Simms came back to finish the game, but he was 1-3 as the Giants' starter the rest of the year, and the Giants missed the playoffs. Following their Super Bowl victory in 1990, the Giants lost numerous members of their coaching staff. They also lost several key players, including Simms (traded to the Atlanta Falcons). The new management team of George Young and Bill Parcells decided not to renew Simms's contract after he finished the season with three losses.
The Giants did not have a first-round pick in the 1991 draft because of the trade for Simms. They did not have a quarterback on their roster at the time of the trade so they picked up second-year player Jeff Hostetler with the hope that he would be able to fill the role as their long-term solution at the position. However, Hostetler failed to live up to expectations and was eventually released after starting only two games for the Giants.
In 1992, the Giants selected University of Tennessee quarterback Elvis Grbac with their first-round pick. He started 14 games during his only season with the club, completing 60 percent of his passes for 2,071 yards while adding 16 touchdowns vs. 13 interceptions. He led the Giants to their first playoff appearance since 1990 and played well in their loss to Dallas.
This season would also mark the conclusion of Michael Strahan's NFL career, as he announced his retirement following the Giants' Super Bowl triumph. The Giants made the playoffs for the third straight season in 2007, which was only the second time since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. The team finished with a 12-4 record and earned the No. 3 seed in the NFC.
Strahan, a nine-time Pro Bowler, was the heart and soul of the Giants' defense. He led the team in sacks (59) and tackles for loss (79) in 2007. His 59 sacks are tied for fourth all-time with John Randle and Jason Taylor among active players.
The 6-foot-5, 260-pounder also forced two fumbles and recovered another during his seven-year tenure with the Giants. He ended his career with the New York/New Jersey area ranked first in sacks (95.5).
Michael Strahan played ten seasons in the NFL and finished his career with the New York Giants with a total of 95.5 sacks. He is currently the assistant director of player development for the Giants.
After missing out on the Super Bowl XLII victory, the Giants returned in 2008 looking to win the title for good. They started off hot by winning their first eight games before falling short in the last minute of regulation time to the New England Patriots.
The Giants had 11 picks in the 12-round 1990 NFL Draft, with the 24th overall pick going to running back Rodney Hampton. They selected defensive end Mike Fox from West Virginia University in the second round (51st overall) and linebacker Greg Mark from the University of Miami in the third round (79th overall). Other picks included offensive lineman John Baker from California State University at Long Beach, safety Donovin Darius from Howard University and cornerback Eric Wright from North Carolina A&T State University.
Hampton signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent on July 26, 1990. He played in 13 games for the Giants during his first season with them, finishing with 39 carries for 175 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught five passes for 49 yards. The next year, Hampton played in 14 games for the Giants, finishing with 122 carries for 643 yards and four touchdowns. He also caught 20 passes for 180 yards and another touchdown.
Fox played eight seasons in the NFL, all with the Giants. He started 35 games at defensive end, making the Pro Bowl in 1994 after recording 59 tackles, 17 sacks, and one interception. His career ended early due to knee injuries, but he still finished with over 100 tackles and 10 or more sacks throughout his time with the team.
Darius played six seasons in the NFL, starting 91 games at safety. He finished his career with 556 tackles, 16 interceptions, and seven sacks.
With a 12-4 record, a 41-0 thrashing of Minnesota in the conference championship game, and a spot in Super Bowl XXXV, Jim Fassel guided the Giants to the NFC's top seed in 2000. The team was led by quarterback Kerry Collins, who had been acquired from Dallas in a trade-deadline deal that sent Jeff Thomason to Texas, and running back Tiki Barber, who had been acquired from Atlanta in a trade-deadline deal that sent Michael Bennett to the Falcons.
Collins started all 16 games for the first time in his career, and he completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,671 yards with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also ran for six scores. The second-year player out of Southern Mississippi earned MVP honors at the Pro Bowl after posting a 9-7 record as a starter.
Barber finished with 1,079 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, and he added 45 catches for 612 yards and two more scores. His efforts helped the Giants rank third in the NFL in total offense (443.8 yards per game), and he became the first player since Washington's John Riggins in 1975 to top 1,000 yards from scrimmage in a season. Barber also topped 100 yards from scrimmage in eight games, most by any runner this decade.
Manning has led the Giants to two Super Bowl championships as a wild-card club, after the 2007 and 2011 seasons. The squad defeated the Packers at Lambeau Field on each of their legendary runs. Green Bay lost its first three games before winning four in a row.
Manning was drafted by the Giants out of Mississippi Valley State in 2004. He replaced Phil Simms as the team's starting quarterback that year, and has been the starter ever since. In his career, he has made more than $150 million, according to ESPN. He is also one of only three quarterbacks (Kurt Warner and Aaron Rodgers are the others) to start every game for their respective teams during their regular seasons.
Eli Manning played his high school football near his home in Jersey City, New Jersey, before moving on to Division I college football at Louisiana State University. While at LSU, he started 31 games over three years, completing 606 of 1,106 passes for 7½ yards an attempt with 14 touchdowns versus seven interceptions.
After graduating from LSU, Manning entered the 2004 NFL Draft. The Giants were looking for a replacement for future hall of famer Phil Simms, who had retired after the 2003 season. They selected him with the second overall pick.
Manning immediately became one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
The New York Giants signed twelve undrafted free agents after the 2010 NFL Draft. They were as follows: On January 4, 2010, the Giants sacked first-year defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan after the team's defense deteriorated, allowing 40 points on five times in their previous eight games. Head coach Tom Coughlin named former Giants assistant Steve Spagnuolo as his replacement.
Spagnuolo had been serving as the Saints' head coach since 2009, but he had also been the Giants' defensive coordinator from 2002 to 2008. He replaced Bill Sheridan, who had been serving as a senior advisor to Coughlin during the season.
Sheridan had been the Giants' secondary coach for three seasons (1987-89). He had previously served as the secondary coach for the Buffalo Bills (1990) and San Francisco 49ers (1991).
Steve Spagnuolo had a successful run as the Giants' defensive coordinator from 2002 to 2008. In that time, he coordinated one of the best defenses in the NFL during 2003 and 2004. The Giants ranked first in total defense each year and led the NFL in scoring defense in 2003. Spagnuolo's units also ranked first in passing defense in 2003 and 2004.
However, things began to go wrong for him in New York. In 2005, his last season with the Giants, they finished with a below average defense.
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