Tag: Phil Simms

CBS Sports names Eli Manning one of greatest Super Bowl QBs of all-time

CBS Sports has named retired New York Giants legend Eli Manning as one of the 10-best Super Bowl quarterbacks in NFL history.

Earlier this week, NFL Network’s Gregg Rosenthal released his rankings of the greatest Super Bowl quarterbacks of all time. New York Giants legend Eli Manning did not fare well on his list, checking in at No. 32 overall.

Rosenthal’s argument for ranking Manning so low was his career regular season record (117-117).

On Saturday, Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports decided to compile his own list of the 15 Greatest Super Bowl Quarterbacks. And this time around, Manning got his due.

6. Eli Manning, Giants

  • 2x Super Bowl champion (2-0 record)
  • 2x Super Bowl MVP

You can’t talk Super Bowls without talking about Manning, who led the Giants to the NFL’s biggest upset since the Colts’ upset win over the Jets in Super Bowl III. Manning’s poise and performance against the then-undefeated Patriots helped produce one of the most memorable plays in NFL history. The play set up his game-winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress.

Four years later, Manning foiled the Patriots again on the strength of his 38-yard dime to Mario Manningham that set up the game-winning score.

Manning wasn’t the only Giant to make the list, which was understandably topped by future Hall of Famer Tom Brady.

14. Phil Simms, Giants

  • Super Bowl XXI MVP
  • Holds Super Bowl record for highest single-game completion percentage

One of the ’80s most underrated players, Simms’ near flawless performance in Super Bowl XXI is a lasting testament to his passing prowess. He completed a whopping 88% of his throws (22 of 25) in a 39-20 win over the Broncos. Simms threw three touchdowns in the win and was a perfect 10 of 10 passing in the second half.

Former Giants quarterback Kurt Warner, who is better known for his time with the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals, checked in at No. 10 overall.

Eli’s brother, Peyton Manning, also made the list at No. 9 overall.

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Gregg Rosenthal ranks Eli Manning 32nd among 66 all-time Super Bowl QBs

Gregg Rosenthal ranks all Super Bowl QBs and has Eli Manning as the New York Giants’ best, placing him at just No. 32 overall.

There have been 56 Super Bowl games and 66 ‘rankable’ quarterbacks. The New York Giants have been in five Super Bowls and threw out four different quarterbacks in those games.

With the standard being anywhere from No.1 (Tom Brady) to No. 66 (Rex Grossman), where do the Giants’ quarterbacks rank?

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com has gone through the effort to rank them all. Keep in mind, performance in the Super Bowl is just a part of the scoring system.

Eli Manning, who went 2-0 in Super Bowls and won the MVP award twice, was the highest-ranked Giant at No. 32.

Eli’s durability and longevity boost him in a career that ended at .500 (117-117), with only two to three seasons in which he arguably could’ve been considered a top-10 quarterback.

Phil Simms, who had the most efficient Super Bowl performance of all time in 1987 against Denver, came in at No. 37.

Kerry Collins, who was godawful in his one start for the Giants in Super Bowl XXV, ranked No. 43 overall.

Jeff Hostetler ranked No. 50. His gutty performance in Super Bowl XXV led the Giants to an improbable win over the Buffalo Bills.

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Phil Simms, David Tyree believe Daniel Jones should be Giants’ QB in 2023

Two New York Giants Super Bowl legends, Phil Simms and David Tyree, want to see Daniel Jones back in blue in 2023 and potentially beyond.

Have you seen enough of New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones this season — enough to offer him a contract extension?

Two Giants Super Bowl legends believe Jones is worth keeping.

Both Phil Simms and David Tyree have officially seen enough and signed off on his return.

Jones has led the Giants to an 8-5-1 record this season, and they are poised to play in the postseason for the first time in six years.

The Giants did not exercise Jones’ fifth-year option, which would have cost them $22.38 million next year. The 25-year-old, who was the sixth overall selection in the 2019 NFL draft, is a free agent at the end of this season.

