Strahan.

It’s a long way from four sacks to 10 in the NFL, but Strahan knows a thing or two about playing defense in the NFL. If he’s seeing enough out of Thibodeaux to make this prediction now, then who knows what he’s really going to be capable of.

It’s going to be fun to watch.

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