1984 Giants @ Rams

Wild Card Playoff Round

The Setup

I had previously written about the significance of the 1984 season in the Giants vs Chiefs review, but this game in particular went a long way to validating that Bill Parcells was the right man to lead the Giants.  This game not only made it clear that Parcells had the Giants on the right path, but served as a cautionary tale about what happens when a team underestimates/comes out flat against a quality opponent, which is exactly what the Rams did in this game.

Now, there were several factors as to why the Rams didn't take the Giants seriously until it was too late.  Among them:

- The Giants "backed" into the playoffs.  The Giants were involved in a convoluted 4 way mess at the top of the NFC East.  Going into the final weekend, the Redskins were 10-5 and in the lead.  Meanwhile the Cardinals, Giants, and Cowboys were all 9-6.  And here is where things got dicey:

• The Redskins played the Cardinals at RFK.  The Cards had beaten Washington earlier in the season.  If the Cardinals win, they go 10-6 and have the tie breaker over the Redskins and win the NFC East (but Washington had already clinched a playoff spot).  A loss, and they are out of the playoffs.
• The Cowboys were at Miami on a Monday Night.  A Cowboy win, and Cardinal loss, and they make the playoffs.  A loss, and they are out.
• The Giants played the Saints in a game in which the Giants win or loss had no bearing on their playoff fate, as they were in a poor tie breaker scenario against either the Cardinals or Dallas.

As it would turn out, the Cardinals and Redskins would have a back and forth game, with the Cardinals driving down the field trailing 29-27 and set up for a Neil O'Donoghue 50 yard field goal with no time outs.  His rushed kick sailed wide right.  The Cardinals would lose and essentially never be heard from again in the playoff chase until 1998.  That led to a celebration by the Giants and Cowboys, as they both were still alive.

Meanwhile on Monday Night, the Cowboys and Dolphins were tied at 21-21 in the 4th quarter, until Dan Marino threw his 4th TD pass of the game, a 63 yarder to Mark Clayton to give Miami a 28-21 win, drop the Cowboys to 9-7 and put the Giants in the playoffs.

- So, how did the Giants do?  Well, let's say they didn't finish the season on a high note.  In Week 15 at St. Louis, they entered the 4th quarter tied 21-21.  However, Neil Lomax's 300 yard, 3 TD performance was too much, as a late Ottis Anderson TD from 12 yards out and an O'Donoghue field goal sealed a 31-21 win (which set up the Cards for their NFC East showdown game).  And while the Giants had nothing to play for technically in the Saints game, they looked horrible.  Taking on a 6-9 Saints team at Giants Stadium, the Giants were lifeless.  They lost 10-3, gained only 189 total yards, got sacked 7 times, and threw 2 INTs.  Hardly the performance from a team you would think is ready for the post-season.

Meanwhile the Rams came in at 10-6, and they had one of the two best offensive players in the NFL in 1984, Eric Dickerson (the other was Dan Marino).  Dickerson was a monster.  Very tall for a running back, with speed and power, he set the single season rushing record of 2105 yards and scored 14 TDs playing behind a massive offensive line.  They had an aggressive defense led by Pro Bowl linebackers like Jim Collins and veteran Jack Youngblood.  But all the signs were there for a let down.

• The Rams were coming off an emotional battle against their main rival at the time, the 49ers.  In the mid 1980s, the Rams and 49ers had a traditional Friday Night game to end the season.  And in this case it was the 10-5 Rams against the 14-1 Niners.  At Candlestick Park, the Rams fell behind 17-3, before roaring back to make the score 17-16 until a late safety sealed the win 19-16 for San Francisco.
• As noted above, the Giants had a bad ending to the season.  When the teams met in person, back in Week 5, after the Rams gifted a TD to the Giants on the opening kickoff by misinterpreting the touchback rules and letting the ball bounce into the end zone and left it, where it was recovered by Phil McConkey for a TD, it was a nightmare for the Giants.  Ali Haji-Sheikh missed the extra point and the Giants' special teams imploded.  McConkey fumbled a kickoff which set up a field goal.  Dave Jennings had 2 punts blocked for safeties. Henry Ellard returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown.  And the Shiekh topped it off by missing another extra point and a field goal.   To top it all off, Simms was sacked by Youngblood in the end zone for a 3rd safety in the game, an NFL record which still stands today.  And Dickerson churned out a ho-hum 120 yard effort.  In all, it was a 33-12 horror show.
• The Giants lack of recent success (just their 2nd playoff game in 21 years) in comparison to the Rams (10th playoff in 12 years) took more luster off the game for the home team.  So much so, that even though the game would eventually have a record 67,000 people in attendance, most in Anaheim Stadium history, the game was not sold out in time prior to the game to prevent the blackout rules from applying.  So yes, a playoff game was blacked out in the Los Angeles market because the home fans didn't bother to sell it out.  And you wonder why LA hasn't had a team since 1994.  

So you had a Giants team, with little track record, who backed into the playoffs, led by a 2nd year coach in his first playoff game as the head man and had to take his team across the country.  Against a veteran team, with the best running back in football, playing at home and well rested.  The Giants should be just happy to be there and look to build on this for next year.  The Rams were already looking ahead to a match up in Washington, because before the playoff format was updated, you couldn't have teams from the same division play in divisional (2nd) round and match them up with the 49ers.  And that...is why they play the game.

The Game Highlights


 The Giants would kickoff, with Ali-Haji Sheikh booting it deep to Barry Redden at the 15 and he was taken down by Lawrence Taylor at the 30.  Yes...Lawrence Taylor, the best defender in the NFL, was covering the opening kickoff of this playoff game.  A hold on the Rams’ set them back 10 yards to the 20.  Kemp went behind center and pitched to Eric Dickerson running to his right, but Carl Banks got off his block and swallowed him up for a 4 yard loss all the way back to the 16.  2nd and 14, Kemp would drop back and tried to sling a deep pass to Drew Hill, but the ball was low and defended by Perry Williams.  3rd and 14, John Robinson decided he didn’t want to expose Kemp in his own end, so he pitched back to Dickerson running to the left for a gain of 2, taken down by Jim Burt and LT.  John Misko came on to punt and waiting deep was Lionel Manual, and it was a beauty, taken by Manuel at the 31 with a fair catch.  A 49 yarder with no return.  However, a penalty on LA for an illegal formation would invalidate the good punt and the Giants would force them to do it again, this time from his own end zone.  The Giants took their chances for better field position.


Misko’s kick was not as good on the second time around, taken by Manuel at the 44 yard line.  He would dance his way to the 47 where he was hit and looked to fumble the ball.  As the teams piled up to grab for it, an official said that Manuel was down and no fumble, so the Giants kept possession.  Replays looked close, but back in 1984, there was no replay booth, no red flags.  The Giants got the ball at the 47, so they would net 15 extra yards thanks to the decision to re-kick.  

