The 1990 New York Giants were looking for their second title, and had not been so close since that awesome season that they enjoyed in 1986 - the season that, in Parcells' own words, the Giants finally got the monkey off their back by winning the championship.
That 1986 season had been their first title run in thirty years. The Giants had been expected to be one of the best teams out there that year, and they did not disappoint. After dropping their opening game on Monday Night against the Cowboys, the Giants won all but one of their remaining games. They finished the season with a twelve-game winning streak, which remains the longest overall winning streak in the team's history. The margins were relatively close at first, for the first six games of the winning streak. They kept squeaking by. But towards the end, they began to really dominate their opponents. They won their two games against NFC opponents by a combined 66-3 margin to qualify for their first ever Super Bowl. After a close first half, which the Broncos were actually leading at halftime, 10-9, the Giants finally put it all together in the second half, pouring on the points, and winning, 39-20.
Those Giants had been a juggernaut. Maybe not quite on the same level as the 1985 Chicago Bears that had come before them, but just a notch or so down. Still dominant. And the future had looked promising.
But the Giants title defense had been one of the worst in history. They started off 0-2, before the disastrous strike, and the scab players. The Giants happened to probably have the worst, or among the worst, scab teams, dropping all three decisions. So, when the starters took over again, the Giants were a combined 0-5 to start the season, and they were never able to make a serious run at anything that season, winding up 6-9. The actual Giants Super Bowl lineup had finished 6-6, a relatively respectable .500.
Still, that was a bad season by any account, and it left people with a bad taste, wondering what had happened, and how such a great team could fall so far, so fast. The Giants recovered somewhat the next season, but were up and down and inconsistent. Still, the final week seemed to be theirs. They were 10-5, and hosting their lowly, cross town rivals, New York Jets. If they won, not only would they make the playoffs, but they would have won the division, and clinched the second seed in the NFC - a playoff bye! They were winning, too, very late in the fourth, when the Jets pulled off a miracle that resulted in a touchdown to prematurely end the Giants season. From seemingly being the second seed, to not qualifying for the playoffs for two consecutive seasons, following the Super Bowl win.
Pretty bad.
1989 was going to be their rebuilding year. But - surprise, surprise! - the Giants started off on a tear, standing with an 8-1 record after nine games, and were tied with the defending champion San Francisco 49ers for the best record in the league. Three losses in a four game span put what seemed a promising season in jeopardy, but they managed to win out their remaining games to pull out a seemingly unlikely division title, and this time, actually clinching that second seed. But they ran into the red hot Rams, who forced overtime in a tight 13-13 contest, before Flipped Anderson caught the ball in the end zone to end the game, and the Giants season, rather suddenly and dramatically!
Despite that setback, the 1989 season could be seen as nothing but a success. The expectations had not been great going in, but with a surprisingly strong season, and the second best overall regular season record, which included a win against the Super Bowl-bound Broncos at snowy Mile High Stadium, the Giants looked ready to be one of the serious title contenders again in 1990.
And if they had exceeded expectations in 1989 with a stellar performance, the 1990 Giants seemed to be crushing their opponents and surprisingly dominant in 1990, as they bolted out to a perfect 10-0 start. The San Francisco 49ers, who had now won the previous two straight Super Bowls and were not only a dynasty, but some were suggesting the dynasty of all dynasties, had also managed to start the season off with a perfect 10-0 mark intact.
What was more was that the two top teams were slated to meet one another two weeks later. The sports world, or at least football fans, held their breath for what seemed to be an inevitable showdown of the unbeatens at 11-0. No two teams had ever before simultaneously started off the season undefeated so far into it, and the thought of such a showdown! Wow!
However, it was not to be. Most people thought that the Giants would defeat the 6-4 Eagles in Philadelphia. But the Eagles had been one of the early favorites that season as well, and despite a bad start at 2-4, they had managed to string together four straight wins, and were starting to look dangerous themselves. Moreover, they had a penchant for beating the Giants, having swept them in the prior two seasons. The game was close early on, with the Giants getting a quick touchdown for a 7-0 lead, before the Eagles answered. At the half, the Eagles held a one point lead, 14-13. But with the Eagles leading 17-13 later in the second half, things began to fall apart for Big Blue. The Eagles got a touchdown off a deflected pass. It had been well defensed, but still, the Eagles now held a sizeable 24-13 lead. Then, an offensive turnover was converted to a touchdown by the Philly defense, and the game was pretty much out of reach, 31-13. No perfect season any longer, and no perfect showdown with the 49ers who, as it turned out, would be surprised themselves that weekend, and lose to the Rams, 28-17.
