1996 New York Giants season

Last updated

1996 New York Giants season
Head coach Dan Reeves
Home field Giants Stadium
Results
Record6–10
Division place5th NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers

The 1996 New York Giants season was the franchise's 72nd season in the National Football League (NFL) and their fourth and final under head coach Dan Reeves. The team was looking to improve on its 5-11 finish from the year before. [1] [2]

Contents

In the 1996 NFL Draft, the Giants selected defensive end Cedric Jones with the fifth overall pick. [3] The Giants' first game of the season was at home against the Buffalo Bills, and resulted in a 23–20 loss in overtime. After being shut out by the Dallas Cowboys, New York fell to 0–3 with a 31–10 defeat to the Washington Redskins. [2] Against the New York Jets, the Giants earned their first victory of the season; a 15–10 win over the Minnesota Vikings left them with a 2–3 record heading into their bye week. The team then lost four of its next six games. [2] After defeating the Cowboys, the Giants' record entering December stood at 5–7. [4] They ended the season by losing three of their last four games. With a 6–10 record, the Giants finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division. [2] After the season, the Giants fired Reeves and hired Jim Fassel as his replacement. [5]

Quarterback Dave Brown started all 16 games for the Giants in 1996, throwing for 12 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. New York's leading running back was Rodney Hampton, who had 254 carries for 827 yards. Wide receivers Chris Calloway and Thomas Lewis led the Giants with four touchdowns and 53 receptions each; Calloway had a team-high 739 receiving yards. [2] Defensively, Chad Bratzke and Michael Strahan had the most sacks among Giants players with five apiece, while Jason Sehorn had five interceptions to lead the team. [2]

Offseason

NFL Draft

1996 New York Giants draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
15 Cedric Jones   DE Oklahoma
234 Amani Toomer   WR Michigan
366 Roman Oben   T Louisville
4130 Danny Kanell   QB Florida State
6171 Doug Colman   LB Nebraska
6182 Scott Galyon   LB Tennessee
7214 Conrad Hamilton   CB Eastern New Mexico
      Made roster        Pro Football Hall of Fame     *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[6]

Personnel

Staff

1996 New York Giants staff

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Al Miller
  • Asst. strength and conditioning – Kerry Goode

Roster

1996 New York Giants final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
52 active, 7 inactive, 2 practice squad


Preseason

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenue
1August 2at Jacksonville Jaguars W 24–171–0 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium
2August 10 Baltimore Ravens L 27–371–1 Giants Stadium
3August 17at New York Jets L 6–132–1Giants Stadium
4August 23 Carolina Panthers L 7–342–2Giants Stadium

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1 September 1 Buffalo Bills L 20–23 (OT)0–1 Giants Stadium Recap
2 September 8at Dallas Cowboys L 0–270–2 Texas Stadium Recap
3 September 15 Washington Redskins L 10–310–3Giants Stadium Recap
4 September 22at New York Jets W 13–61–3Giants Stadium Recap
5 September 29 Minnesota Vikings W 15–102–3Giants Stadium Recap
6 Bye
7 October 13 Philadelphia Eagles L 10–192–4Giants Stadium Recap
8 October 20at Washington Redskins L 21–312–5 RFK Stadium Recap
9 October 27at Detroit Lions W 35–73–5 Pontiac Silverdome Recap
10 November 3 Arizona Cardinals W 16–84–5Giants Stadium Recap
11 November 10at Carolina Panthers L 17–274–6 Ericsson Stadium Recap
12 November 17at Arizona Cardinals L 23–314–7 Sun Devil Stadium Recap
13 November 24 Dallas Cowboys W 20–65–7Giants Stadium Recap
14 December 1at Philadelphia Eagles L 0–245–8 Veterans Stadium Recap
15 December 8at Miami Dolphins W 17–76–8 Pro Player Stadium Recap
16 December 15 New Orleans Saints L 3–176–9Giants Stadium Recap
17 December 21 New England Patriots L 22–236–10Giants Stadium Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills

Week 1: Buffalo Bills at New York Giants – Game summary
Period1234OTTotal
Bills07103323
Giants31430020

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 2: at Dallas Cowboys

Week 2: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Period1234Total
Giants00000
Cowboys1473327

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

  • Date: September 8
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT/3:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 91 °F (33 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,069
  • Referee: Ron Blum
  • TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information

Week 3: vs. Washington Redskins

Week 3: Washington Redskins at New York Giants – Game summary
Period1234Total
Redskins31401431
Giants073010

