Tag: Phil Simms

14 former Giants among senior nominees for Hall of Fame Class of 2025

14 former New York Giants, including Phil Simms and Carl Banks, are senior nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.

In an effort to correct the sins of the past, the Pro Football Hall of Fame revamped their process when it comes to reconsidering players whose eligibility has expired.

Starting this year, an 11-person panel will review a list of 183 players for consideration for enshrinement. Only three will be nominated for induction in this year’s class.

To be considered in this group, each former player last could have appeared in a professional football game in the 1999 season.

For the New York Giants, there are 14 names up for consideration, including quarterbacks Phil Simms, Charlie Conerly and Jeff Hostetler, running back Ottis Anderson, linebacker Carl Banks and tight end Mark Bavaro who will get another look from voters.

Other Giants on the list include running back Herschel Walker, flanker Homer Jones, end Del Shofner, defensive linemen Rosey Grier and Leonard Marshall, defensive backs Jimmy Patton and Everson Walls, and punter Sean Landeta.

With the Giants celebrating their 100th season this year, it would be fitting if they could land a player on the finalists list later this fall.

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CBS’s NFL studio show had a classy message for former colleagues Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms

What a classy move by CBS’s NFL studio show.

In the hard-nosed world of NFL media, there’s a lot more churn and turnover than you think. This sentiment even applies to the established former professionals who actually played the game at its highest level.

In advance of the 2024 NFL season, CBS restructured its lead studio show, The NFL Today, to include former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and former Houston Texans pass-rusher J.J. Watt. That meant the network said goodbye to long-time panelists and NFL legends Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms, whose respective contracts weren’t renewed.

Before taking a break, host James Brown made sure to acknowledge all the success the show has had by properly shouting out Esiason and Simms’ roles. Naturally, the entire panel agreed that they “missed them” in a classy moment:

 

It’s a cold world out there. But if you’re Esiason and Simms, it’s probably nice knowing your old friends still appreciate you even if you don’t work for them anymore.

Giants’ Daniel Jones might benefit from following Phil Simms’ example

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones could be following the same career path as Giant legend Phil Simms.

One of the biggest questions surrounding the New York Giants as they prepare to open their 2024 training camp is whether or not embattled quarterback Daniel Jones will be ready for the season.

Jones, speaking on the Simms Complete podcast this week with former Giants quarterback Phil Simms and his son, Matt, said he’s ready to hit the comeback trail after missing the last half of 2023 with a torn ACL.

“At this point, I’m doing pretty much everything — running, cutting, everything I need to do,” Jones said, as transcribed by the New York Post. He also intimated that his rehab has been going “smooth” and he had experienced “no setbacks.”

Jones knows this is his last chance to prove himself to Giants management. He’s entering his sixth season and the second since he signed a whopping four-year, $160 million contract extension. It’s now or never for Jones.

“I expect a lot of myself, I expect a lot of the team,” Jones said, “and what’s going on outside that is not necessarily something that is going to drive me.”

The elder Simms is no stranger to what Jones is going through. He struggled through the same type of injuries and underperformance for his first five seasons. It wasn’t until his sixth season that he settled into the job and took the Giants to great heights.

Jones has frustrated his head coach, Brian Daboll, to the point where Daboll has dressed him down publicly on the sidelines. Simms had that happen to him quite often, too. Bill Parcells used to ride Simms pretty hard with one exception — Simms fought back.

“Maybe I’ll try that out. If it doesn’t go well, I’ll tell Dabes it was your idea. … I’ve been coached hard my whole career, and I certainly don’t mind it,” Jones said.

Anything will be better than what happened last year. Jones knows his 2023 was a disaster and that has led to a low confidence level in him heading into this season.

But he’s ready to turn things around. It wasn’t that long ago that Jones had the Giants in the playoffs and flying high.

“We hadn’t played well, and I hadn’t played well,” Jones said of last season, “so it was tough to have to leave it like that.”

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Giants greats Phil Simms, Ron Johnson among 18 inductees for NJHOF’s class of 2024

Former New York Giants greats Phil Simms and Ron Johnson have been named to the New Jersey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.

New York Giants legends Phil Simms and Ron Johnson are among 18 luminaries marked for induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.

Other notables to be inducted along with Simms and Johnson are actress Meryl Streep, actor Paul Rudd, founder and CEO of Jersey Mike’s Subs Peter Cancro, singer-songwriter Lesley Gore, Olympic gold medal figure skater Dick Button, former USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard, author Gay Talese, filmmaker Kevin Smith and Nobel Peace Prize mathematician John Forbes Nash, who was the subject of the award-winning film, “A Beautiful Mind.”