The Giants could use the franchise tag on Jones at a cost of roughly $30 million, but it may not get that to that point. The Giants and Jones could come to an agreement on a contract extension before the league year ends in March.

Jones has performed admirably in the face of challenging circumstances — a makeshift offensive line, his fourth offensive coordinator in as many years and a dearth of playmakers around him.

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Throwback Thursday: Randall Cunningham’s 91-yard punt vs. Giants in 1989

In the latest Giants Wire Throwback Thursday, we head to 1989 when Eagles QB Randall Cunningham unleashed a 91-yard punt against the Giants.

In 1989, the rivalry between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles was at a fever pitch. The Giants, led by head coach Bill Parcells, had won the Super Bowl three years earlier and were a top contender again after two disappointing seasons.

The Eagles, under head coach Buddy Ryan, had become a force in the NFC, winning the NFC East in 1988, and had designs of repeating when they invaded Giants Stadium on Dec. 3.

The Giants were in first place by a game with a 9-3 record. Philadelphia came in at 8-4. A win would give the Eagles sole possession of first place since they had already beaten the Giants, 21-19, at home in Week 5.

The showdown was on. The Eagles were ready. The Giants were not.

Philadelphia took an early 14-0 lead on two defensive touchdowns. The first was on a strip-sack by Reggie White and the second was when defensive lineman Clyde Simmons snatched a Phil Simms pass out of the air and then rumbled 60 yards to daylight.

The Giants narrowed the score to 14-7 on a 41-yard strike from Simms to Mark Ingram in the first quarter. Simms would get picked off again in the second quarter, which led to a field goal and a 17-7 halftime lead for the Eagles.

The Giants scored the first 10 points in the second half to tie the game at 17. Then this happened, as recounted by Frank Litzky of The New York Times:

Early in the fourth quarter, the Giants almost broke the 17-17 tie when Erik Howard sacked Cunningham and drove him into the Eagles’ end zone. The officials spotted the ball on the 2-yard line, making it fourth down and 33 yards to go for a first down.

Usually, Max Runager would have punted for the Eagles. But Cunningham, an outstanding punter in college, told Coach Buddy Ryan of the Eagles he wanted to punt, and Ryan let him.

It was a good decision. The ball sailed to the Giants’ 39 and bounced to the 7 before an apparently baffled (Dave) Meggett picked it up and returned it 9 yards.

Two plays later, the Giants gave up the ball again. (Mike) Golic sacked Simms and stripped the ball, and Mike Pitts recovered for the Eagles on the Giants’ 7-yard line. Three plays later, from the 2, (running back Keith) Byars squirmed into the end zone for the winning touchdown.

The Giants lost, 24-17, and sank to second place in the division. They wouldn’t lose another game the rest of the season. Not as much could be said for the Eagles, who lost to New Orleans in Week 15 to fall one game behind the 12-4 Giants at 11-5.

Notes

  • Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor did not play the second half of the game due to a “nondisplaced hairline fracture at the base of the right tibia,” an injury originally thought to be a sprained ankle.
  • Randall Cunningham’s punt officially went for 91 yards and is still the third-longest punt in the history of pro football. The longest punt ever was a 98-yarder by Steve O’Neal of the Jets back in 1969. That is followed by the 93-yarder off the foot of the Patriots’ Shawn McCarthy in 1991.
  • Only two other punts have gone for 90 or more yards. Don Chandler of the Packers blasted a 90-yarder back in 1965, and the Giants’ Rodney Williams punted a ball 90 yards in a game in 2001.

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Throwback Thursday: Rams, Flipper Anderson stun Giants in 1989 playoffs

In the latest Giants Wire Throwback Thursday, we head back to the 1989 playoffs when the Los Angeles Rams stunned the New York Giants in OT.

In 1989, the New York Giants were back in the playoffs for the first time since their dominant, Super Bowl-winning season three years before.