Phil Simms led his team out and started by dropping back and hit Rob Carpenter out of the backfield and over the middle at the Rams’ 47 yard line and he burrowed his way to the 45, stopped by Carl Eckern but a good 8 yard gain.  2nd and 2, a quick handoff to Carpenter running to his left went for no gain, stopped by Greg Meisner and Mel Owens.  3rd and 2, Simms would fake to Carpenter, spin around and sling a pass to Manuel at the 38 yard line for a first down, stopped by Gary Green.  First down, Simms back again, with time, drilled one into Earnest Gray for an 11 yard gain, hit down by Jim Collins.  At the 27 yard line, Simms gave the ball to Joe Morris, for just one yard gain, tackled by Mike Wilcher.  2nd and a long 9, Simms back to throw and had some pressure in his face and he got off a pass towards Bobby Johnson in the end zone, who had beaten LeRoy Irvin, but Simms got hit as he threw, so the ball sailed incomplete.  However, on the play an illegal contact penalty on Collins gave the Giants an automatic first down.  Now at the 21, a quick inside handoff to Carpenter up the gut and he bulled his way to the 15 yard line, taken down by Vince Newsome.  2nd and 4 and another near disaster

That’s a great way to screw up a good drive.  Normally when the QB/Center exchange screws up, the QB drops the ball.  In this case, center Kevin Belcher dropped the ball as it was going back to Simms and it went on the ground.  Luckily for the Giants, Belcher was able to fall right back on it for no gain.  The Giants would shoot themselves in the foot again, as Karl Nelson came out of his stance way early for an easy false start as he tried to set up to block Jack Youngblood.  3rd and 9, Simms in the gun, and the Rams faked a blitz, but didn’t come.  Simms threw an out pattern towards Gray at the 8 yard line. Simms ran over thinking that interference should have been called on Green, but no flag came.  The Sheikh, who was terrible in 1984, banged through a 37 yarder to make the score 3-0 with 8:28 to go in the first quarter.

 The Sheikh kicked off to Redden, who took it at the goal line and followed his wedge (it wasn’t outlawed then), but was nailed by Larry Flowers at the 20 yard line.  Kemp would drop back throw with some time and went to his safety valve in Dickerson who was all alone in the right flat.  But he dropped the ball as he heard the footsteps of LT, who came flying at him and nailed him in the gut.  2nd and 10, Dickerson got the ball and ran off the right side for a 5 yard gain, but TE Mike Barber jumped offsides to wipe out the gain.  2nd and 15, Dickerson got a running start into the line, but didn’t go far, hit down after a 1 yard gain by Leonard Marshall and Jim Burt.  3rd and 14, and again John Robinson took the ball out of Kemp’s hands by pitching back to Dickerson on a sprint to the right side, and he got good yardage, out to the 24, hit down by Terry Kinard and Harry Carson, but short of a first down.  Misko came out and had a short kick that bounced at the 46 and was grabbed by Manuel at the 40, where he was dropped at the 43 by Ivory Sulley with 6:57 to go in the first quarter. 

The Giants offense would begin with a pass over the middle to Zeke Mowatt at the 48 yard line, tackled by Collins.  2nd and 4, the ball was given to Carpenter right up the gut, and was met by Collins after a 2 yard gain.  3rd and 2, Simms in the gun, the Rams called an all out blitz, which overwhelmed the Giants offensive line, as well as Mowatt who just watched Eckern come through to sack Simms back at the 40 yard line.  Dave Jennings came on to punt away to the NFC’s leading punt returner, Henry Ellard.  Jennings would shank the ball off the side of his foot and it bounced at the 37 yard line, but luckily for the Giants, it would roll all the way to the Rams’ 19 yard line, for a 41 yard punt and no return.

After the Giants got lucky with the bounce on the punt, the ball continued to bounce their way


Eric Dickerson was one of the best running backs of all time, and in 1984 he put up one of the best seasons in NFL history.  But his achillies heel was always that he suffered from acute fumbleitis, and this game was made worse by a cut on his left hand.  In this instance, Dickerson took the handoff up the middle and cut back towards his right.  As he did so, he was hit by DE Curtis McGriff and LT at the 20 and the ball popped up in the air where it initially hit Gary Reasons in the face and then was batted around and in the pile up of humanity, it was finally secured by safety Bill Courrier at the 23 yard line.

So the Giants were in a golden spot and began with a play action fake to Carpenter, but it didn’t fool the Rams, who came on a blitz and Simms was drilled by Eckern as the ball floated over Zeke Mowatt’s head.  2nd and 10, Simms again dropped back and threw a dart over the middle to Mowatt at the 15 yard line, where he was stood up by Collins and thrown to the ground.  3rd and 2, Simms back again to throw and with no one open, Simms took off up the middle and scrambled down to the 12 for a first down, hit by Newsome.  On first and 10, with the sun in his eyes, Simms would hand off to Morris on a delayed sweep to the right, following a pulling Benson, he cut up the field and got down to the 7 yard line, stopped by Johnny Johnson.  2nd and 5 at the 7 yard line, Simms would drop straight back and with time throw a seed towards a leaping Carpenter at the goal line, who had it in his hands, but he was bent back awkwardly on a hit by Collins and Eckern and dropped it.  3rd and 5, Simms dropped back and threw a tough out pass to Bobby Johnson by the right sidelines, putting the ball just over the shoulder of Green on defense.  Johnson snagged it and dove forward and out of bounds at the 1 yard line.  On first and goal, the Giants brought a TE in motion to try to throw a wham block on the nose and Carpenter tried to power it in, but he was sent back by Reggie Doss.  On 2nd down, with George Martin playing TE, the Giants tried Carpenter again, and this time he tried to leap over the pile, but he was met in the air by Eckern and stopped short of the goal line.  On 3rd and goal at the 1, Parcells decided that the was no point in being imaginative

Again, with Martin in at a blocking TE, the Giants decided that they were going to keep pounding at the Rams defense.  So they gave the ball to Carpenter, following Tony Gallbreath, lept into the line and was able to turn his body a little sideways and was able to get enough of a crease from right tackle Karl Nelson on Youngblood, to make his way into the end zone for the TD.  Ali Haji-Sheikh hit it right down the middle to make the score 10-0 with 1:10 to go in the first quarter.  

