1986 New York Giants

The 1986 season was the New York Giants' 62nd in the National Football League (NFL) and their fourth under head coach Bill Parcells. The New York Giants, who play in the National Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football League (NFL), won their fifth championship—and first Super Bowl—in franchise history during the season. Led by consensus league Most Valuable Player (MVP) linebacker Lawrence Taylor and Super Bowl MVP quarterback Phil Simms, the Giants posted a 14–2 record during the regular season, tied for the best record in the league with the defending Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears and the best in team history. The Giants improved on their 10–6 record from 1985, won their first division championship since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, and won Super Bowl XXI against the Denver Broncos.

In the playoffs, the Giants, who were the top seed in the conference ahead of the Bears, defeated the San Francisco 49ers for the second consecutive year in the playoffs by a score of 49–3. They then disposed of their division rivals, the Washington Redskins, in the NFC Championship Game 17–0. In the Super Bowl, behind Simms' 88% pass completion percentage and their strong defense, the Giants overcame a 10–9 halftime deficit and scored thirty second-half points while allowing only ten more and defeated the Broncos 39–20.

After making the playoffs in 1984 and 1985, the Giants entered the 1986 season as one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. They began the season with a 31–28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, before winning five consecutive games. After losing 17–12 to the Seattle Seahawks in week seven, the Giants won their final nine regular season games. Following the regular season, coach Bill Parcells won the NFL Coach of the Year Award, and eight Giants were named to the Pro Bowl. The Giants' defense, nicknamed the Big Blue Wrecking Crew, finished second in the league in points and yards allowed.

The 1986 Giants had been ranked as one of the greatest NFL teams of all time by fans,Readers: Greatest NFL team
espn.com. accessed October 7, 2010. and members of the media.1986 New York Giants
, espn.com. accessed October 7, 2010. The Giants also ranked #12 on the 100 greatest teams of all time presented by the NFL on its 100th anniversary. It was this Giants team that popularized the practice of the "Gatorade shower", which entailed the players dousing members of the coaching staff with Gatorade near the end of a victorious game.

Off-season

After two consecutive playoff seasons, the Giants entered the 1986 season as one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl.

Draft

The Giants had five selections in the first two rounds of the 1986 NFL Draft, as opposed to the normal two, and 14 selections in the 12-round draft overall.Draft History: New York Giants
, NFL.com/history, accessed May 17, 2007. Of the draft Giants' general manager George Young said, "This is not a blue-chip draft, but a strong blue-collar draft. A lot of people think there's better quantity than quality." Litsky, Frank
Jets and Giants Study Picks; Trades Could Change Options in Early Rounds
''The New York Times'', April 27, 1986, accessed June 3, 2011. With their first selection they chose defensive end Eric Dorsey #19 overall from the University of Notre Dame. With their four-second-round selections they chose Mark Collins, cornerback out of Cal State-Fullerton, Erik Howard, nose tackle out of Washington State University, Pepper Johnson, linebacker out of Ohio State University, and Greg Lasker, defensive back out of the University of Arkansas.

Personnel

Staff

Roster

Depth chart

Pre season

Schedule

Regular season

Schedule

Game Officials

Pre season

Regular season

Game summaries

Week 1: at Dallas Cowboys

The Giants had their first test in the opening week ''Monday Night Football'' game against the defending Eastern Division champion Dallas Cowboys. Playing in front of 59,804 fans at Texas Stadium,Litsky, Frank
Cowboys Defeat Giants on Walker's Touchdown
''The New York Times'', September 9, 1986, accessed May 17, 2007. the Giants lost the opener, 31–28.
, databasefootball.com. accessed March 16, 2007. The teams played fairly evenly statistically; the Giants totalled 416 yards to the Cowboys' 392. Highlights of the game included Cowboys running back Herschel Walker, in his first NFL game, rushing 10 times for 64 yards and the game-winning touchdown, and fellow running back Tony Dorsett scoring on a 36-yard screen pass on the game's opening drive. The Giants struggled at the start of the game; they failed to get a first down on their first three drives, but their offense came alive and scored 28 points in the final three-quarters.