In 1987, they opened at 0-2 before the players went on strike. The owners continued the season with replacement players, something the Giants did not stock up on, and before you could blink an eye, they were 0-5. They recovered to finish 6-9, but it was not enough to qualify for the postseason.

In 1988, the Giants finished 10-6 but failed to secure a postseason berth when they lost to the Jets, 27-21, in the final game.

The 1989 season would be the year the Giants rose back to prominence. They opened the season with an 8-1 record and went on to win the NFC East with a 12-4 record. As a division winner, they drew a bye in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

On Jan. 7, 1990, Bill Parcells’ crew hosted John Robinson’s Los Angeles Rams at Giants Stadium in the NFC divisional round. The Rams had disposed of the Philadelphia Eagles the week before in the wild-card round and came into New Jersey as three-point underdogs.

The Rams were one of the teams that managed to beat the Giants during the regular season, knocking them off, 31-10, in Anaheim on Nov. 12.

In this game, however, L.A. had to come 3,000 miles to play a Giants team that had lost just once at home that season. On a typical blustery Meadowlands afternoon, the feeling in the air was that the Giants were going to romp.

That didn’t happen. Instead, they were flatter than they had looked in weeks.

The over/under on the game was 39 points because, well, it was a Giants game with Parcells at the helm. As predicted, the game was a low-scoring one.

The Giants defense was putting in their typical home cold-weather defensive performance, and New York was up, 6-0, with 17 seconds to go in the first half. That’s when Los Angeles quarterback Jim Everett caught the Giants napping and hit wide receiver Willie “Flipper” Anderson for a 30-yard touchdown strike.

That would not be the last the Giants would see of Anderson on the day.

The Giants regained the lead in the third quarter on a 2-yard touchdown plunge by Ottis Anderson. The Rams would hold the Giants scoreless in the fourth quarter and tie the game at 13 with two short field goals by Mike Lansford, sending the game into overtime.

Fans were getting antsy, groaning about the Giants offense being put in dry dock in the second half by Parcells. An earlier interception that led to a Rams touchdown may have been the reason.

In overtime, the Rams won the coin toss and marched down the field on the stunned Giants. It took only 1:06 for the visitors to score the winning touchdown, a 30-yard reception by Anderson over Giants cornerback Mark Collins that ended with Flipper running straight through the back of the end zone, through the tunnel and into the locker room.

“When I came into the lockers, I was here by myself,” said Anderson, whose only two catches that Sunday were the Rams’ only touchdowns. “I didn’t know what to do.”

Neither did any of us who were watching in the stands. Was that it? Is the game over? Does that count?

It sure did. And it still stings.

The Giants would bounce back from this devastating loss and win the Super Bowl the next season, but it was another long offseason for Giants fans in 1990.

In retrospect, fans still cringe when they think about that day, and when they hear Flipper Anderson’s name, but they shouldn’t. Anderson only caught two passes on the day — both went for touchdowns — but was a well-known deep threat.

They should have been more aware of Anderson, who set a single-game NFL record for receiving yards (336) six weeks before against New Orleans. That record still stands.

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Throwback Thursday: Giants upset Cowboys in 1980

In the latest Giants Wire Throwback Thursday, we head back to 1980, when the lowly New York Giants upset Tom Landry’s Dallas Cowboys.

The 1980 season was one of the worst in the history of the New York Football Giants. After a 41-35 road victory against the St. Louis Cardinals to open the season, Big Blue lost eight straight games before they would win another.

That win came in Week 10 against the Dallas Cowboys, a team they had lost 12 consecutive and 14 out of 15 games to. Their last win over Dallas had come in 1974, their last home win in 1970.

On Nov. 9, the Cowboys came into Giants Stadium with a 7-2 record and were headed back to their usual spot in the NFC playoffs. The Giants were headed to the bottom of the NFC East and a 4-12 season that would earn them the second overall pick in the 1981 NFL draft (which turned out to be Lawrence Taylor).