Simms, who was born in Kentucky, has been a New Jerseyan (Franklin Lakes) since being drafted by the New York Giants out of Morehead State in 1979. A quarterback for 15 seasons, he is one the greatest players in team history, leading the Giants to victory in Super Bowl XXI in 1987, their first NFL championship in 30 years.

Johnson was a star running back at Michigan who began his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns but was traded to the Giants in 1970 and became a two-time Pro Bowler and the first giant to ever rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season. He settled in Madison, New Jersey, and lived there until his death in 2018.

Simms and Johnson will be the sixth and seventh members of the Giants family presented for induction, joining Wellington Mara (2012), Harry Carson and Bart Oates (2018), Eli Manning (2019-20), and Tiki Barber (2023).

From the NJHOF:

The Inductees will be honored at the 16th Annual New Jersey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. This year’s ceremony will be a pre-taped television special on location at the 10,000-square-foot New Jersey Hall of Fame at American Dream and other Hall of Fame satellite exhibits. The ceremony will be aired beginning November 13 on Fox 5 My9 and social media. Dozens of Inductee events will be open to the public throughout the year on Inductee birthdays, beginning as early as this summer.

“The 2024 class of Inductees of the New Jersey Hall of Fame illustrate the New Jersey ethic of hard work, determination, and grit,” said Jon F. Hanson, Chairman of the NJHOF. “We are thrilled to celebrate the contributions of 18 new Inductees so future generations can learn about their journeys.”

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Giants great Phil Simms out at CBS Sports after shakeup

After 26 years, New York Giants great Phil Simms is out at CBS Sports following changes to “The NFL Today” crew.

Former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms didn’t disappear from view when he retired from professional football in 1993. No, Simms joined the commentary ranks as a broadcaster, first with ESPN and most recently with CBS.

Simss’ contract with CBS ended this year, and the two sides have decided to split ways.

Simms, who had been with CBS for 26 years, made the announcement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

 

Simms isn’t the only change on “The NFL Today” show as Boomer Esiason is also out with JJ Watt and Matt Ryan joining James Brown, Nate Burleson, and Bill Cowher.

For his part, Esiason signed a long-term contract to stay with WFAN as co-host of the morning show with Gregg Giannotti.

Simms hasn’t announced anything new, but his post indicates that he’s not ready to leave the scene. When the contract conversation started in January, he said he still plans on working on football broadcasting, so expect him to still be on your TV screens this fall.

Prior to joining “The NFL Today,” Simms was with Jim Nantz in the broadcasting booth before he was replaced by Tony Romo in 2017.

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Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms out, JJ Watt and Matt Ryan in on CBS’s The NFL Today

The two Pro Bowl quarterbacks are out at CBS after 48 combined years.

CBS’s bellwether Sunday NFL show is going to look different in 2024. Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms, two longtime standbys for pre- and post-game analysis on The NFL Today, are leaving the network.

Esiason and Simms had spent a combined 48 years at CBS — Esiason 22 and Simms 26. The two former Pro Bowl quarterbacks were reliable fountains of analysis alongside James Brown, Bill Cowher, Nate Burleson and, on a part-time basis, JJ Watt in 2024. In order to fill the voids they’ve left behind, fellow former quarterback Matt Ryan will go from the color commentary side of things to the pre-game show. Watt and Burleson are expected to play larger roles as well.

Here’s what Esiason had to say about his departure:

“I am stepping away from The NFL Today on CBS,” said Esiason on his WFAN radio show. “More their decision than maybe mine. But I really thought the Super Bowl was my swan song and I thought the way CBS handled, especially us in Las Vegas, was amazing.

“I had been there for 22 years. It’s been an unbelievable run for me and I’m so grateful and privileged to have been there for 22 years.”

Simms took to Twitter for a brief confirmation of the news.

The NFL Today will undoubtedly feel different without its wise, occasionally slightly bitter quarterback sages in the middle of the debate. Esiason and Simms brought a certain gravity to the desk, even if the overstuffed nature of ever-expanding studio shows had tamped down their input over the last decade.

Ryan should be able to replicate some of that after a reasonable broadcasting debut last fall. But until we see the new panel in action, it’s hard to know whether this was a necessary step for CBS to move forward or a jump backward for the network’s sports coverage.

Boomer Esiason, Phil Simms out at ‘The NFL Today’ on CBS

Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms are out of ‘The NFL Today’ team at CBS

Broadcasters are not immune to the quarterback carousel.