The Shiekh’s kickoff was a line drive, taken by Redden on a bounce at the 4 yard line and he found a seam behind his wedge and accelerated to the 32 yard line where he was tackled by Robbie Jones and LT (yes...LT again, covering kicks).  Kemp would fake a pitch to Dickerson to the right and would throw back to the left on a WR screen to Ron Brown, the former Olympian, at 28 yard line.  Brown followed his blocks and cut back around some missed tackles to take the ball to the 42 yard line, hit hard by Reasons, but the sticks showed it was good enough for a first down.  Kemp would fake to Dickerson which held up the rush initially, but the Giants defense began to bring pressure just as the ball was thrown deep to Ellard who made a great leaping catch at the 38 yard line, despite a decleating hit by Kenny Daniels.  However, behind the play, a hold was called on Bill Bain who hooked McGriff.  Ellard was shook up on the play and had to come out after having the wind knocked out of him.  1st and 20, another deep pitch to Dickerson running to the left, however he was met by Leonard Marshall at the 33 and taken down after a 1 yard gain on the final play of the first quarter.  2nd and 19, Dickerson would run to his right, but this time LT came firing in past the pulling guards to hit Dickerson down at the 37, and lost his helmet in the process.  3rd and 15, the Giants would come on a blitz, with LT crashing in from the right side.  Kemp felt the heat and immediately took off up the field and got to the 45 yard line where he was tripped up by Reasons and Carson, well short of a first down.  Another hold on Bain, who tackled Martin, was for some reason accepted (I guess to make it a tougher punt) and put the Rams back to the 27 yard line on 3rd and 25.  Kemp would drop back to throw and try a sprint rollout to his left, which wasn’t all that smart, as he headed in the direction of an onrushing Taylor and Marshall.  He somehow avoided a sack from LT, but wasn’t lucky enough to get past Martin, who took him down at the 24 yard line.  Misko came back on to punt and he got off a nice, high kick to Manuel at the 35.  Manuel would dance around a bit to get past the first wall of defenders and then make his way up the field and out to the Rams’ 48 yard line, chased out by James McDonald for a 17 yard return with 13:42 remaining in the half.

Simms would began with a handoff to Morris running to the right, and followed another devastating block by Nelson and then Benson on Youngblood and cut up the field to the 42 yard line, stopped by Newsome.  2nd and 4, Carpenter took the handoff and charged right up the gut to the 37 for a first down.  Parcells would keep pounding at the old warhorse Youngblood, running right at him again with Morris, who took it to the 35 yard line, stopped by Collins.  2nd and 8, the Rams would blitz, and the Giants would pick it up, but there was no one open down the field.  Simms would dump the ball off over the middle to no one in particular for an incomplete pass and somehow avoided an intentional grounding.  3rd and 8, Simms in the shotgun, had all day to throw and looked at Gray on a corner pattern, but his legs got tangled up with Green and they both fell down.  With the ball too far outside the Sheikh’s range, Jennings came on to try a coffin corner and he booted it out of bounds at the 15, so not his best effort.

The Rams would give the ball to Dickerson, running to his right and tried to cut back over the middle, but was taken down by Daniels and Burt at the 18.  2nd and 7, another pitch to Dickerson, this time running to his left, but he was strung out by the Giants defense, with Banks and Reasons hammering him down at the 22.  3rd and 3, Kemp would fake to Dickerson and then rifle a pass into Ellard who dove and made the catch at the 43 yard line, hit down by Daniel.  First down, the Rams tried to cross the Giants up with a handoff to Dwayne Crutchfield, the fullback, but he was engulfed by McGriff as soon as he got the ball and took him down after a 1 yard gain.  On 2nd down, Dickerson would finally find some room running to the right, breaking a tackle attempt by Daniel and powering down to the Giants’ 45 yard line, hit by Terry Kinard.  However, the reason why he had room was because of another hold on the Rams, this time on Dennis Harrah.  So now 2nd and 19, Kemp back, with a rush in his face, and dumped a pass off to Mike Barber, who was dragged down with one arm by Reasons at the 43, for a 10 yard gain.  3rd and 9, Kemp on a 3 step drop, again tried to drill a pass into Ellard on the same play he called earlier, but the ball sailed over everyone’s head.  Misko came on to punt again, and this time his high hanger was fair caught by Manuel at the 25 with 7:43 go to in the half.

The Giants started with a pass in the direction of Galbreath, but the ball went over his head on a bad throw by Simms.  2nd and 10, Simms would drop back and hit Mowatt at the 31 and Zeke would cut back up the field to the 34, stopped by Eckern a yard short of the first.  3rd and 1, Morris took the handoff and just powered his way over right end to the 37, stopped by Collins but well past the sticks.  Carpenter would take the next handoff, but he was met by Charles DeJernett for a loss.  2nd and 11, Simms was back to throw and had an all out blitz coming after him.  He retreated and then dumped off to Carpenter, who made the grab at the 30 yard line and he took it to the 36, caught from behind by Mel Owens, who made a big tackle because Carpenter had no one ahead of him.  3rd and 11, Simms in the gun and had some time initially, but with no one open, DeJernett got past his man and sacked Simms back at the 25 yard line, and luckily didn’t fumble.  Jennings on to punt, got off a nice kick to Ellard at the 27, and the Pro Bowl returner slipped and danced his way to the 41 yard line, stopped by Jones after a 14 yard return.

The Rams took over with 4:22 to go in the half, and Dickerson would follow his pulling guards to the right and cut up field, knocked down by Carson at the Giants’ 48 yard line and a first down.  Kemp would drop back and with Banks being picked up on a blitz, threw an out to Brown at the 38 yard line, he would spin away from LT, and then spin away from Reasons, and got the ball all the way to the 29 yard line where Marshall came roaring back from his DE position to take him down.  Dickerson would take the pitch running to this right, and had momentum, powering to the 22 yard line, hit down by Courrier.  2nd and 3, another pitch to Dickerson, this time to his right, but Marshall read it perfectly and smothered him for a big loss back to the 28 yard line which brought the clock to the 2 minute warning.  3rd and 8, Kemp back again, and he threw to David Hill at the 25, who had a chance to get the first down, but he slipped at the 22, and right into the prone body of Perry Williams, who also slipped down.  John Robinson decided to take the points and brought on Mike Lansford for a 41 yard FG, and the barefoot kicker just barely got in through to make the score 10-3 with 1:00 remaining.

On the ensuing kickoff, near disaster

The Giants would dodge a major bullet, as Kenny Hill took the kickoff at the 5 yard line and brought it to the 20 where he was met by several Rams.  As he was spinning off the tackles, he got popped right on the ball and he fumbled.  Joe Morris was alert enough to jump on the loose ball to save the day with :52 to go.  Going conservative, Parcells gave the ball to Carpenter, who spun off a hit in the backfield and lunged forward for a 1 yard gain.  The clock was winding down, and again gave the ball to Carpenter, who plowed up the gut, hit by Eckern at the 22.  The Rams called a time out with :04 to go before the half, which was strange since it was their first one and they should have done it after the first play.  3rd and 9, Simms dropped back, retreated a bit to waste enough time, and then dumped it to Carpenter at the 20 and he took it to the 21, shoved out by Owens, but the clock struck at :00 and the Giants would go in up 10-3 at the half.