In a textbook case of “any given Sunday,” the Giants, coached by Ray Perkins and led by second-year quarterback Phil Simms, rose up and bit Tom Landry’s bunch in a shootout.

In a back-and-forth game, the Cowboys took a 35-28 lead into the fourth quarter. The Giants scored 10 unanswered points to close out the game — a 20-yard TD pass from Simms to tight end Tom Mullady tied the game at 35, and Joe Danelo’s 27-yard field goal with 27 seconds to play was the winner.

The kick was set up by a flea flicker from Simms to running back Leon Perry back to Simms and then downfield to tight end Mike Friede. The Giants ran three running plays after that to set Danelo up for the win.

The defense allowed 35 points but was the key to the game as they intercepted Cowboys quarterback Danny White five times, four of those resulting in points.

Two of the interceptions were made by Pro Bowl linebacker Brad Van Pelt, who had been publicly lobbying the team to trade him, preferably to the Detroit Lions in his native state of Michigan.

“I had forgot what it feels like to win,” said the eight-year veteran after the game.

Simms threw for 351 yards in the game, the most by a Giants quarterback since Fran Tarkenton had 327 yards against St. Louis in 1969.

Friede, who played just two seasons, both for the Giants, had the best game of his career with seven receptions for 137 yards.

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Giants legend Phil Simms has message for Joe Judge critics: Just shut up

New York Giants legend Phil Simms pulled no punches this week, telling critics of Joe Judge that they’re wrong and should just shut up.

There is a narrative going around the NFL that New York Giants head coach Joe Judge’s practices are “too hard” and his methods draconian.

Several former and current players said they would never play for Judge, who makes his players run laps after making mistakes and holds the entire team accountable for all types of behavior.

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Not everyone is a critic, however. Former Giants quarterback, who played under both Ray Perkins and Bill Parcells, doesn’t see anything wrong with the way Judge has handled his players in training camp.

“I have to watch a sports station go, ‘that’s old school football, you can’t do that to today’s modern players,'” Simms said on CBS Sports Radio. “Shut up, they’re wrong, you can. It’s team building. It really does bring chemistry to the team. When guys have to run, yeah it’s a punishment, but it’s kind of funny and it brings everybody together.”

“Just like the fight did with the Giants. I didn’t look at that as a detriment. And practicing too hard? Oh, come on. Come on. You gotta practice and do things on the field, take a rest, get back on, like it’s a game. And when you do things like that, scientifically it’s been proven, that’s the way to do it. And that is the best way that you can help prevent your team from getting more injuries. Does it work out always like that? No. But to think he’s run the training camp too hard is absurd and for people who say it, be quiet. You’re wrong!”

Simms comes from the era where two-a-days were the norm and the facilities archaic. Today’s players have it made compared to the players of Simms’ era. The player’s union is stronger and workplace laws and rules have transformed training camps from stringent tests of will and grueling physical grinds to more lenient — and safer — gatherings.

“Pressure. That’s actually what I said to the team,” Simms revealed of his recent visit with the Giants. “I practiced under pressure for eight years under Bill Parcells. Every practice was the most important day of my life and I was nervous as hell going out to practice.

“Games? It never even crossed my mind. I couldn’t wait to play. But practice, man, it was everything. And by doing it like it’s a game, of course, only makes you better and play better and be more prepared for the game.”

Sure, there are still some padded practices and the heat can be brutal, but training camps are no longer these dreaded rites of passage. Judge is simply pushing the envelope on the current rules. His players haven’t complained much, so how unacceptable can it be?

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Chris Simms: ‘Nothing can beat’ growing up son of Giants QB

Chris Simms says “nothing can beat” growing up as the son of a New York Giants starting quarterback and Super Bowl MVP.

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Chris Simms was born one year after his father, Phil Simms, was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the New York Giants.

By the time he was six years old and in school, Simms was the son of an NFL champion and a Super Bowl MVP. Life was very different for him as a result, but he loved every moment of it.

