The New York Giants season was the franchise's 66th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Giants, who play in the National Football Conference (NFC), won their sixth championship and second Super Bowl. Led by linebacker Lawrence Taylor and quarterbacks Phil Simms and Jeff Hostetler, the Giants posted a 13–3 record before defeating the Chicago Bears and the two-time defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers in the NFC playoffs. In Super Bowl XXV, they defeated the Buffalo Bills 20–19 in Tampa Stadium. The story of the season is the subject of a recent book, When the Cheering Stops, by defensive end Leonard Marshall and CBSsports.com co-writer William Bendetson.
After making the playoffs in 1989, the Giants entered the 1990 season as a Super Bowl favorite, though most believed they stood little chance of stopping the 49ers. The Giants began the season with a 27–20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, then won their next nine games before losing a rematch to Philadelphia 31–13 in Week 12. The Giants also lost close games to the 49ers on the road and to the Bills at home in the regular season before defeating both teams in playoff rematches. In the Week 15 game against Buffalo, starting quarterback Phil Simms was injured and ultimately lost for the season with a broken foot. He was replaced by Hostetler, who did not lose a game. The Giants' defense led the NFL in fewest points allowed (211), and the team set an NFL record by committing only 14 turnovers in the regular season.Later broken by the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins in 2008 with 13, and then again by the 2010 New England Patriots and the 2011 San Francisco 49ers, with only 10. After the season, seven Giants were selected to the Pro Bowl.
In 2007, ESPN.com ranked the 1990 Giants' defense as the sixth-greatest in NFL history,The List: Best NFL defense of all-time, 2007 noting that the team "allowed only 13.2 points a game against a very tough schedule – they played against seven playoff teams during the regular season. Led by Hall of Fame outside linebacker Lawrence Taylor and First Team All-Pro inside linebacker Pepper Johnson, New York's defense also came through in the playoffs, holding the Bears to just three points in the divisional playoff game. The Giants then held a resilient 49ers offense to just two field goals and one touchdown and set up the game-winning score by both forcing and recovering a late Roger Craig fumble involving NT Erik Howard and OLB Lawrence Taylor to win the NFC Championship Game 15–13. In Super Bowl XXV, the Giant defense held its own against the Bills' no-huddle offense while the Giants' offense executed long methodical drives that gave the Giants a time of possession advantage of 2 to 1, and New York won 20–19."
Off-season
NFL draft The Giants had 11 selections in the 12-round 1990 NFL draft and took running back Rodney Hampton in the first round with the #24 overall selection.Draft History: New York Giants , NFL.com/history, accessed May 17, 2007. They took defensive end Mike Fox from West Virginia University in the second round (#51 overall) and linebacker Greg Mark (#79 overall) of the University of Miami in the third round. Kicker Matt Stover was selected in the 12th round but spent the season on injured reserve.
Undrafted free agents
+ 1990 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeBobby Abrams LinebackerMichiganRichard Apolskis GuardArkansasGary BarlowGuardPacificFrank BaurQuarterbackLafayetteGreg Boysaw CB-SIllinoisRoy BrownGuardVirginiaWin BryantNTNicholls StateEd CunninghamTackleTexasMark DennisLinebackerCentral MichiganWitliam DoyenTackleWest Virginia TechTroy KylesWide receiverHowardBruce LangWide receiverFairmont StateMichael LindseyLinebackerSouthernAndy LockTackleMissouriPhilip Ng Wide receiverLafayetteMichael RiddickWide receiverDelaware StateChad RobinsonLinebackerBYUTerrance SandersDefensive EndGramblingClarence SeayWide receiverUTEPChad Thorson LinebackerWheatonKenneth VinesCenterCentral State (OH)
Roster
Coaching staff New York Giants 1990 coaching staff Front office Co-owner – Wellington Mara Co-owner – Timothy J. Mara general manager – George Young
Head coaches Head coach – Bill Parcells
Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Ron Erhardt Running backs – Ray Handley Wide receivers – Tom Coughlin Tight ends – Mike Pope Offensive line – Fred Hoaglin Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator/secondary – Bill Belichick Defensive line – Romeo Crennel Linebackers – Al Groh
Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator – Mike Sweatman Assistant special teams – Charlie Weis
Source:Archer, Todd. "Two of a kind: Parcells, Coughlin see eye to eye", Dallas Morning News, October 8, 2004.