It was still going to be a huge showdown on Monday Night Football between the Giants and the 49ers, and everyone expected it to be an explosive showdown. Instead, it was a defensive slug-fest - the lowest scoring contest in the NFL that season. Ten total points. The Giants defense rose to the occasion, except for one play, when John Taylor broke free for a touchdown. Unfortunately, that would be enough, and the 49ers won the huge game, 7-3. The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC would have to go through San Francisco.
With two straight defeats after their perfect start, the Giants had to get a win under their belt. They beat the Vikings, but then lost to the red-hot Bills at home the following week. That was the low point for the Giants, who not only had dropped their third contest in four games, but lost their starting quarterback to boot! Phil Simms had gone down with an ankle injury, and was out for the season! In came Jeff Hostetler, but a season that had seemed very promising was quickly spiraling out of control.
It was a struggle for the Giants merely to clinch the second seed again, but they won out with a pair of tough 3-point wins on the road against mediocre teams, and they did not look particularly great doing it. Things did not look good going into the playoffs, and some were beginning to suggest that the Giants might get knocked out in their very first contest, against the tough Chicago Bears, at 11-5.
But the Giants came in with a terrific game plan, and used Hostetler's mobility to their advantage, showing a more explosive offense than anyone had seen from them in quite a while. The defense was on fire as well, and the Giants won a very convincing, and extremely satisfying, 31-3 win.
On to San Francisco for the big rematch. Nobody thought that they could actually win that, though.
Yet, their earlier contest, which had resulted in a Giants defeat, had been even closer than most people realized. The Giants had gambled late in the game - and lost. Parcells had opted to go for a touchdown when deep in San Francisco territory in the fourth quarter, and failed to convert. So thus, when they were fairly deep in San Francisco territory very late in the game, with time running out, they absolutely needed the touchdown, instead of a field goal. Had they settled for the field goal earlier, they might have gotten the field goal in the end (they were more or less within field goal distance) to win it.
For the NFC Championship, the Giants would take every point that they could get. And they needed it, too.
Much like their previous contest, it was a slug-fest. The two teams had the two top rated defenses in the NFC, and it as a physical, very hard-hitting game. Scoring opportunities for both teams were, predictably, few and far between. It was more a chess match than anything else, as both coaches looked to take every advantage that they could in terms of strategy.
The two teams exchanged field goals, and the game was tied at 6-6 for halftime.
But once again, Joe Montana found John Taylor for a touchdown, just like in the first contest. Just like that, a tight contest was now suddenly strongly in favor of the 49ers, who now owned a 13-6 lead. Plus, the home crowd was going nuts, perhaps sensing blood. This team was a dynasty, they had been here before, seen tough challenges before. Their team had pulled it out two consecutive seasons, and they were on the cusp of an unprecedented three-peat. How could they fail?
The Giants did not fall apart. They continued the slug-fest, slowing the game down, taking away from the 49ers momentum and pounding the ball down the field with a ball control offense that ate the clock. They were able to get a field goal to quiet the crowd down, closing the margin to 13-9.
Then came what just may have been the game turning play. The 49ers had stopped the Giants drive, and forced a punt. But Parcells - always the gambler - decided to try a fake, and instead of punting, Gary Reasons took the ball and ran it....well past the first down marker. The 49ers had been taken completely by surprise and were caught with their pants down. New York did not get a touchdown out of it, but they settled for a field goal, for the safe options of points, rather than forcing it. In a tight, low scoring affair where every point counts, that was the safest bet.
And it paid off, too!
Late in the fourth quarter, the 49ers had the ball and were trying to run out the clock and clinch the win. Joe Montana had been knocked out of the game by a vicious, but clean, hit by Leonard Marshall. Jeff Hostetler had also taken some hard hits and had himself almost been knocked out of the game. Again, it was a very physical contest on both sides, and it had taken a toll.
Another hard hit changed the course of the game, and perhaps, football history. 49ers running back Roger Craig took the ball, hoping to gain some much needed yards and kill some more time off the clock, to bring San Francisco that much nearer to the win, and another Super Bowl. But Eric Howard hit Craig hard, hard enough to knock the ball loose. Lawrence Taylor was there to recover for the Giants, giving them one last chance to punch their ticket to Tampa and the Super Bowl.
Again, the Giants managed to work the ball down the field, and put themselves in scoring position. I remember that the 49ers defense was so geared towards stopping the Giants run, that he commented that New York really could have snuck something with a pass that could get them in the end zone. But that did not happen. The Giants were intent on running down the clock, and dictating the remainder of the game on their terms. No unnecessary risks, and no turnovers were to be permitted. A field goal attempt would win it, and the Giants were in position as the clock wound down. With four seconds left, they called the time out, and the field goal unit came on the field. San Francisco called a time out to ice the Giants placekicker, Matt Bahr, to make him think about it.
But when play resumed - the final play of the game - Bahr kicked it through the uprights, and the Giants had ended the San Francisco dynasty!
