Big Blue Wrecking Crew

Last updated

The Big Blue Wrecking Crew was the defense for the New York Giants during the 1980s that won two Super Bowl championships and three NFC East titles, the first in Super Bowl XXI in 1986 and the other in Super Bowl XXV in 1990. A 3-4 defense, it was among the greatest NFL defenses of all time, [1] and featured Lawrence Taylor as its star, considered by many to be the greatest defensive player in NFL history. [2]

Contents

History

1970s woes and rebuilding

The New York Giants, while historically a successful franchise, suffered a long playoff drought lasting from 1964 after losing the 1963 NFL Championship to the Chicago Bears until 1981 when they clinched their first playoff berth in 17 seasons on the last day of the regular season by defeating the Dallas Cowboys with a game-winning field goal in overtime.

The New York Giants of the 1970s struggled, posting losing records in 9 of the 10 seasons from 1971 to 1980. The Giants fortunes began to shift in 1981 with the drafting of Lawrence Taylor, as well as the shrewd management of general manager George Young, and the leadership of linebacker coach, defensive coordinator and eventual head coach Bill Parcells. The personnel moves of Young and the hard-line attitude and aggressive coaching of Parcells would be the primary factors of the rise of the Giants in the 1980s. Additionally, the drafting of Taylor began the era of perhaps the greatest linebacker corps in NFL history: the Crunch Bunch.

The Crunch Bunch was an impressive group of linebackers, including future Hall of Famers Harry Carson and Lawrence Taylor as well as five-time Pro Bowler Brad Van Pelt and Brian Kelley. As a unit they totaled 24 Pro Bowl selections and though they only played together for three seasons from 1981 through 1983 it set the foundation for Giants defensive dominance through the 1980s. The unit was anchored by Taylor, who NFL Network named the 3rd greatest player of all time and the best defensive player. The defensive coordinator of the Giants during this span was Bill Belichick, who would go on to coach the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl championships. [3]

Breaking out in 1986

The Giants drove me crazy. They gave me the most fits. They were the opposite of Buddy Ryan's Bears defense. They played that soft two-deep zone that didn't allow any big plays. You had to earn everything you got against the Giants.

Joe Gibbs [4]

This defensive unit first truly came to the forefront during the 1986 season, and was among the most fearsome of all time, a beautiful example of the 3-4 defense. It featured a powerful defensive line, with George Martin and Leonard Marshall at defensive end, and Jim Burt at nose tackle. The linebacker corps for this team was relentless, featuring Lawrence Taylor as the "Jack", Gary Reasons as the "Will", Harry Carson as the "Mike" and Carl Banks as the "Sam". This front 7 formed what is among the greatest rushing defenses of all time, giving up merely 80.2 rushing yards per game. Additionally, the team accrued 59 sacks, 24 interceptions, and only gave up 14.8 points per game powering the Giants to a 14–2 record. [5]

In the playoffs the Big Blue Wrecking Crew held the San Francisco 49ers, led by Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana to 3 points (and scored themselves on an interception return for a touchdown by Lawrence Taylor) to win 49–3 in the divisional round and shut out a powerful Washington Redskins offense that averaged 23 points per game during the regular season in the NFC Championship 17–0. Although the Redskins posted a 12–4 record of their own in 1986 and made it to the NFC championship game the Giants still beat them 3 times in that season accounting for 3 of their 5 losses.

While the Giants got off to a slow start in Super Bowl XXI, trailing the Denver Broncos led by another Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway 10–9 at halftime, they broke out in the second half reaching a 33–10 lead after scoring 24 unanswered points and set an NFL record by scoring 30 points in the second half, before surrendering 10 points in “garbage time” to ultimately win 39–20.

Peak and decline

The Giants enjoyed a good stretch of defensive dominance in the 1980s led by the Big Blue Wrecking Crew, which finally peaked in the 1990 season. Though the 1986 Giants are among the greatest defenses of all time, the 1990 Giants rivaled them in ferocity and their sheer will to dominate opposing teams. For 10 games straight, the Giants did not allow more than 20 opposing points. The Giants began the season with a 10–0 record, smothering teams into submission by allowing only 11 points per game during that span. The Big Blue Wrecking Crew was in great form, accruing 23 interceptions, and on average only giving up 13.2 points per game and allowing 20 points or more in only 4 games (including the play-offs) leading the Giants to a 13–3 regular season record. [6]

The Giants defense brought more of the same in the playoffs, defeating the Bears easily in the divisional round 31–3 and holding the 49ers, who averaged 22.1 points per game in the regular season to only 13 points in the NFC Championship Game winning 15–13. Considered by many as one of the greatest games in NFL history it was an extremely physical contest, including a hit by Leonard Marshall on Joe Montana that symbolically ended his career as the quarterback of the 49ers (he would never win or reach another Super Bowl in a 49er uniform).