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During a recent interview with Peter King of Football Morning in America, Simms admitted that there is “nothing that can beat” growing up as the son of the Giants’ starting quarterback.

“Imagine growing up and your dad is the quarterback of the New York Giants,” Chris says. “Nothing can beat the excitement of that. Watching him prepare for games on Sunday, knowing that he was all in and emotionally invested. I really feel that watching his process set me up for life. Those times are some of the best memories of my life.”

Long before Phil retired following the 1993 season, Chris knew he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. And eventually, he did.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Chris in the third-round of the 2003 NFL draft. He would go on to spend eight seasons in the NFL but never quite replicated his father’s success. In addition to his time with the Bucs, Chris also played for the Tennessee Titans (two stints) and Denver Broncos before retiring. He appeared in just 23 games (16 starts), compiling a 7-9 record.

Following his retirement, Chris dove into coaching. He joined Bill Belichick’s staff in 2012 but managed to get through just one season before calling it quits. The demand was just too high.

“And I had stomach pains because I swear I saw [my family] four nights, total, the entire season,” Chris said. “I felt like I was missing something. I wanted to see my kids grow up.”

Chris thanked Belichick and walked away from the game, but he would eventually return. Once again following in his father’s footsteps, Chris joined the media world as an analyst — a job in which he’s thrived.

These days, Chris and Phil maintain their strong bond and often find themselves discussing college talent.

“My wife will say, ‘You guys were on the phone for a long time; what did you talk about?’ And I’ll say, ‘Not much beyond talking ball,'” Chris said. “Our football relationship was teacher-student until, I’d say, my second year in the league. I was playing for Jon Gruden and I think my dad thought, ‘All right, he’s down there playing for Gruden. He’s learned a lot of football now.’ Since then, it’s been teacher-teacher.

“[My wife will] tease me and say, ‘Did he ask about me? Did he ask about the kids? Nevermind.'”

Football remains everything to the Simms family.

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Retired Giants QB Phil Simms once considered a comeback with Bill Belichick

Giants great Phil Simms very nearly reunited with Bill Belichick in Cleveland after parting ways with New York.

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Phil Simms was unceremoniously released by the New York Giants in June of 1994 after a 15-year career that had its ups and downs. His release came as a surprise to many because Simms was coming off a Pro Bowl season in ’93, one which saw him play all 16 games for only the fourth time in his career.

The decision to let Simms go was one of “overwhelming sadness,” according to co-owner Wellington Mara. But the Giants had Dave Brown, a first round supplemental draft pick, in the wings and the 38-year-old Simms had just undergone offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.

Although Simms’ surgery was successful and he was ready to lead the Giants to the playoffs again, general manager George Young made one of his many dubious decisions that perplexed Giant fans.

Many believe that Simms then rode quietly into the sunset. Not true. There was plenty of interest in him around the league that summer but nothing materialized.

The Arizona Cardinals, coached by Buddy Ryan at the time, wanted Simms but simply could not fit him in under the salary cap. It was also reported that Simms did not want to split time or displace current starter Steve Beuerlein, so the deal fell through.

Then, of course, there was the dalliance the next season with Bill Belichick and the Cleveland Browns. Simms had taken a analyst job with ESPN, the beginning of what would become a long and lucrative television career, and his interest in playing again was starting to wane. He thought about coaching but the opportunity never came about.

In recent interview in the Boston Globe, Simms recalled the decision to stay retired rather than play in Cleveland.

After the Giants cut him, he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to go into coaching then or try to play again. So he took the opportunity to spend the ’94 season as an analyst at ESPN. “Had a lot of fun there, liked it a lot,” he said. “But when it was over, I still thought about playing, and then venturing into coaching. That [opportunity to play again] was actually with the Cleveland Browns, with Bill Belichick. It didn’t work out, so I said that was it. That’s when I said I’d stick with this TV thing.”

Good choice. The Belichick Browns were coming off an 11-5 season and a playoff appearance in 1994 but they were about to head south again, which would lead to Belichick’s dismissal after finishing 5-11 in 1995. The Browns moved to Baltimore the next season and became the Ravens.

