By Aaron Ozni
Coming into the 2022 season, the expectations surrounding the New York Football Giants involved many questions. How will they rebuild? What can the new coaching staff do to get players to buy into their philosophy? Headed into week 11 of the 2022 NFL season, the Giants have a record of 7-2 sitting in second place in the NFC East division. Bill Parcells once said, “You are what your record says you are” (Vaccaro). With this in mind, who are the 2022 New York Giants? By taking a simple look into history we can discover the answer.
In the 1930s, head coach Steve Owen and running back Alphonse “Tuffy” Leemans helped established the Giants’ identity for decades to come. Earl Mann says:
“It was Owen who first established defensive excellence as a Giant trademark. Another franchise signature was a physical running game. Few backs were more bruising than the future Hall of Famer Alphonse “Tuffy” Leemans, who won the rookie rushing crown his rookie year.” (Plaut, Cossrow and Lucatuorto)
By the same token, during the 80s, 90s, and 2000s the Giants possessed the fingerprints of a strong defense and a power running game from the backfield. Otis Anderson, Rodney Hampton, Tiki Barber, Ron Dayne, Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks, Michael Strahan, and Justin Tuck are just a few of the Giants that helped win championships during that timeframe. However, before a winning formula blossomed the Giants franchise went through dark days.
According to Richard Whittingham, “1983 was a disaster that the Giants were not counting on. Parcells was under huge pressures from the fans, from the media, and the newspaper writers. Everyone was hollering for his scalp. The only ones who seemed to like him were the players” (Plaut, Cossrow and Lucatuorto). ing into the 1984 season Parcells had to make changes to his approach. Linebacker Harry Carson states, “He made his rounds with every player on the team in one way or another, during the course of a week so that everyone knew that he cared about them” (Plaut, Cossrow and Lucatuorto). Former tackle Karl Nelson adds, “What he did is get a bunch of guys in there that I think that he thought were good class quality people. Not necessarily the best athletes. We had a lot of guys who were not great athletes. But, they were great people, and we truly cared about each other” (Plaut, Cossrow and Lucatuorto) One of the philosophical changes Parcells made was to establish team unity in the locker room of the Giants. Speaking about the 1984 season Earl Mann remarks, “With a dominating defense and a ground game electrified by a shifty little runner named Joe Morris, the Giants restored two hallmarks of their past” (Plaut, Cossrow and Lucatuorto).
Shifting slightly, today, head coach Brian Daboll is following the same principles that have been staples throughout Giants’ history. According to Nfl.com, the New York Giants through nine games of the 2022 season have compiled “1483 total rushing yards, and 1607 total passing yards” (NFL.com). Referencing the running game Brian Baldinger comments, “Saquon and Daniel Jones have been two really good runners. They’ve been durable. They’ve been excellent. They’ve done it in combination. They’ve done it out of necessity, and that’s how they built this team” (Baldinger).
Correspondingly, in the 2022 season, on the defensive side of the ball according to Espn, the Giants’ defense ranks “ninth in points per game allowed at an average of 19.2” (ESPN). When asked about the Giants’ defense Brian Baldinger observes, “What Wink has done with guys that came off the street. You know, guys that are playing corners and protecting the edges right now. Putting them in a position where they can use some of the skills that they have to the best of their ability” (Baldinger). In other words, the Giants coaching staff is doing a phenomenal job through nine games this season.
Ultimately, with the running game reestablished as the dominant form of moving the ball on offense, and a blitzing defense that attacks from all areas of the field, the 2022 New York Football Giants have rediscovered who they have always been.
Works Cited
Baldinger, Brian. Giants Huddle Podcast John Schmeelk. 10 Novemeber 2022. Podcast.
ESPN. ESPN NFL Team Total Defense Stats 2022. 16 November 2022. Website. 16 November 2022. <https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team/_/view/defense/table/passing/sort/totalPointsPerGam e/dir/asc>.
NFL.com. New York Giants Stats . 14 November 2022. Website. 14 November 2022. <https://www.nfl.com/teams/new-york-giants/stats>.
The Complete History of the New York Giants . Dirs. David Plaut, et al. Perf. Karl Nelson Tackle ’84-88. 2012. Documentary Film .
The Complete History of the New York Giants . Dirs. David Plaut, et al. Perf. Earl Mann. 2012. Documentary Film .
The Complete History of the New York Giants. Dirs. David Plaut, et al. Perf. Richard Whittingham. 2012. Documentary Film.
The Complete History of the New York Giants. Dirs. David Plaut, et al. Perf. Harry Carson Linebacker ’76- 88. 2012. Documentary Film.
Vaccaro, Mike. The Giants’ reality is absolutely ridiculous . 29 November 2020. Website. 15 November 2022. <https://nypost.com/2020/11/29/giants-defying-bill-parcells-mantra-in-most-ridiculous- way/>.