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: September 15
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 73 °F (23 °C)
  • Game attendance: 71,693
  • Referee: Tom White
  • TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information

Week 4: at New York Jets

Week 4: New York Giants at New York Jets – Game summary
Period1234Total
Giants070613
Jets30306

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: September 22
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Light rain, 63 °F (17 °C)
  • Game attendance: 58,339
  • Referee: Johnny Grier
  • TV announcers (FOX): Mike Breen and Bill Maas
Game information

Both New York teams were seeking to rebound from 0–3 starts to the season. [7] The Jets got on the scoreboard first with Nick Lowery kicking a 46-yard field goal. In the second quarter, the Giants responded with Chris Calloway catching a 17-yard touchdown pass from Dave Brown. In the third quarter, the Jets cut the Giants' lead to one point thanks to a 39-yard field goal, once again coming from Lowery. The Giants increased the lead in the fourth quarter thanks to two 20-yard field goals from Brad Daluiso, helping them secure their first win of the season by a score of 13–6. [8]

Week 5: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week 5: Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants – Game summary
Period1234Total
Vikings070310
Giants336315

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 7: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week 7: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants – Game summary
Period1234Total
Eagles0331319
Giants370010

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: October 13
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 62 °F (17 °C)
  • Game attendance: 72,729
  • Referee: Red Cashion
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton and Matt Millen
Game information

Week 8: at Washington Redskins

Week 8: New York Giants at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Period1234Total
Giants0014721
Redskins7210331

at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.

  • Date: October 20
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Partly sunny, 50 °F (10 °C)
  • Game attendance: 52,684
  • Referee: Dick Hantak
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton and Matt Millen
Game information

Week 9: at Detroit Lions

Week 9: New York Giants at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Period1234Total
Giants22301035
Lions70007

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

  • Date: October 27
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 63,501
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV announcers (Fox): Mike Breen and Bill Maas
Game information

Week 10: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week 10: Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants – Game summary
Period1234Total
Cardinals00088
Giants3031016

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 11: at Carolina Panthers

Week 11: New York Giants at Carolina Pantherss – Game summary
Period1234Total
Giants1403017
Panthers7310727

at Ericcson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Game information

Week 12: at Arizona Cardinals

Week 12: New York Giants at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Period1234Total
Giants0671023
Cardinals1477331

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

  • Date: November 17
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/2:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: Mostly sunny, 70 °F (21 °C)
  • Game attendance: 34,924
  • Referee: Jerry Markbreit
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Harlan and Jerry Glanville
Game information

Week 13: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 13: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants – Game summary
Period1234Total
Cowboys30036
Giants0130720

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: November 24
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Overcast, 44 °F (7 °C)
  • Game attendance: 77,081
  • Referee: Tom White
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton and Matt Millen
Game information

Week 14: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 14: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Period1234Total
Giants00000
Eagles10140024

at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Date: December 1
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Rain, 60 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 51,468
  • Referee: Howard Roe
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Harlan and Jerry Glanville
Game information

Week 15: at Miami Dolphins

Week 15: New York Giants at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Period1234Total
Giants773017
Dolphins70007

at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

  • Date: December 8
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Mostly sunny, 73 °F (23 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,889
  • Referee: Bernie Kukar
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton and Matt Millen
Game information

Week 16: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week 16: New Orleans Saints at New York Giants – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints0701017
Giants00303

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: December 15
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Light rain, 42 °F (6 °C)
  • Game attendance: 52,530
  • Referee: Johnny Grier
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton and Matt Millen
Game information

Week 17: vs. New England Patriots

Week 17: New England Patriots at New York Giants – Game summary
Period1234Total
Patriots0032023
Giants2200022

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Standings

NFC East
WLTPCTPFPASTK
(3) Dallas Cowboys 1060.625286250L1
(5) Philadelphia Eagles 1060.625363341W2
Washington Redskins 970.563364312W1
Arizona Cardinals 790.438300397L1
New York Giants 6100.375242297L2

See also

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References

  1. "New York Giants Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "1996 New York Giants". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 23, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
  3. "1996 NFL Draft". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  4. Whittingham, Richard (2005). Illustrated History of the New York Giants. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. 277. ISBN   1-57243-641-7.
  5. Whittingham, pp. 277–278.
  6. "New York Giants NFL Draft History". National Football League . Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  7. Sandomir, Richard (September 17, 1996). "Jets and Giants with a Mellow Tone". The New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  8. "New York Giants at New York Jets – September 22nd, 1996". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 7, 2024.