1991 New York Giants season
OwnerWellington Mara
Robert Tisch
General managerGeorge Young
Head coachRay Handley
Home fieldGiants Stadium
Results
Record8–8
Division place4th NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersC Bart Oates

The 1991 New York Giants season was the franchise's 67th season in the National Football League. The Giants entered the season as the defending Super Bowl champion but failed to qualify for the playoffs. They were the eighth team in NFL history to enter a season as the defending Super Bowl champion and miss the playoffs,[1] and became the first organization in NFL history to do so twice (the Giants missed out on the playoffs a season after winning Super Bowl XXI as well).

The 1991 season marked the first season that the Mara family did not have total ownership of the Giants. Wellington Mara's nephew Tim, who had inherited the half-stake in the team that his grandfather and namesake had given to Tim's father Jack, decided that he no longer wanted to be involved with the team after twenty-six years, most of which had been spent feuding with his uncle over the team's operations. On February 2, 1991, shortly after Super Bowl XXV, Tim Mara announced he had sold his family's stake in the team to businessman Bob Tisch, the co-founder of Loews Corporation and former United States Postmaster General. Tisch did not take an active role in the operations of the team, instead choosing to focus on the team's finances; this enabled the Maras to keep control of the football side of the team and allowed Wellington Mara's son John to take a more active role with the Giants.[2]

The 1991 season also marked the first time since 1983 that the Giants entered the season with a new head coach. Bill Parcells decided to retire following the Super Bowl victory and general manager George Young chose to promote Ray Handley, the team's running backs coach, to the position instead of promoting defensive coordinator Bill Belichick; Belichick would leave the Giants soon after to become head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

During the Giants' previous season Phil Simms entered the year as the starter and started the first fourteen games of the season. In the course of that fourteenth game, where the Giants hosted the Buffalo Bills, Simms suffered a severe foot injury and backup Jeff Hostetler took over and led the Giants through the playoffs and to their Super Bowl victory over those same Bills.

Simms did recover from his injury and was expected to regain his starting position, but Handley decided to make Simms and Hostetler compete for the position. Handley made his decision prior to the Giants' week one matchup with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football and gave the starting job to Hostetler amid some controversy. Hostetler led the Giants to 6 wins in his eleven starts, but broke his back during a week 13 win against Tampa Bay. Simms returned to finish the game, but went 2–3 as Giants starter the remainder of the year and the Giants fell out of the playoffs.

[3]

Offseason

After the 1990 season, in which the Giants won the Super Bowl, the Giants lost several members of their coaching staff. In addition to Parcells and Belichick,[4] wide receivers coach Tom Coughlin took the head coaching position Boston College; he was said to have been the first choice to replace Parcells and would have done so had he not left the Giants.

NFL Draft

1991 New York Giants draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 27 Jarrod Bunch  RB Michigan
2 55 Kanavis McGhee  LB Colorado
3 83 Ed McCaffrey *  WR Stanford
4 111 Clarence Jones  T Maryland
5 139 Anthony Moss  LB Florida State
6 167 Corey Miller  LB South Carolina
7 195 Simmie Carter  DB Southern Miss
8 223 Lamar McGriggs  DB Western Illinois
9 250 Jerry Bouldin  WR Mississippi State
10 278 Luis Cristobal  G Miami
11 306 Ted Popson  TE Portland State
12 334 Larry Wanke  QB John Carroll
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[5]

Roster

1991 New York Giants final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists
  • 62 Jay Butler T (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • -- Tim Downing DE (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 15 Jeff Hostetler QB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 79 Clint James DE (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 49 Thom Kaumeyer S (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 54 Anthony Moss LB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 18 Greg Taylor WR (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 73 John Washington NT (IRTooltip Injured reserve)


Practice squad

  • 92 Murray Garrett DT
  • 67 Jeff Novak T
  • 88 Joey Smith WR


Rookies in italics
 47 active, 8 inactive, 3 practice squad

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue
1 August 5 Buffalo Bills W 23–17 1–0 Giants Stadium
2 August 10 at Cleveland Browns L 10–16 1–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium
3 August 17 New York Jets W 24–10 2–1 Giants Stadium
4 August 24 at New England Patriots L 3–24 2–2 Foxboro Stadium