Week 2: vs. San Diego Chargers

In week two, the Giants defeated the San Diego Chargers 20–7 in front of 74,921 fans at Giants Stadium.Litsky, Frank
Giants' Defense Stifles Chargers
''The New York Times'', September 15, 1986, accessed May 17, 2007. The Giants led the Chargers 10–7 after three-quarters before scoring 10 in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. Joe Morris rushed 30 times for 83 yards and defensive backs Terry Kinard and Kenny Hill intercepted two passes each. Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts threw five-second half interceptions. "We took away their outside running game and their short passes", Giants' defensive coordinator Bill Belichick said. "When Fouts tried to go deep, that's when we got interceptions." The Giants dominated the Chargers in time of possession; 39 minutes 44 seconds to the Chargers' 20 minutes 16 seconds. The Giants defense forced eight turnovers overall, and held the Chargers to 41 rushing yards on 13 carries.Box Score Chargers Vs Giants 9/14/1986
, databasefootball.com, accessed May 20, 2007. After the game Fouts complimented the Giants defense, "There was no comparing the Giants' defense with the Dolphins' defense (the Chargers scored 50 points and totalled 500 yards against the Dolphins in week one). We never got anything established against the Giants. Momma said there would be days like this, and she was right."

Week 3: at Los Angeles Raiders

The Giants played the Los Angeles Raiders in Los Angeles in week three.Litsky, Frank
Giants Stop Raiders
''The New York Times'', September 22, 1986, accessed May 17, 2007. Joe Morris rushed for 110 yards on 18 carries—the first time in 19 games someone had rushed for 100 yards against the Raiders—and the Giants' defense held the Raiders to three field goals. Raiders running back Marcus Allen was held to 40 yards on 15 carries, ending his then-NFL record 11 game 100 yard rushing streak, and the Giants defeated the Raiders 14–9. The Raiders gained a total of 58 rushing yards, and committed nine penalties.Box Score Giants Vs Raiders
, databasefootball.com, accessed May 20, 2007. Raiders' quarterback Jim Plunkett completed 21 of 41 passes for 281 yards, and Phil Simms threw touchdown passes of 18 and 11 yards to wide receiver Lionel Manuel.

Week 4: vs. New Orleans Saints

The Giants rallied to beat the New Orleans Saints 20–17 in front of 72,769 fans at Giants Stadium in week four.Litsky, Frank
Giants' Rally to Beat Saints, 20–17
''The New York Times'', September 29, 1986, accessed May 17, 2007. They came back from a 17–0 second-quarter deficit, by scoring 20 points in the final three-quarters. Rueben Mayes of the Saints returned the second-half kickoff 99 yards for an apparent touchdown only to have the play called back because of an illegal block by linebacker Sam Mills. The decisive points came on Phil Simms's 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zeke Mowatt midway through the fourth quarter. The Giants dominated the Saints in time of possession, holding the ball for 38 minutes and 47 seconds to the Saints 21 minutes and 13 seconds.

Week 5: at St. Louis Cardinals

The Giants faced the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis in their fifth game of the season.Janofsky, Michael
Giants Triumph; Jets Win on Pass in Final Minute; Cardinals Lose, 13–6
''The New York Times'', October 6, 1986, accessed May 17, 2007. The Giants offense struggled, with Morris leading the team with a meager 53 rushing yards and quarterback Phil Simms completing only 8 of 20 passes for 104 yards. Mark Bavaro caught two passes and Bobby Johnson caught two as well, for 55 yards—the only passes caught by a Giants' wide receiver. The game was a defensive struggle that featured 17 punts, four field goals (two by each team), and one touchdown. The Giants won 13–6, and the decisive score was a 1-yard touchdown run by Joe Morris early in the third quarter. The Giants defense held the Cardinals to 2.4 yards per rush attempt and 3.8 yards per pass attempt in the victory.

Week 6: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

In week six, the Giants hosted the Eagles at the Meadowlands.Janofsky, Michael
Giants rout Eagles
''The New York Times'', October 13, 1986, accessed May 17, 2007. Linebacker Harry Carson scored his first career touchdown by catching a pass on a fake field goal in the third quarter, and the Giants defense sacked Eagles' quarterbacks Ron Jaworski and Randall Cunningham three times each. The Giants won 35–3; their largest margin of victory