Lansford would kickoff to start the 2nd half and the ball went to Frank Cephus at the 10 and he took it down to the 30, spun down by Ivory Sulley.  Simms dropped back and hit Mowatt over the middle for a 7 yard gain, taken down by Eckern at the 37.  2nd down, the handoff went to Morris, sprinting to his right and Morris lunged towards the 40 yard line, despite what would have been a horse collar call on Vince Newsome, and the refs gave him the first down.  Simms dropped straight back and with a blitz coming, hit Gray at the 49 yard line, stopped by Johnson.  2nd and 1, Carpenter ran pretty much a dive up the gut and plowed into Greg Meisner for no gain.  3rd and about a foot, Simms called a hard count that got Youngblood to jump and the Giants handed off to Morris running to his right got about 3 yards, but the offsides call gave them a first to the Rams’ 45.  

On first down, the Giants continued to go to Zeke Mowatt.  Simms would roll out to his right with the Rams blitzing and hit Mowatt right in the seam at the 38 yard line, and he would accelerate up the field, past a diving Owens and out to the 23 yard line, cut down by Johnson.  You forget how good Mowatt was as a TE before his torn ACL in 1985 and what he could have been.  However, a guy named Bavaro who would arrive in 1985 would also make fans forget Zeke.  The Giants were driving, and on first down the ball went to Morris running to his left and looked to have room, but Doss got in the backfield and took Morris down for a loss.  2nd and 11, Simms back, with another blitz coming, Simms took a shot at the end zone to Gray, but the ball was broken up by Johnson, who had great coverage on the play.  3rd and 11, Simms in the gun, had another Rams blitz come and flipped the ball out to the right flat to Galbreath at the 33.  Galbreath was able to get around Collins in the open field and navigate his way to the 21 yard line, stopped by Meisner.  The Sheikh came back on the field to hook in a 39 yard field goal inside the right upright to make the score 13-3.  

The kickoff was a bouncer to Redden at the 10, and he was swallowed up by Elvis Patterson and friends at the 22, and on the play Redden would hurt his knee.  Kemp bean with a pitch to Dickerson to the left, and he was hit down by Banks at the 26.  2nd and 6, Dickerson tried to cut back over the middle, but was met by McGriff at the 26 for no gain.  On 3rd and 6, the Rams got lucky

The Rams passing offense was pretty much non-existent and on this play Kemp had time to throw and uncorked a deep shot towards Drew Hill at the 25, where he was jostling for position with Kinard.  The ball would fall just short of both men, however the ref threw a flag on a huge pass interference on Kinard.  Even John Madden knew it was a BS call, if anything, Hill was grabbing Kinard’s arm.  The refs put the ball at the Giants’ 29 yard line, a 45 yard penalty in all.  Dickerson would take the handoff and try to run to his right and was hammered down by Daniel for a 2 yard gain.  2nd and 8, Kemp back and was smashed by LT who came inside on a stunt, but he got the ball out to McDonald at the 25 near the sidelines, and he would turn up the field to the 16 yard line, dragged down by Williams.  First and 10, Kemp back to throw again, and he had time early, but Burt put pressure on him up the middle, so he scrambled to his right and tried to run, but was caught by Banks at the 14 yard line for a 2 yard gain.  On 2nd and 8, the Giants defense finally got burned by the best running back in the NFL

Dickerson, running to his left, got around a kickout block on Reasons from McDonald, and with the inside sealed thanks to Harrah on LT, Dickerson easily beat Carson, Banks and Kinard to the edge and sprinted into the end zone for a 14 yard TD.  Lansford’s extra point would make the score 13-10 with 6:25 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

Lansford’s kickoff went to Hill at the 15, and he got a great run back to the 42 yard line, but a hold on the Giants sent them back to 20.  Simms started with a pass again to Mowatt, who caught it at the 24 yard line and Zeke turned it up the field and took Johnson for a ride out to the 32 yard line, where Collins had to help get him on the ground.  Simms back again to throw and checked down to Carpenter at the line of scrimmage and he took it to the 33 yard line, cut down by Wilcher.  2nd and 9, Simms handed off to Morris running to his right, but he was met in the backfield by DeJernett and spun off him, but he would get downed by Wilcher at the 30 for a loss.  3rd and 12, Simms would make a big play

Simms was always an underrated passer with a strong arm and could display good touch.  With Simms in the gun and a pocket to throw in, he threw a perfect pass on a deep out to Manuel at the Rams’ 45 yard line, between 2 defenders and the diving catch was good for a huge first down to the 44.  The Giants again went to Morris sprinting to his right behind the pulling Benson, but little Joe saw something and cut back up the middle and took it to the 40, hit down by Collins.  2nd and 6, Simms back again, with a blitz that was picked up by Carpenter, he had Gray open deep who had beaten his men by a few yards and should have been a walk in TD, but the ball was over thrown.  3rd and 6, Simms in the gun, and again the Rams blitzed, again the Giants picked it up, but Simms got decked late.  However, he got the ball off and hit Manuel at the 29 yard line.  The Giants’ WR would deke and juke around and got the ball down to the 20.  On the play Simms would get decked by Doss and had to regroup, but Karl Nelson got hurt in the pileup as everyone hit him on the ribs.  Conrad Goode would take over at right tackle as the Giants gave the ball to Morris running to his right, and again was met by DeJernett in the backfield for a loss of 1.  2nd and 11, Simms back, with time, dumped it off to Carpenter in the right flat at the 24, and he took the ball up to the 15 yard line, smashed by Collins.  

3rd and 4, Simms faked the ball to Morris on a sweep to the right and rolled out to his left on what was probably a bootleg, but he did so right into a blitzing Collins, who mugged Simms down at the 20 for a sack.  Simms would actually pull this play off 2 years later in the NFC Championship game against the Redskins and nearly scored.  The Sheikh continued to kick well, putting through a 36 yarder with little concern to make the score 16-10 with :40 to go in the 3rd quarter.  