That was the game that Parcells, in the article below, mentioned as his most memorable moment.
But the Super Bowl was quite memorable, as well. At the time, many considered it the greatest of all Super Bowls. Even today, despite some of the very exciting Super Bowl games that we have witnessed, this one stands out for the level of excellence on both sides. It was the first postseason game without a single turnover. Much like with the 49ers game, this was a game of strategies, a veritable chess match. It was a game where both teams carried the momentum at times, where brilliant plays were made by players on both sides. it matched two teams with very different styles - the high octane, no-huddle offense of the Buffalo Bills, and the slowly strangling, conservative defensive style employed by the New York Giants.
The Giants scored first, to go up 3-0.
The Bills responded, tying it up at 3-3, and that was the first quarter.
But early in the second, the Bills took control, and looked capable of blowing the Giants out. They scored a touchdown, and then got Hostetler sacked in the end zone for a safety. In what turned out to be a crucial play, ironically, in favor of the Giants, Hostetler was able to tuck the ball away before being violently plowed into the ground in the end zone for the safety, so as to prevent a Buffalo defensive touchdown that might just have put the game out of reach.
The game seemed to belong to the Bills, as they were up 12-3. But the Giants managed to scrape together a great drive right at the end of the half, and finished with Hostetler passing to Baker in the end zone for a touchdown. For the Bills, who had dominated most of the first half, to only be up by two was tough, and not a little demoralizing. Coach Marv Levy specified that in the postgame interview.
To start the second half, the Giants got the ball and physically pounded it down the Bills throats. They enjoyed a then record long drive of almost nine minutes, and finished it off with OJ Anderson pounding it into the end zone against a fatigued Buffalo defense.
Giants up, 17-12.
But Buffalo was not done yet. Just as the third quarter was turning to the fourth, the Bills quick strike offense punched it into the end zone again themselves, to reclaim the lead at 19-17.
Another sturdy rive late in the fourth allowed Matt Bahr to kick a field goal, for the 20-19 lead that the Giants would fight to cling to.
It came down to Buffalo having possession with around two minutes left. There were some brilliant plays along the way, as the Bills drove it down to the Giants 37 yard line. Time was running out, and the Bills put on their field goal unit to try to win the game.
Everyone remembers what happened next, of course.
Scott Norwood, the Buffalo placekicker, kicked it just a few feet wide right, and the Giants had secured the victory, and an unlikely championship!
I remember that well! And like Parcells, I have to admit that, while both Super Bowl XXV and the NFC Championship Game were both incredible, the NFC title game against the 49ers seemed somehow more amazing, more miraculous. The 49ers had repeatedly knocked the Giants out of the playoffs and in regular season game in the early eighties and right through to the nineties, with a brief reversal in the mid-eighties. But the 49ers were just so tough, so....perfect! And for the Giants to go to Candlestick Park and take the game, and the title, from them, in front of their home fans! Wow!
Anyway, here's the article, with the lnk below, that got me on the topic in the first place:
Bill Parcells cites '90 title as best moment
by Bill Eisen Senior Writer/Editor for the New York Giants Official Website, July 17, 2013
Bill Parcells named the 1990 Championship Game in San Francisco as his most memorable moment
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Bill Parcells strode the sideline for 322 regular season and postseason games as an NFL head coach. He won two Super Bowls and is the only coach in history to lead four different franchises to the playoffs. But he can easily identify the most memorable moment of his Hall of Fame career.
“If you pin me down,” Parcells said on a national conference call today, “I would probably say the ’90 Championship Game in San Francisco (in which the Giants defeated the 49ers, 15-13, on Matt Bahr’s 42-yard field goal as time expired). We were heavy underdogs there that day, and San Francisco was going for their three-peat and we had lost our quarterback, Phil Simms, and we had Jeff Hostetler playing, who did a great job for us.
“I think probably that if you pin me down, that was – there were so many great players playing in that game, really, that that’s what makes it memorable to me. As a matter of fact, the referee, Jerry Markbreit, told me that of all the games he ever officiated, that was the greatest game he ever officiated. So that kind of stuck with me, too, that an official would view it that way as well.”
Parcells will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next month. He is the 19th Hall of Famer who spent all or a significant portion of his career with the Giants. Parcells’ longest stint with one team was his eight-year tenure with the Giants from 1983-90. His 77 regular-season victories with the Giants place him third among head coaches in the 88-year history of the franchise. The leader is Hall of Famer Steve Owen with 151, followed by current coach Tom Coughlin, who has 83 and counting.
Parcells was 8-3 in the postseason and led the Giants to victories in Super Bowls XXI and XXV.
Near the end of the call, Parcells was asked who he would pick if he could start a team with any player he had seen, coached or coached against. He did not choose a record-setting quarterback, but instead selected a Giants player who preceded him into the Hall of Fame.