CBS announced on Monday it was making changes to its “The NFL Today” studio team. A former New York Giant and New York Jets quarterback are out.

Phil Simms and Boomer Esiason will no longer be in the studio for the game-day show.

Replacing them will be former Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan, who officially retired last week but worked games for CBS in 2023.

Phil Simms believes Giants should show patience with Daniel Jones

Phil Simms sees quality starting talent in QB Daniel Jones and believes the New York Giants should continue to show patience with him.

No one knows more about being a struggling quarterback in New York than Giants Ring of Honoree Phil Simms.

Simms was the seventh overall pick in the 1979 NFL draft and it took him practically six whole seasons to finally settle in as the Giants’ starter and begin producing in the manner the club had hoped.

Sound familiar? The Giants hope so. Simms’ NFL journey can be paralleled to that of the teams’ current quarterback, Daniel Jones, who has struggled with injuries and inconsistency in his first five seasons.

It is that journey that has Simms advising both the Giants and Jones to be patient and not do anything rash.

“Unless you are Patrick Mahomes and a few other people, you are going to go through these periods and you just have to fight,” Simms said at the media availability at Super Bowl LVIII on Tuesday, via Newsday.

“Would I have anything to tell Daniel Jones? ‘Hey man, buckle up. It’s going to be rough. Just show how tough you are and do it and just keep working. That’s all you can do.'”

After a grueling start to his career that included crippling injuries, embarrassing outings, and fan resentment, Simms went on to lead the Giants to a Super Bowl championship and have a borderline Hall of Fame career in the process.

He sees Jones as a top talent who could turn things around quickly but he would like to see more energy and leadership out of the former Duke star.

“He definitely has starting NFL talent,” he said. “That’s the one thing I’ll argue against as long as you want.

“I wish he’d yell at somebody sometimes. Is that OK? Not that that makes you a quarterback, but it tells me something about you too. I didn’t do it on the field but poor Bart Oates. He would sit next to me on the bench and I’d go ‘Bart!’ I look back and I go, ‘Why didn’t he punch me?'”

Simms said that it could be tough for Jones to ‘turn into another person’ and become the type of leader he became.

“Why? The media. The fans. The national people who think they know. But I’ve watched him enough and I’ve seen him enough to see the top end,” he said.

Giant fans hope Simms is right.

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Phil Simms recalls Giants’ Super Bowl XXI win over Broncos

Phil Simms recalls the New York Giants’ path to Super Bowl XXI and their eventual victory over the Denver Broncos

Could it possibly be 37 years already since the New York Giants won their first Super Bowl?

Believe it or not, yes. 37 years ago, almost to the day (the 25th), the Giants defeated the Denver Broncos, 39-20, at the Rose Bowl in Super Bowl XXI, their first NFL championship in 30 years.

The star of that game was quarterback Phil Simms, who had a record day. He completed 22 of 25 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns en route setting Super Bowl records for consecutive completions (10), passing accuracy (88%), and passer rating (150.9).

The once embattled Simms finally vindicated himself after six topsy-turvy seasons in which he fought through injuries and inconsistency.

The first big hurdle that postseason would be the divisional round game at home against the rival San Francisco 49ers. The Giants won easily, 49-3, to advance to their first NFC Championship Game against another heated rival, the Washington Redskins.

It was a cold, blustery day at Giants Stadium and the crowd was filled with hope and anticipation. The Giants did not disappoint, winning convincingly, 17-0, and the fans were rewarded for their decades of patience.

In a recent sit-down with the New York Post’s Steve Serby, Simms recalled the scene during and after the win over Washington.

“All I could say at first was, ‘Oh my God, I finally get to play in a championship game and the wind’s going to blow 40 miles an hour.’ It was so windy that it made me laugh when I went on the field,” Simms said.

“The crowd was awesome the whole game. They were on fire from the time we ran out of the tunnel until we left. … The best part of our team that day was (punter) Sean Landeta. It just drives Lawrence (Taylor) crazy. But Sean Landeta was historic that day. Sean was booming them right through the wind.”

As one who was on the scene for that game, I can tell you it was like Mardi Gras, except half the crowd was stunned. The Giants are going to the Super Bowl? Nah, that can’t be right. We had seen some of the worst football any team had to offer in the past three decades and d now we were on the apron of a championship.

“It crossed my mind at the very end, kind of just when the game ended, I went, ‘Oh my God, we’re going to go to the Super Bowl,'” said Simms. “I just kind of thought, ‘Well, the Super Bowl’s only for guys like Joe Montana and Dan Marino.'”