The Shiekh’s kickoff would go to Redden at the 10 yard line and he would sprint up the field until he was met by McGloughlin and Cephus and dropped hard at the 18 yard line.  First down, Kemp back again, and hit Barber over the middle at the 23 yard line, where he was dragged down by Reasons and Taylor on the final play of the 3rd quarter in which the Giants held the ball for 10:55 to the Rams’ 4:05.  2nd and 5, Dickerson tried to run to his right and was stacked up by McGriff for a 2 yard gain.  3rd and 3, Kemp back to throw and he had time to hit Barber coming across the middle at the 32 yard line, who beat Banks in coverage because he was too busy looking in the backfield and Barber was able to chug up the field to the 41 yard line, running over Kinard for a 16 yard gain.  First down, a fake to Dickerson and Kemp was forced to roll back and to his right, running for his life from Burt and Marshall.  Before he got hit, he threw across his body up the field to Dickerson, who was run into by Carson for an easy pass interference and a first down at the Giants’ 49.  The Rams would run a reverse to Ellard who accelerated all the way out to the 35 where he was grabbed and driven back by Kinard.  However, on the play there were 2 flags thrown.  The first was on Bain for an illegal motion and the second was a pass interference on the offense.  Either way, the Rams marched back 10 yards.  On first and 20 came a game saving play

Dickerson was that typical great back, who you might bottle up for the first 10 carries or 15 or even 20, but he’s going to break one.  In this case, Dickerson was running to his right, jumped over McGriff, broke away from Reasons, LT and Burt, got around Daniel and then took off up the right sidelines.  The last guy with a good shot at him was Kinard, who blew the contain initially, but had enough recovery speed to catch up with him and dove at his feet to make a touchdown saving tackle at the 35 before the big back could get up to full speed.  The Rams were able to get a first down, but it could have been much more.  Kemp back after a fake handoff to Dickerson and had some time before LT crashed in on him and he got the ball out to McDonald at the 30, and he lost his footing and was downed by Banks at the 27.  2nd and 3, another pitch to Dickerson running to his right, again he had room to run and again Kinard came up to hit him before he got up to full speed at the 19 yard line, but good for another first down.  The Giants defense looked to have tired legs as they substituted new linebackers in and the Rams called a timeout.  Dickerson would run around the corner on the left side, got past Marshall and Williams until he was met by Kinard and LT at the 11 yard line.  2nd and 2, Dickerson again to the right, again jumped over McGriff and was tripped up by Banks at the 7 yard line for a first and goal.  On the play, Courrier went down trying to make the tackle and held up the game (which was good for the Giants).  The Rams were driving and the Giants looked like they were in trouble.  The pitch was to Dickerson running to the left again, and this time he cut back up the middle and was met by Banks at the 4 yard line.  On 2nd down, came one of the most curious calls you will see.

The Giants defense was wobbly at this point.  Dickerson, the best back in the NFL was getting hot.  And John Robinson calls for an inside handoff to his fullback, Crutchfield and he was immediately nailed for a loss by Marshall.  This is a case of a coach getting far too cute.  Before the play, Madden was noting how no one else should get the ball.  So it was such a bad call that Madden had to basically call his good friend, Robinson, pretty much an idiot for this play call.  So now 3rd and goal at the 7, with the ball really too far out to give to Dickerson due to the horrible decision on 2nd down, and the life was let out of the Rams.  Kemp dropped back, and pressure coming up the middle from McGriff, threw an out to Ellard at the 5 yard line, and he was wrapped up by Williams and thrown back to the 11 yard line.  The Rams had to bring out Lansford as the fans booed the poor play calling that cost them a TD.  Lansford’s 22 yarder was good, making the score 16-13, but it felt like the Rams might have let the game get away from them.

Lansford’s kick went to Hill at the 5 yard line and he was taken down at the 24 yard line with 6:53 to go in the game and the Giants clinging to a 3 point lead.  Parcells wouldn’t sit on it and Simms dropped back to throw and dumped it off to Morris in the left flat, and Little Joe took it up the field to the 26 yard line.  2nd and 8, again Simms would drop back, and again a check down safe pass to Carpenter at the 25 and the fullback powered his way to the 32 yard line, hit by Eckern and Collins.  3rd and 1, Simms would surprise the Rams by dropping back to throw, but again went for the dump off to Carpenter at the 31 yard line, and he pushed his way 36 yard line, stopped by Collins and LeRoy Irvin, but good enough for another first down and kept the clock moving.  On the next play, the Giants fans thought they had the game won

With the Giants in clock kill mode, Simms gave off to Morris on a quick inside handoff up the middle.  Morris accelerated up and cut to his right, breaking a tackle attempt from Eckern and then exploding up the field and until he was grabbed down via a legal horsecollar tackle by Newsome at the 3 yard line.  However, a flag for a hold called on the Giants ruined a 61 yard gain as Belcher was nailed for grabbing Meisner’s left arm, and he didn’t need to do it because Morris was already gone.  So the ball went back to the 26 yard line, on first and 20, and Simms would throw the ball over the middle to Mowatt at the 32, where he was taken down by Eckern.  2nd and 14, Simms again dropped back, with some time to throw but no one open, he scrambled to his left and tried to set up to pass, but was tracked down and drilled by Wilcher at the 30 for a sack.  Now 3rd and 16, Simms in the gun, and came a questionable play.  Rather than play it safe and handoff or go short, the Giants went for the first down, threw a deep out to Gray, but the ball sailed and stopped the clock with 2:59 to go.  Jennings came on to punt to the dangerous Ellard, and Jennings’ kick was short, but a weird problem with the clock operator not starting the 30 second play clock negated it.  So Jennings was given a second chance and this time got off a good one to Ellard at the 20 and was dropped by Cephus at the 26.  

The Rams had 2 timeouts to go and the 2 minute warning.  They started with a pass out to Brown on a WR screen to the right, he caught it at the 21 and made his way up to the 29, taken down by Carson and out of bounds with 2:42.  2nd and 6, the ball went back to Dickerson running to his left, but he was surrounded and was taken down by Andy Headen and Reasons at the 30.  The Rams would huddle up on 3rd and 5, Kemp went back to throw and wanted to go to Dickerson, but George Martin stopped his rush to cover him, so Kemp was forced to go to his secondary receiver David Hill over the middle at the 40, but the ball was a little off target and dropped.  4th and 6, the Rams took a timeout with 2:02 to figure out what to do.  Well, the Giants knew what to do

As he always seemed to do, LT showed up in the big spot of the big games.  On 4th and 6, LT did his usual pass rush around the blind side, threw off Irv Pankey, and drilled Kemp in the back as he tried to throw, with an assist from Martin and Merrill along the way.  The ball floated forward and was recovered by Headen at the 34.  On the play, Bain was injured and had to be helped off with 1:58 to go.  