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 2 San Francisco 49ers W 16–14 1–0 Giants Stadium Recap
2 September 8 Los Angeles Rams L 13–19 1–1 Giants Stadium Recap
3 September 15 at Chicago Bears L 17–20 1–2 Soldier Field Recap
4 September 22 Cleveland Browns W 13–10 2–2 Giants Stadium Recap
5 September 29 at Dallas Cowboys L 16–21 2–3 Texas Stadium Recap
6 October 6 Phoenix Cardinals W 20–9 3–3 Giants Stadium Recap
7 October 14 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 23–20 4–3 Three Rivers Stadium Recap
8 Bye
9 October 27 Washington Redskins L 13–17 4–4 Giants Stadium Recap
10 November 4 at Philadelphia Eagles L 7–30 4–5 Veterans Stadium Recap
11 November 10 at Phoenix Cardinals W 21–14 5–5 Sun Devil Stadium Recap
12 November 17 Dallas Cowboys W 22–9 6–5 Giants Stadium Recap
13 November 24 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 21–14 7–5 Tampa Stadium Recap
14 December 1 at Cincinnati Bengals L 24–27 7–6 Riverfront Stadium Recap
15 December 8 Philadelphia Eagles L 14–19 7–7 Giants Stadium Recap
16 December 15 at Washington Redskins L 17–34 7–8 RFK Stadium Recap
17 December 21 Houston Oilers W 24–20 8–8 Giants Stadium Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week 1: San Francisco 49ers at New York Giants – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
49ers 7 0 0714
Giants 3 10 0316

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 2: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week 2: Los Angeles Rams at New York Giants – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Rams 0 10 3619
Giants 0 6 0713

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 3: at Chicago Bears

Week 3: New York Giants at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 0 10717
Bears 0 13 0720

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: September 15
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 82 °F (28 °C)
  • Game attendance: 64,829
  • Referee: Dick Hantak
  • TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information

Week 4: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week 4: Cleveland Browns at New York Giants – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Browns 0 0 3710
Giants 3 10 0013

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 5: at Dallas Cowboys

Week 5: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 3 31016
Cowboys 0 7 7721

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

  • Date: September 29
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 66 °F (19 °C)
  • Game attendance: 64,010
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Dan Fouts
Game information

Week 6: vs. Phoenix Cardinals

Week 6: Phoenix Cardinals at New York Giants – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 3 0 609
Giants 14 3 0320

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: October 6
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Light rain, 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 75,891
  • Referee: Bob McElwee
  • TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Dan Fouts
Game information

Week 7: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 7: New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 7 6 7323
Steelers 0 0 31720

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: October 14
  • Game time: 9:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 47 °F (8 °C)
  • Game attendance: 57,608
  • Referee: Red Cashion
  • TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf
Game information

Week 9: vs. Washington Redskins

Week 9: Washington Redskins at New York Giants – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Redskins 0 0 71017
Giants 10 3 0013

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 10: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 10: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 0 707
Eagles 0 13 71030

at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Date: November 4
  • Game time: 9:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 42 °F (6 °C)
  • Game attendance: 65,816
  • Referee: Johnny Grier
  • TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf
Game information

Week 11: at Phoenix Cardinals

Week 11: New York Giants at Phoenix Cardinals – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 7 7 7021
Cardinals 0 7 0714

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

  • Date: November 10
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/2:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: Overcast, 74 °F (23 °C)
  • Game attendance: 50,048
  • Referee: Gerry Austin
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Merlin Olsen
Game information

Week 12: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 12: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 3 609
Giants 6 10 0622

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: November 17
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Partly sunny, 41 °F (5 °C)
  • Game attendance: 76,410
  • Referee: Gordon McCarter
  • TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information

Week 13: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 13: New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 7 0 7721
Buccaneers 0 7 0714

at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida

  • Date: November 24
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,698
  • Referee: Dale Hamer
  • TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Dan Fouts
Game information

Week 14: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 14: New York Giants at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 7 7 3724
Bengals 7 0 31727

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Date: December 1
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Overcast, 39 °F (4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 45,063
  • Referee: Howard Roe
  • TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information

Week 15: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week 15: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Eagles 0 10 3619
Giants 7 7 0014

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: December 8
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Overcast, 52 °F (11 °C)
  • Game attendance: 76,099
  • Referee: Tom White
  • TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information

Week 16: at Washington Redskins

Week 16: New York Giants at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 3 7 7017
Redskins 7 17 3734

at RFK Stadium, Washington D.C.

  • Date: December 15
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 40 °F (4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 54,722
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information

Week 17: vs. Houston Oilers

Week 17: Houston Oilers at New York Giants – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Oilers 0 6 01420
Giants 7 10 7024

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: December 21
  • Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 39 °F (4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,421
  • Referee: Larry Nemmers
  • TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Paul Maguire
Game information

Standings

NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(1) Washington Redskins 14 2 0 .875 6–2 10–2 485 224 L1
(5) Dallas Cowboys 11 5 0 .688 5–3 8–4 342 310 W5
Philadelphia Eagles 10 6 0 .625 5–3 6–6 285 244 W1
New York Giants 8 8 0 .500 3–5 5–7 281 297 W1
Phoenix Cardinals 4 12 0 .250 1–7 3–11 196 344 L8

Awards and honors

See also

References

  1. ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 256
  2. ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p.287
  3. ↑ Anderson, Dave (October 12, 1997). "Sports of the Times; Not a Quarterback Controversy. It's Simply a Contest". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ "Bill Belichick - Official New England Patriots Biography". Archived from the original on June 2, 2007. Retrieved April 23, 2007.
  5. ↑ "1991 New York Giants Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
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