Not so fast. The best was yet to come but Simms reminded all that the year didn’t go as smoothly as their 14-2 record indicated.

“Let’s be honest here, that was not a fairy-tale year. I went through a period where, holy Christ, if I completed a pass I was ready to jump for joy. It was rough. We had so many guys hurt. Come on, Jeff Hostetler was playing wide receiver a lot,” Simms said.

The truth was, the Giants’ defense was tops but the offense struggled that year. Simms doubted himself several times throughout the season before rediscovering his groove.

“It’s hard to pull the trigger when it’s not going your way,” he recalled. “Guys started getting healthy, and Bill (Parcells) just goes, ‘Man Simms, come on, let it go.'”

Serby asked Simms to compare the 1986 team to the 1990 club, which won Super Bowl XXV, but Simms — who broke his foot late in the year and couldn’t play in the postseason — wouldn’t bite.

“I’m not going to do that. That team was totally different from the ’90 team,” Simms said. “The ’90 team was predicated on just smashing people and just really dominating the team in the way we played — time possession, no turnovers, running it. The ’90 team is the most orchestrated team I ever played on by far. Here’s the formula, here’s what we do, and damn, it works.”

Simms got a ring as a member of the 1990 team. After all, he did lead the Giants to a 10-1 start that year but it naturally hit differently for the Super Bowl XXI MVP.

“It was hard to not be part of (Super Bowl XXV), but also I played a big part in it too (before the December foot injury),” he said. “I never lost sleep over it, let’s put it that way.”

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Giants great Phil Simms recalls being starstruck as a rookie QB

Retired New York Giants QB Phil Simms reflects on his career and Super Bowls, and recalls being starstruck as a rookie facing the Steelers.

It doesn’t take much to get former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms to open up about his career.

The Super Bowl XXI Most Valuable Player appeared on the podcast Games With Names, hosted by another Super Bowl MVP — Julian Edelman — and comedian Sam Morril, this week to talk about his career and the Super Bowl.

Simms played 15 seasons for Big Blue from 1979 through 1993 and was the seventh overall selection out of Morehead State in the 1979 NFL draft.

At the time, Simms’ selection was a surprise but on this show, he revealed the Giants had told him weeks before they were going to draft him.

“Back then, thank God, ESPN and everybody weren’t going over every player so the fans really didn’t know the players. I wasn’t surprised I went seventh,” Simms said.

“There was talk of you going earlier,” Morril questioned.

“No, I think I knew all the teams that were probably going to draft me, and I knew the Giants. They basically said two weeks before the draft ‘We’re taking you!’ They told my coach that too,” Simms said.

Years later, it was revealed that San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh also coveted Simms but did not have a first-round draft pick that year having traded it away to Buffalo for O.J. Simpson.

Simms’ career didn’t fully get off the ground until 1984 due to injuries and inconsistent play. In the beginning, it did not go smoothly for him. He recalled being starstruck in a preseason game against Pittsburgh in his rookie year.

“I get under the center and there’s Joe Greene and L.C. Greenwood. It was unbelievable…it was eight Hall of Famers. I have great stories about that game, but there’s me and Joe Greene. Let’s stop the game because I need some autographs. I idolized Terry Bradshaw growing up and there I was playing against him,” he said.

Simms went on to rave about the great Lawrence Taylor, who the Giants drafted second overall in 1981. Taylor made an immediate impact on the club.

“His rookie year, we had a scrimmage,” said Simms. “They had to take him out after ten plays. Had to take him out. He was sacking the quarterback every play. And I go, this guy is really everything they said he was.”

Simms was known for his public ‘debates’ with Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells, a person who still has a huge impact on his life.

“He yelled at you and then he would allow you to yell back if you knew the situation was right, and everybody on the team would laugh,” recalled Simms. “It was his way of sending a message to the whole team through players and he was great at that. He was the greatest manipulator of people I’ve ever been around in my life.”

Simms led the Giants to a 39-20 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI and recalled the 1986 NFC Championship Game in the wind at Giants Stadium — a 17-0 win over Washington.

“Washington Redskins at the time made a huge mistake. We kicked the field goal on our first drive, it was third-and-long, we had a penalty, and we had to kick another field goal. Joe Gibbs accepted it to take us out of field goal range, he thought. Well, the next play I threw it down the middle for a huge gain, got a first down and we scored. Literally, that was the game. It was over in the first quarter,” he said.

Simms is currently a studio analyst for CBS Sports.

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