The Giants would give the ball to Carpenter and he would power his way off right end and keep his legs moving, all the way down to the 25 where the Rams took their final time out with 1:49 to go.  The Giants again gave it to Carpenter, and he was smashed in the backfield by Meisner for a loss.  They let the clock keep running on 3rd and 3, and Simms would have the Rams made a final fatal mental mistake

With no time outs, the Rams were desparite.  The Giants gave the ball to Carpenter, who was stopped short of the first by Doss at the 20, but Meisner tried to jump in quickly, and he came offsides, so with the 5 yard gain, that gave the Giants a first down and put the game away.  On the bench, the Giants celebrated as Parcells chatted with Mickey Corchoran, his high school basketball coach, the same one I went to, River Dell.  Simms would take a couple of kneel downs as the team celebrated on the bench, knowing they were moving on to a week stay in California and a date with the 49ers in Candlestick in the next round of the playoffs.  

Interesting Tidbits/ Post Mortem

• The Giants run would end one week later, against the eventual Super Bowl champion 49ers in San Francisco. The Giants gave the Niners their toughest game, with all the scoring happening in the first half and would lose 21-10.
• This would be Parcells' first playoff win in his career.
• LT game winning sack of Jeff Kemp was his first “official” post-season sack.  Sacks were not kept as a stat prior to 1982, so his run in 1981 didn’t count, when he unofficially registered a sack in both the Eagles Wild Card game and the 2nd round in San Francisco.  He would go on to register 5.5 more sacks in 12 more post-season games.
• Like LT, George Martin registered his first official sack in the playoffs in this game.  He did get one against the Eagles in the Giants win at Philly in 1981.  Martin’s final post season sack occurred late in the 2nd quarter of Super Bowl XXI, when he wrapped up John Elway for a safety that made the score 10-9 and set the Giants up for a big turnaround in the 3rd quarter on the way to a route.
• Lionel Manuel was the punt returner because Phil McConkey was hurt and unable to play
• Earnest Gray caught 2 passes for 20 yards.  It was the last time Gray would make a reception in the post season.  His best playoff game came in 1981 at San Francisco, when he snagged 3 catches for 118 yards and a TD, including a 72 yard TD catch from Scott Brunner.
• The Giants started rookie first rounder William Roberts at left tackle in this game and shifted usual left tackle Brad Benson to left guard as the normal starter, Billy Ard, was out injured.  Roberts was a player who was very talented but never was able to settle in at tackle.  He was a backup throughout 1985 and 1986.  When Karl Nelson went down with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 1987, Roberts stepped in at right tackle and played ok, but not great.  In 1988, Roberts shifted over to left tackle as Brad Benson retired, and he struggled there as well.  Parcells would eventually shift Jumbo Elliott to left tackle and kicked Roberts inside to left guard.  Once at guard, Roberts added weight and settled in as the starter and played well enough to earn a Pro Bowl selection in 1990.  Roberts would remain as the starter at guard through the 1994 season.  He would rejoin Parcells in New England and would play for the Patriots in the 1996 Super Bowl against Green Bay.  Roberts would play one more season, with the Jets in 1997, again following the Tuna there before he retired.
• It was not a banner offensive showing by the Giants, totaling only 40 yards on the ground and 192 yards in total.  It was the second worst output by the Parcells’ Giants.  The worst, not surprisingly, came in 1985 at the eventual World Champion Bears, when the Giants were shut out 21-0.  Against one of the best defenses of all time, in freezing Soldier Field, the Giants rushed for 32 yards and gained 181 total yards.
• The win at LA was also Parcells’ first road playoff win.  He only won one other road playoff game as the Giants head coach, the NFC Championship game in San Francisco in 1990, putting his road record at 2-2.
• The best road coach in the playoffs for the Giants?  Easy, Tom Coughlin.  Coughlin is an amazing 5-1 on the road in the playoffs.  His only loss coming at Philly in the Wild Card round in 2006, and even that was a close game that took a last second David Akers field goal to beat the Giants.  Of course, his home record of 1-2 is less than stellar.
• Parcells first and last wins in the post season both had to do with time of possession.  In the case of the 1984 Rams, they were a team who wore teams out behind a huge offensive line (back in a time when offensive linemen were around 275 pounds, they had 300 pounders) and kept pounding Dickerson at teams.  After a few quarters of this, Dickerson would eventually break big runs as teams couldn’t keep up.  And in Super Bowl XXV, the Bills ran their no-huddle offense and put pressure on defenses and points up quickly.  In the AFC Championship game, they dismantled the LA Raiders by the score of 51-3.  So what did Parcells and the Giants do?  In the Wild Card the Giants kept the ball for 34:03 to the Rams 25:57.  That disparity helped the Giants control the game and find a way to win.  In the Super Bowl, they played it to perfection, 40:33 to 19:27.
• Rob Carpenter’s TD was the only one he scored over the course of 10 playoff games in his career.
• While the Sheikh had a return to form in the playoffs, going 3-3 in field goals in LA, Ali Haji-Sheikh was terrible in 1984.  He went 17-33, for a high schoolish 51.1% conversion rate.  And he also managed to miss 3 extra points as well.  This was a far cry from 1983, when he burst on to the scene as a rookie and made 35 of 42 attempts (the 35 conversions led the NFL), scored 127 points and earned both Pro Bowl and All Pro Honors.  On a team that would go 3-12-1, the Sheikh was one of the few offensive bright spots.  Come 1985, it wasn’t clear which direction his career was going to go.  He had injury problems with his hamstring and he kicked in the first two games of the year until he re-injured his leg and was placed on IR.  The Giants signed Jess Atkinson to kick and he would kick the next 6 games, until he was waived.  The Giants had hoped the Sheikh was ready to go, but his leg wasn’t sound enough.  So the Giants signed Eric Schubert to kick the remainder of the year.  by 1986, Parcells had enough of the Sheikh and released him and went with Joe Cooper and Bob Thomas until they signed Raul Allegre, who was released from the Colts.  Meanwhile, the Sheikh would end up kicking in Atlanta for 6 games in 1986.  In 1987, Jess Atkinson and the Sheikh’s paths crossed again.  Atkinson kicked for Redskins in their home opening win vs Philadelphia.  He would be replaced by the Sheikh for the remainder of the season (minus the scab games).  The Sheikh would kick for them through the post season and converted on all 6 extra points in the Super Bowl XXII win over Denver.  He would retire from football after that game with a championship ring.
