What the Giants Need to Do to Repeat
By Eric from BigBlueInteractive.com
Winning an NFL Championship is extremely difficult. Winning it twice in a row is even harder, but not impossible. In the modern Super Bowl era, it’s been done eight times: The 1966-67 Packers, 1972-73 Dolphins, 1974-75 Steelers, 1978-79 Steelers, 1988-89 49ers, 1992-993 Cowboys, 1997-98 Broncos and 2003-04 Patriots.
In the New York Giants’ 82-year history, the Giants have won seven NFL Championships. The team has never repeated. The Giants’ titles came in 1927, 1934, 1938, 1956, 1986, 1990 and 2007. Let’s look at what transpired to the Giants after the first six Championships.
The Giants finished the 1927 season 11-1-1. The following season, in 1928, the team finished with a 4-7-2 record. The 1956 team accrued a 9-3-1 record en route to their title, but followed that up with a 7-5 effort. The 1986 team finished 17-2. However, in 1987, the Giants fell to 6-9 in the strike-shortened season, dead last in the NFC East. After 1990 and a 16-3 record, Ray Handley took over as head coach and the Giants fell to 8-8 and fourth place in the NFC East in 1991. None of these teams played in the post-season.
The other two Giants’ Championship teams – 1934 and 1938 – fared much better the ensuing seasons. Both teams made it back the NFL Championship Game, but were not able to come away with a repeat victory. The Giants lost to the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers in the 1935 and 1939 NFL Championship games, respectively.
Will the 2008 Giants repeat? Heck, will they even make the playoffs? If they are going to have a shot, this is what needs to happen:
· Stay healthy. The Giants did suffer significant injuries during the 2007 NFL season but were able to overcome the losses of TE Jeremy Shockey, LB Mathias Kiwanuka and HB Derrick Ward. This was a far cry from the Giants’ injury-riddled campaigns from 2003-06.
· Don’t get a big head. After the Giants’ impressive 4-0 playoff run, some have forgotten that the team barely made the playoffs in the first place. Trailing Buffalo 14-0 in Week 16, the Giants came from behind to defeat the Bills to earn their Wild Card playoff spot. What may help the Giants maintain a chip on their shoulder is that many prognosticators will surely label the Cowboys and possibly even the Eagles as better teams in the Giants’ own division. Still, the Giants must not assume they are clearly better than their opponents. The talent differential in the NFL is too small.
· Start where you started. After the Giants’ dismal 1987 season, then Giants coach Bill Parcells was asked what his biggest mistake was after the 1986 Championship season. He replied that he made the mistake of telling his team to pick up where they left off rather than start where they started. In other words, the 2008 New York Giants will be a different entity than the 2007 team. The Giants need to begin all over again with the same approach, hard work, and intensity during offseason workouts, mini-camps, training camp and the preseason. There are no short cuts.
· Hope Eli Manning plays like he did during the post-season. The 2007 post-season version of Eli Manning was a much different character than the 2007 regular-season version. The latter turned the football over 27 times while the former only turned the football over once (and that really was the fault of the wide receiver). If Manning continues to protect the football and mature as a leader, then the Giants will be fine. He is only entering his fifth NFL season and still has a lot of room to grow and improve.
· Draft well. At best, the Giants treaded water in free agency. They lost S Gibril Wilson, LB Kawika Mitchell and LB Reggie Torbor. They signed S Sammy Knight and LB Danny Clark and re-signed HB Derrick Ward. Getting Shockey and Kiwanuka back healthy will help. But the Giants need to continue to upgrade their talent and depth, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
The Giants are a young team and as many key contributors mature with added experience, they will even be better. But repeating will be tough. Parity reigns in the NFL.
