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The Giants have been an interesting team for the last 40 years, winning four Super Bowls. However, there have also been times during that span when the franchise has been in disarray and at rock bottom, similar to where the franchise currently sits. With where the current state of New York is, now would be a good time to reminisce on some of the good times and great players. In this article, we will break down the greatest players in New York Giants history, most of which led the Giants to some of the Super Bowl victories.
Justin Tuck may be a surprise member of this list. However, Tuck was a key cog to a great defense for the Giants that led them to two Super Bowl victories over the New England Patriots dynasty.
Tuck played 11 seasons in the NFL, nine of which came with the Giants. He wasn’t a full-time player until the 2007 season, when he finished with 10 sacks. Justin Tuck finished with double-digit sacks four times in those nine seasons with the Giants.
While with the Giants, Tuck was named First-team All-Pro once and Second-team once. He also was voted to the Pro Bowl in those same two seasons, 2008 and 2010. It may not be one of the flashier careers on this list, but he was still one of the most important pieces on a Super Bowl-winning defense.
The #4 player on this list happens to be the first QB to lead the Giants to a Super Bowl victory and that man is Phil Simms. Simms played the entirety of his 15-year career with the New York Giants, winning them a total of two Super Bowls.
Simms was drafted by the Giants in the first round of the 1979 draft. After a bit of a disappointing first five years of his career, the Giants stuck with Simms and it paid off. In the 1984 season, Simms threw for over 4,000 yards and a career-high 22 touchdowns, leading the Giants to a 9-7 record.
Simms then went on to lead the Giants to victories in Super Bowl XXI, where he also won Super Bowl MVP, and set the record for highest completion percentage in Super Bowl XXV. Simms finished his career with two Pro Bowl appearances and one NFL Man of the Year award. Those are not the most gaudy accolades, but he is the second-best quarterback in the history of the franchise.
The best quarterback from this Giants franchise would have to be none other than Eli Manning. He is the man who was able to stop the Patriots dynasty not once, but twice.
Manning had a wild career from the start, when it was widely known that he forced his way to the Giants by telling the then-San Diego Chargers that he would not play for them after being drafted first overall. He was traded from the Chargers to the Giants for Philip Rivers and the rest is history.
Similarly to Simms, Manning never had gaudy numbers. However, he did get the job done, especially when it mattered the most. Not only is Manning a two-time Super Bowl winner, but he was the MVP in both of those games. During his 16-year career, he was also voted to the Pro Bowl four times, while winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year award once.
It may be a shock to most people that Michael Strahan, who is the NFL all-time sack leader for a single season, is not the number one player on this list. However, even though he is not number one, he was still an incredible player for the New York Giants.
Not only was Strahan a great player on the field but it was his infectious smile and personality that helped the Giants as well. He was truly the heart and soul of this Giants franchise for his 15-year career.
On the field, Strahan was a menace, having at least double-digit sacks in six of his 15 seasons in the NFL. He led the NFL in sacks two different seasons, while also being named First-team All-Pro four times and Second-team All-Pro twice. Strahan also won Defensive Player of the Year in 2001 and is also a seven-time Pro bowler.
With Strahan staying loyal to the Giants, it finally paid off in the final year of his career when New York won Super Bowl XLII. Strahan has gone down as the most beloved Giant of all time.
The greatest player to ever suit up for the New York Giants is none other than Lawrence Taylor. LT completely changed what it meant to play the outside linebacker position in the NFL. Not only is he considered to be the greatest Giant of all time, you can also make the case that he is the best player ever.
LT was drafted with the second overall pick by the Giants and quickly made a name for himself in the NFL. Not only did he win Defensive Rookie of the Year in his first season, but he also won Defensive Player of the Year and was a First-Team All-Pro.
Taylor went on to be the NFL Defensive Player of the Year two more times throughout his 13-year career while also being named First-Team All-Pro seven more times and winning the Super Bowl twice. He was also named to the Pro Bowl 10 times throughout his career
Perhaps, the most impressive thing in Lawrence Taylor’s career was winning the MVP award in 1986 after he had 20.5 sacks in a single season. LT truly is one of the greatest players to ever suit up and has all the accolades to prove it. He did all of these great things on the field while dealing with demons off the field. That makes what Lawrence Taylor did for the Giants and the game of football even more impressive.
Dylan has had a love for sports since he was a kid. Four years ago, he decided to dive into the sports content-creating industry specializing in Fantasy Football, NFL and NBA. He has since had his work published on sites that include Fantasy Alarm, Fansided, and Fantasy Six Pack.