• It was not a banner offensive showing by the Giants, totaling only 40 yards on the ground and 192 yards in total.  It was the second worst output by the Parcells’ Giants.  The worst, not surprisingly, came in 1985 at the eventual World Champion Bears, when the Giants were shut out 21-0.  Against one of the best defenses of all time, in freezing Soldier Field, the Giants rushed for 32 yards and gained 181 total yards.
• As noted earlier, the Giants lost to the Rams in the regular season, 33-12. Since 1981, the Giants have faced a team in the playoffs who they also played in the regular season 20 times:
• 1981: Regular Season: Eagles- 1-1, 49ers- 0-1
• 1981: Playoffs- Eagles- 1-0, 49ers- 0-1
• 1984: Regular Season: Rams- 0-1, 49ers - 0-1
• 1984: Playoffs- Rams 1-0, 49ers- 0-1
• 1986: Regular Season: Redskins- 2-0, 49ers- 1-0,  Broncos- 1-0
• 1986: Playoffs: Redskins- 1-0., 49ers- 1-0, Broncos- 1-0
• 1989: Regular Season- Rams- 0-1
• 1989: Playoffs- Rams 0-1
• 1990: Regular Season- 49ers- 0-1, Bills- 0-1
• 1990 Playoffs- 49ers- 1-0, Bills 1-0
• 2000: Regular Season- Eagles- 2-0
• 2000: Playoffs- Eagles 1-0
• 2002: Regular Season- 49ers- 0-1
• 2002 Regular Season- 49ers- 0-1
• 2006: Regular Season- Eagles- 1-1
• 2006: Playoffs- Eagles -0-1
• 2007: Regular Season- Cowboys- 0-2, Packers- 0-1, Patriots- 0-1
• 2007: Playoffs- Cowboys 1-0, Packers- 1-0, Patriots- 1-0
• 2008: Regular Season- Eagles- 1-1
• 2008: Playoffs- Eagles- 0-1
• 2011: Regular Season- Packers- 0-1, 49ers- 0-1, Patriots- 1-0
• 2011: Playoffs- Packers 1-0, 49ers- 1-0, Patriots- 1-0
• In 1984, Eric Dickerson rushed for a (still) NFL Record 2105 yards.  The Giants would “hold” him to 107 yards and 1 TD on the day.  It was better than his earlier game when he ran for 120 yards against the Giants.  Dickerson, as you would expect, posted eye popping numbers in 1984.  He rushed for over 100 yards in a game 12 times, and on 7 of those games he topped 145 yards.
• Dickerson continued to be dominant runner in the post seaon, rushing for 248 yards in a 20-0 win over the Cowboys in 1985, and 158 yards in a Wild Card loss at Washington in 1986.
• Dickerson was one of the most prolific running backs in history.  He finished with 13,259 yards rushing and 90 TDs (rushing).  He would rush for over 1000 yards his first 7 years in the NFL.  At 6’3”, 220 pounds, he was very big for a running back at the time and had the power to run over defenders and the speed to run past them.  But Dickerson, for a tall running back, also ran very upright, or as they say, very North/South.  When you are a tall running back with that running style, you provide the defense with a big target to hit and a long center of gravity.  In contrast, Joe Morris, at 5’7” and very stocky, had a low center of gravity and it was tougher to get a hit on him.  The weakness of being a tall RB...fumbles.  Dickerson had a crucial fumble in the Giants playoff game.  In his career, Dickerson fumbled an amazing 78 times.  Perhaps the game that summed up Dickerson best was the 1986 Wild Card game against the Redskins.  He did rush for 158 yards in the game, including a 65 yard burst that left him short of a TD only because he was caught from behind by Darrell Green.  But he also had three critical fumbles and the Rams would lose 19-7.
• Dickerson looked to be a Ram for life, but as things often happen in the world of professional football, money seemed to get in the way.  Dickerson clashed with the Rams over his contract and things came to a head in the 1987 strike season.  It became clear that Dickerson was not going to find the money he wanted in LA, even though he sat out 2 games in 1985 as a holdout.  Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts, led by then 28 year old GM Jim Irsay (now the current owner and controversy lightning rod) decided that the Colts needed a jump start.  The Colts were a story of negativity.  John Elway refused to play there and forced a trade to the Broncos.  The Colts and their owner, Bob Irsay, were steadfast that they were not moving from Baltimore...until they did so in a snowstorm in the middle of the night in March of 1984, the Mayflower moving trucks showed up and brought the Colts operations to Indianapolis.  What followed was a laughing stock of records- 4-12 in 1984, 5-11 in 1985, and 3-13 in 1986 (with a 0-13 start).  By 1987, the Ron Meyer Colts were playing pretty well, sporting a 3-3 record coming out of the strike and in the thick of the AFC East race.  With this backdrop, Irsay decided it was time to make a splash and went after Dickerson.  What followed was a 10 player blockbuster that was agreed to on Halloween day in 1987.  Dickerson was traded to the Colts and promptly got a $5.6 million deal over 4 years, a huge sum at the time.  It was a convoluted deal that involved 3 teams and it broke down this way
• Colts got Dickerson
• Rams got: Greg Bell, RB (and promptly rushed for 1200+ yards and 16 TDs in 1988), Owen Gill, RB.  Billls’ 1988 first rounder (Gaston Green, RB), Colts 1988 first rounder (Aaron Cox, WR), Colts 1988 second rounder (Fred Strickland, LB), Bills 1989 first rounder (Cleveland Gary, RB), Colts 1989 second rounder (Frank Stams, LB), Bills 1989 second rounder (Darryl Henley, DB)
• Bills got: Cornelius Bennett
• Dickerson would look like a man reborn with the Colts, rushing for 1011 yards in just 9 games, to lead them to a 9-6 record and win the AFC East, and earn a playoff spot for the first time since leaving Baltimore.  They would lose their second round game at Cleveland by the score of 38-21.  But that would end up being the height of the Dickerson deal.  Dickerson would rush for over 1000 yards in 1988 and 1989, but the Colts did not make the playoffs either season.  Irsay would again mortgage the future in 1990, trading up to #1 for QB Jeff George.  Meanwhile, Dickerson, at age 30, finally hit the wall with all the tread.  He would last only 2 more years with the Colts, before bouncing to the Raiders and Falcons before retiring.
• If the story of the Colts giving up too much for a running back sounds familiar, it should, because they did it back in 2013.  Trent Richardson was the Browns #1 pick out of Alabama in 2012 (#3 overall). Richardson seemed to put up decent numbers as a rookie, 950 yards rushing, 11 TDs, and add in 51 catches.  But a guy who knows a thing or two about running back, former Brown All time great Jim Brown called Richardson “ordinary”.  Two games into the 2013 season, the Browns traded Richardson to the Colts, who were reborn under new QB Andrew Luck.  Fans accused the Browns of tanking the season.  But the Browns got a first round pick for Richardson.  And what happened?  Richardson could never find his rhythm with the Colts.  He rushed for 458 yards in 13 games, and could never unseat Ahmad Bradshaw (an injury did that) or Donald Brown.  In 2014, people thought that Richardson would click, but again, he didn’t.  Though he led the Colts in rushing, with only 519 yards and 3 TDs, it took another Bradshaw injury and then he was replaced by Dan Herron.  Richardson would be de-activated for the AFC Championship game at New England and has since signed with the Raiders as a replacement for Darren McFadden.  The man who engineered this deal?  Owner Jim Irsay.  Now, not all was roses for the Browns.  They got the Colts first round pick, #26 overall.  That pick was packaged to move up to #22 in the 2014 draft...which they took, Johnny Football.  Johnny Manzeil has been a complete bust.  He only started 2 games, lost 30-0 in his first start against the Bengals, and got hurt in his second one.  In the offseason he ended up in rehab and the Browns are apparently listening to offers for him.  