Super Coaching Staff: https://www.giants.com/news/super-coaching-staff
Schedule Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 at Buffalo Bills W 20–6 1–0 Rich Stadium Recap 2 at Houston Oilers W 13–10 2–0 Houston Astrodome Recap 3 New York Jets W 17–7 3–0 Giants Stadium Recap 4 Cleveland Browns W 28–10 4–0 Giants Stadium Recap
Regular season Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 9 Philadelphia Eagles W 27–20 1–0 Giants Stadium Recap 2 September 16 at Dallas Cowboys W 28–7 2–0 Texas Stadium Recap 3 September 23 Miami Dolphins W 20–3 3–0 Giants Stadium Recap 4 September 30 Dallas CowboysW 31–17 4–0 Giants Stadium Recap 5 Bye 6 October 14 at Washington Redskins W 24–20 5–0 RFK Stadium Recap 7 October 21 Phoenix Cardinals W 20–19 6–0 Giants Stadium Recap 8 October 28 Washington Redskins W 21–10 7–0 Giants Stadium Recap 9 at Indianapolis Colts W 24–7 8–0 Hoosier Dome Recap 10 November 11 at Los Angeles Rams W 31–7 9–0 Anaheim Stadium Recap 11 November 18 Detroit Lions W 20–0 10–0 Giants Stadium Recap 12 November 25 at Philadelphia Eagles L 13–31 10–1 Veterans Stadium Recap 13 at San Francisco 49ers L 3–7 10–2 Candlestick Park Recap 14 December 9 Minnesota Vikings W 23–15 11–2 Giants Stadium Recap 15 Buffalo Bills L 13–17 11–3 Giants Stadium Recap 16 December 23 at Phoenix Cardinals W 24–21 12–3 Sun Devil Stadium Recap 17 December 30 at New England Patriots W 13–10 13–3 Foxboro Stadium Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
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The Giants started the season with a 27–20 home win over the Philadelphia Eagles ending a four game losing streak to the Eagles. Despite sitting out training camp and the preseason in a contract dispute, linebacker Lawrence Taylor recorded three sacks and a forced fumble.Litsky, Frank. FOOTBALL; (sic) Marshall Struggles to Regain Job, The New York Times, September 15, 1990, accessed March 25, 2008. The Giants' defense forced three turnovers and held the Eagles to 83 rushing yards., databasefootball.com, accessed May 23, 2007. The Giants' offense scored three touchdowns in a 13-minute span in the third and early fourth quarters, but head coach Bill Parcells felt the offensive performance was lackluster overall: "Our runners didn't run the way we wanted them to. They were a little impatient. There were five or six vivid examples of cutting back too soon. You just have to give the play a chance and let it go where it's supposed to."
Week 2: at Dallas Cowboys
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With temperatures reaching 122° on the artificial turf at Texas Stadium, the Giants played the Dallas Cowboys on September 16.Litsky, Frank. Key Backup Players Keep Giants Fresh, The New York Times, September 18, 1990, accessed March 25, 2008. The Giants dominated from the outset and used backup players heavily throughout the game. Lawrence Taylor batted a Troy Aikman pass high into the air, which he caught and returned for a touchdown. The Giants' defense held the Cowboys to 20 rushing yards and 156 yards of total offense, while the Giants' offense gained 369 yards. The Cowboys totaled only nine first downs, averaged 1.8 yards per rush and were dominated in time of possession, 41:40 to 18:20., databasefootball.com, accessed May 24, 2007. Despite the 28–7 victory, Giants center Bart Oates still felt the offense could improve its play: "[w]e missed a lot of assignments. We rushed the ball O.K., but not like we did against Buffalo in preseason. Phil was pressured some. There were plenty of things we didn't do."
Week 3: vs. Miami Dolphins
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On September 23 at Giants Stadium, before 76,483 fans, the Giants met the Miami Dolphins for the first time since the Dolphins' undefeated 1972 season.New York Giants v Miami Dolphins Miami held the ball for only 19:42, and totaled only 158 yards of offense. The Giants' offense set the tone by holding the ball for 10:25 on the opening drive, leading to a field goal by Raúl Allegre. Holding Dan Marino to 119 total yards, and 3.6 yards per passing attempt, the Giants prevailed by a score of 20–3.Litsky, Frank. Giants Smother Dolphins, The New York Times, September 24, 1990, accessed March 25, 2008., databasefootball.com, accessed May 23, 2007. Parcells was criticized by the local media for playing Taylor in the final moments, despite the lopsided score, after he had injured his hamstring.Anderson, Dave. Sports of the Times; Why Was L. T. Playing?, The New York Times, September 24, 1990, accessed March 25, 2008.
Week 4: vs. Dallas Cowboys
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The Giants faced the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4 before 75,923 fans at Giants Stadium.Litsky, Frank. Giants Dispatch Cowboys To Go 4–0, The New York Times, October 1, 1990, accessed March 25, 2008. The Giants' defense held the Cowboys to 51 rushing yards on 20 attempts, and the Giants controlled the ball for 35:38., databasefootball.com, accessed May 24, 2007. Giants quarterback Phil Simms threw three touchdowns, and backup Jeff Hostetler ran for a 12-yard score late in the fourth quarter. Although the Giants' league-leading defense gave up 284 yards, 84 came on the Cowboys' final possession when the Giants played a prevent defense. Simms threw touchdown passes to Mark Ingram and Rodney Hampton, and the Giants built a 31–10 early in the fourth quarter before pulling their starters and allowing a Dallas touchdown.
Week 6: at Washington Redskins
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The Giants used their bye week to allow injured players such as linebacker Carl Banks, running back Rodney Hampton, special teamer Reyna Thompson, defensive lineman Erik Howard and offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott to recover from injuries.Litsky, Frank. Giants Welcome a Needed Rest, The New York Times, October 2, 1990, accessed March 25, 2008. They played the Washington Redskins on the road the following week.Eskenazi, Gerald. Redskin Turnovers Make the Difference, The New York Times, October 15, 1990, accessed March 25, 2008. The Giants forced four turnovers and won despite losing the time of possession battle, 35:28 to 24:32. Defensive coordinator Bill Belichick singled out free safety Greg Jackson, who had two interceptions, after the 24–20 win: "Jackson must have had 10 interceptions in practice, and if ever the cliche held true about a player playing the way he practices, it was so this week."
Week 7: vs. Phoenix Cardinals
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