Simms, at 39, might not have made much of a difference for that team and would have come out of retirement only to end his career in disgrace. The Browns/Ravens were better off sticking with Vinny Testeverde.

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Throwback Thursday: Giants lose heartbreaker to Browns in 1985

In the latest Giants Wire Throwback Thursday, we go back to 1985 when the New York Giants lost a heartbreaker to the Cleveland Browns.

The New York Giants and the Cleveland Browns were once fierce NFL rivals. Going back to the 1950s, players such as Jim Brown, Sam Huff, Frank Gifford and Lou Groza were fixtures at two iconic venues, Yankee Stadium and Municipal Stadium.

As part of a merger, Paul Brown took his powerful Browns team from the All-America Football Conference to the NFL in 1950 along with the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Colts and made an immediate impact on their new league, winning the NFL championship in their first season and then playing in the championship game in six of the next seven years, winning two more titles.

After a five-year playoff drought, the Browns returned to the playoffs in 1964, winning their last NFL championship to date. The Browns remained relevant throughout the 1960s under new owner Art Modell, making the playoffs in each of the next eight seasons, but never got back to the championship game.

When the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, the Browns were one of the three NFL teams (along with Baltimore and Pittsburgh) to join the AFC in order to even out the conferences at 13 teams apiece. That’s when the Giants and Browns, who had played 41 times over the 20 years since Cleveland joined the NFL, became estranged. And both franchises went into the tank for the better part of the next decade and half.

But in the mid-1980s, both clubs were ascending. In 1985, the Browns were in their first full season under head coach Marty Schottenheimer and the Giants were beginning their run as an NFC heavyweight under Bill Parcells. Both teams entered the game vying for first place in their respective divisions.

In Week 13, the 8-4 Giants hosted the 6-6 Browns at Giants Stadium. The calendar had turned to December that day, and it was a typical North Jersey afternoon with temperatures in the mid-30s and winds whipping in all directions.

The Giants opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run by Joe Morris. Cleveland answered with a 42-yard touchdown run by Kevin Mack. Giants quarterback Phil Simms was picked off by Hanford Dixon, leading to another Cleveland score, a 2-yard dive by Earnest Byner. Al Gross returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown, giving the Browns a 21-7 lead in the second quarter.

The Giants then scored 14 unanswered points — on a 58-yard touchdown run by Morris and a 29-yard touchdown strike from Simms to Bobby Johnson — to narrow the score to 21-20 at halftime.

The Giants opened the second half by scoring 13 points on two Eric Schubert field goals and Morris’ third touchdown of the game. Those drives were set up by an interception by safety Terry Kinard and a fumble recovery by linebacker Byron Hunt.

The Giants had a 33-21 fourth-quarter lead, and with their defense, the game seemed over. But Cleveland wasn’t done. They rallied behind their powerful running game and rookie quarterback Bernie Kosar, who was dealing with a shoulder injury.

The Browns scored two touchdowns late in the fourth quarter to pull ahead, 35-33 (Kosar was replaced by veteran Gary Danielson in the third quarter but then was reinserted in the fourth when Danielson was injured).

The Giants had one last drive in them and ended up attempting a 34-yard field goal to win the game in the final seconds. But Schubert’s line-drive attempt went wide to the left, sealing the Browns’ victory.

The Giants went on to finish the season 10-6. They defeated the 49ers, 17-3, in the wild-card game before getting embarrassed by the Bears in Chicago, 21-0, in the divisional round the next week.

Cleveland won the AFC Central with an 8-8 record. They lost in the divisional round, 24-21, to Miami.

In 1986, the Giants steamrolled through the NFC and into the Super Bowl. The Browns went 12-4 and had the top seed in the AFC. They beat the Jets in overtime in the divisional round and then were victimized by John Elway and the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game by “The Drive” — or they would have faced the Giants in Super Bowl XXI.

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