• The Rams QB was Jeff Kemp, son of former Pro Bowl Bills QB and Republican Congressman Jack Kemp.  Jeff Kemp would start his career with the Rams and would get his first starting opportunity in 1984, getting the nod 13 times and leading the Rams to a 9-4 record.  Kemp would eventually lose his job to the immortal Dieter Brock in 1985, and by 1986 would find himself on the 49ers as the starter when Joe Montana went out with back surgery.  Kemp would only get on the field in 2 post season games in his career.  This Wild Card loss, and then he was forced to take over for Montana in 1986 when the Hall of Fame QB was knocked unconscious by Jim Burt late in the 2nd quarter on a play that resulted in LT returning a pick for a TD to make the score 28-3.  Predictably, Kemp got slaughtered, going 7-22 for 64 yards and a pick in the 49-3 destruction.
• The Rams offensive system was built around Dickerson, as it should be, but they had 2 WRs who ended up having great careers, but were mainly considered to be return men in LA.  Henry Ellard was a Pro Bowler as a punt returner, but put up kind of pedestrian numbers as a WR (34 catches for 622 yards and 6 TDs).  But by 1988, at age 27, he broke out with 86 catches for 1414 yards (leading the NFL) and 10 TDs.  What followed was over 1000 yards in 6 of the next 8 years and he would finish with 814 catches, 13,777 yards, and 65 TDs.  On the other side was Drew Hill.  Hill was under utilized in 1984, 14 catches for 390 yards and 4 TDs at age 28.  The Rams decided to move on from him and traded him to the Houston Oilers for 2 draft picks.  Teamed up with Warren Moon, Hill would immediately pay dividends, 64 catches, 1169 yards and 9 TDs in 1985.  He would prove that it was not a fluke, and with the Oilers going to a run and shoot offense, he would go over 1000 yards 4 of the next 6 years (and the two times he didn’t get it, he was over 900 yards).  Hill would finish his career in Atlanta and sadly passed away in 2011 at the young age of 53 due to series of strokes.
• This would be the final game for Hall of Famer Jack Youngbood.  At age 34, Youngblood was still productive in his 14th season, coming off 9.5 sacks.  But in this game, Youngblood was not close to his full effectiveness.  An injury to his sciatic nerve essentially took away any of his burst and he was playing on one leg.  The Giants knew this and went after him, to the point that the Rams had to put him on the bench.  It was a sad end for a proud player who made the Pro Bowl for 7 straight years.  And a guy who to this day is always cited when they talk about someone who toughs it out and plays hurt.  Some guys might pull a muscle or strain a ligament, and get themselves back on the field.  In 1979, Youngblood broke his left fibula and yet would play in every post season game, including the Super Bowl….and the Pro Bowl!  That’s right, the freaking Pro Bowl on a broken leg.
• One thing you might notice that was strange about Youngblood, his jersey number.  Youngblood wore #85, which you would expect to see on a WR or a TE, not a defensive lineman.  After the 1973 season, the NFL instituted a new rule for jersey numbers that could be given out by position.  This was done for a variety of reasons, but particularly to help enforce eligible receiver questions on the offensive line, a tactic that Bill Belichick used to mess with in order to take an eligible receiver (now a Giants in Shane Vereen) and have him report as an ineligible number and confuse the Baltimore Raven defense in the 2014 playoffs.  The NFL has since outlawed that.  But after 1973, defensive lineman had to wear 60-79 and 90-99.  Youngblood was grandfathered in so he could continue to wear #85.  And as it would turn out, no offensive player will get a chance to wear that number, it was retired by the Rams.
• The Giants had their own similar situation as well.  When people think #10 on the Giants, you immediately think of Eli Manning.  As a two time Super Bowl MVP and eventual owner of all Giants passing records, odds are no one will wear it again as it will be retired once his playing days are done.  To a lesser extent, you also think of Kent Graham, in his two separate stints with the Giants and the man who stopped the Broncos 1998 march for perfection.  But the Giants also had a linebacker by the name of Brad Van Pelt wear #10 from 1973 - 1983.  And he wasn’t some scrub.  As the Giants were struggling in the mid 1970s, they started to build up a core of defensive players who helped turn things around.  Guys like Harry Carson, Brian Kelley, and George Martin came on the scene before Lawrence Taylor arrived.  And Van Pelt was no scrub on these poor teams.  He made 5 consecutive Pro Bowls from 1976-1980.  Unfortunately for Van Pelt, he would leave the Giants after the 1983 season, as Parcells looked to bring in younger linebackers like Carl Banks and Gary Reasons.  Van Pelt would land with the Raiders, and lose his #10, having lost his grandfathered in status with the Giants and wore #91 in 1984 and 1985.  Van Pelt would last one more season, in Cleveland in 1986 (wearing #50) and was spared a strange situation of facing the Giants in Super Bowl XXI as John Elway’s 98 yard drive and an OT field goal by Rich Karlis beat the Browns in the AFC Championship and ended his career.
• However, even today there are exceptions to the rule.  This happened to the Giants in 2005 with a linebacker named Kevin Lewis.  Lewis was on the roster from 2000 - 2004 and wore #59.  He was released before the start of the 2005 season and pretty much sat at home.  However, by late in the season, the injury bug pretty much stripped the Giants of all their linebackers, they had to sign him to start for the injured Antonio Pierce at middle linebacker.  However, there was an issue.  The Giants ran out of all eligible linebacker numbers.
• • 50: (Retired- Ken Strong)
  • 51: Carlos Emmons
  • 52: Barrett Green
  • 53: Reggie Torbor
  • 54: Nick Greisen
  • 55: Roman Phifer
  • 56: (Retired- Lawrence Taylor)
  • 57: Chase Blackburn (he would change to #93 in 2011)
  • 58: Antonio Pierce
  • 59: Alonzo Jackson
  • 90: Ryan Keuhl
  • 91: Justin Tuck
  • 92: Michael Strahan
  • 93: Eric Moore
  • 94: William Joseph
  • 95: Adrian Awasom
  • 96: Jay Foreman
  • 97: Kenderick Allen
  • 98: Fred Robbins
  • 99: Damane Duckett
• So what were the Giant options?  Not much other than stick him with #44 playing at linebacker.  And that number wouldn’t be given out again, until in 2007 it went to a rookie running back taken in the 7th round named Ahmad Bradshaw.