“There are priority positions in this game and quarterback is one of those, so I’d consider that,” Parcells said. “But if you’re pinning me down – I’m a little prejudiced – I think I’d take Lawrence Taylor. I know he’s going to be there every Sunday and try his best to win the game.”
Parcells was 172-139-1 (.569) in the regular season and 11-8 (.579) in the postseason. His overall record was 183-138-1 (.570). Parcells is ranked 10th in NFL history in both regular season and total victories.
In addition to his two Super Bowl victories with the Giants, Parcells led the Patriots to Super Bowl XXXI, where they lost to Green Bay. He is one of 13 head coaches with more than one Super Bowl victory, one of five coaches to lead two different franchises to the Super Bowl and the only head coach in NFL history to take four different franchises to the postseason.
Other highlights from Parcells’ conference call, which was the first in a series with this year’s Hall of Fame inductees.
*His thoughts on the NFL mandating the use of knee and thigh pads this season and whether his Giants players tried to remove them when he coached.
“It was a constant battle for me,” Parcells said. “I was always one that was very adamant about wearing pads and I would fine my players if they didn’t wear them. Now some of them got away with them or were taking them out once the game started, and you’re not thinking about those things when the game is going on, really. But I’m glad that we are enforcing that, because I think the players sometimes don’t know what’s in their own best interest. I think wearing proper equipment is definitely in their best interest, and I’ve seen many, many injuries in my experience that came when proper equipment was not worn and could have been prevented. So I am all for that, 100 percent.”
Parcells was asked which players he most frequently battled with regarding pads.
“Mostly the cornerbacks,” he said. “The cornerbacks and the receivers were the two positions that I found to be the most flagrant violators. And it’s a coincidence that they’re the farthest people from the ball. You didn’t usually have to worry about your linemen or a lot of your linebackers, any of the interior people. And even your running backs were pretty careful. But the people on the perimeter of the defense were the ones I always had trouble with.”
*On how he developed his oft-praised “push the right buttons” technique to inspire his players.
“The ability to motivate someone is really a very, very much overrated thing, I think,” Parcells said. “I think it’s impossible to motivate someone who is not a self-starter in his own regard. My job as a coach, assuming that they are interested in improving and developing their skills, was just trying to direct them. You have all kinds of personalities that you have to deal with. Some are reclusive and don’t talk much and are not communicative. You have a little trouble figuring out what they’re thinking. You have to get to them and get them to explain what’s going on with them mentally. Then you have others who are high-strung and are anxious mentally and they waste a lot mentally doing something that’s not important. You have to recognize and appreciate the different characteristics that people have before you can even go about trying to teach them.
“I viewed myself as a teacher. I grew up in a family that was confrontational, so I think I carried some of that forward with me. In the long run, pushing buttons – I really am not sure what that means, other than you’re trying to get people that maybe they don’t understand how to do it, exactly. That’s sometimes the hard part.”
*On whether upon his election to the Hall of Fame if he reminisced about his first coaching job, at Hastings College in Nebraska in 1964.
“Absolutely, I did,” Parcells said. “As a matter of fact, the funny thing about that job and coincidentally the man who hired me, Dean Pryor, is going to be at the induction ceremony and that was my first coaching job and he was the head coach. He brought me to Hastings for just one season. It was kind of a part-time thing, and you learned an awful lot of things, you had to do things you didn’t consider. Like we had to wash the players’ uniforms after practice – I had to do that some. But I will say this, and I’m going to say this in my speech, he taught me and he preached to me something that I carried with me my entire coaching career, and that is that the players deserve a chance to win and you have an obligatory responsibility to try to give it to them. So that was a vital piece of information.
“That means you as a coaching staff, you as an individual coach, have a responsibility to try to give these players who are putting their self at risk and in harm’s way to have a chance to achieve success. And that goes for universities and professional teams as well. I know that I preached that to every organization and to every coaching staff I ever had – these guys deserve a chance to win and we’ve got to give it to them.”
*On whether Mickey Corcoran, his basketball coach at River Dell High School and a lifelong mentor, will be in Canton for Parcells’ induction ceremony, and if he’s thought about what he’ll say in his speech.
“Mickey is going to be there, but he’s not going to be my presenter,” Parcells said. “George Martin is, my former Giants co-captain for eight or nine years (Parcells was Curtis Martin’s presenter last year). I have obviously thought about things I’m going to say. I haven’t written anything down, nor probably will I write too much down. I’m just going to get up there and try to thank the people that had something to do with me being there and tell you just maybe one or two things about my experience as a coach and what are the important things I got from that experience. I think that will be about it.”
http://www.giants.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Bill-Parcells-cites-90-title-as-best-moment/37badf7d-079a-4f59-9f95-66138cbc3ee2
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