The Giants would ultimately face the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV, perhaps the most impressive win of the season. In one of the most memorable Super Bowls of all time, the Giants held the Bills, the highest scoring team in the NFL that year, averaging 26.8 points per game and scoring 44 and 51 points in the divisional round and AFC championship respectively, to a mere 19 points, winning 20–19 on a missed field goal as time expired.

This game would be the pinnacle of Bill Belichick's tenure as defensive coordinator; his game plan, a radical scheme designed to maximize punishment of the Bills receivers now resides in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Due to the departure of Parcells, and the advancing age and departure of many of its stars, after the 1990 season the Giants defense entered a decline. After two seasons of mediocrity the Giants surged in 1993, once again leading the NFL in scoring defense, but fell hard to the 49ers in the playoffs losing 44–3. While the defense would remain respectable the team never returned to their dominant ways and the days of Giants defensive dominance were gone. Finally, after a somewhat personally disappointing and injury marred year Lawrence Taylor, who tore an Achilles tendon in November 1992 while chasing the Green Bay Packers' Brett Favre, retired following the 1993 season, this along with the retirement of long time quarterback Phil Simms signaled the end of an era for the Giants.[ citation needed ]

In many ways 1993 represented a changing of the guard for the Giants. With the loss of longtime team staples such as Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks and Phil Simms and the drafting of future Giants greats such as Jessie Armstead and Michael Strahan the team entered 1994 with a new and distinctive feel. The reign of the Big Blue Wrecking Crew was effectively over.

Armstead and Strahan were two of the bulwarks of the Giant defense which carried the team to Super Bowl XXXV in 2000.

Season by season statistics

The table below summarizes the more important defensive stats for the New York Giants defense from 1984 to 1993. Source: [7]

Season by Season Statistics
SeasonPoints per GameTotal Yards per GameRushing Yards per GamePassing Yards per GameSacksInterceptions
1984 18.7324.6113.6210.94819
1985 17.7270.092.6177.46824
1986 14.8297.380.2217.15931
1987 20.8310.5117.9192.75520
1988 19317.9109.9207.95215
1989 15.8291.596.2195.33922
1990 13.2262.991.2171.73023
1991 18.6287.5107.9179.63412
1992 22.9315.2125.8189.42514
1993 12.8291.496.7194.84118

Starting lineups

These lists represent the starting lineups for the 1986 team and the 1990 team for their respective Super Bowl appearances.

Source: [8]

1986 Squad
LE George Martin
NT Jim Burt
RE Leonard Marshall
LOLB Carl Banks
LILB Gary Reasons
RILB Harry Carson
ROLB Lawrence Taylor
LCB Elvis Patterson
RCB Perry Williams
SS Kenny Hill
FS Herb Welch

Source: [9]

1990 Squad
LE Eric Dorsey
NT Erik Howard
RE Leonard Marshall
LOLB Carl Banks
LILB Gary Reasons
RILB Pepper Johnson
ROLB Lawrence Taylor
LCB Mark Collins
RCB Everson Walls
SS Greg Jackson
FS Myron Guyton

See also

References and footnotes

  1. AskMen Editors. "Top 10: All-Time NFL Defenses". AskMen. Retrieved 2012-04-24.{{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  2. "NFL.com - Top 100 Players of 2012". Top100.nfl.com. Archived from the original on 2010-12-28. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  3. "Official Website of the New England Patriots | Team". Patriots.com. Archived from the original on 2007-06-02. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  4. "https://www.espn.com/page2/s/list/bestNFLdefense.html"
  5. "NFL Stats: by Team Category". Nfl.com. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  6. "NFL Stats: by Team Category". Nfl.com. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  7. "NFL Stats: by Team Category". Nfl.com. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  8. Neft, David S.; Cohen, Richard M.; Rick Korch (1994). The Complete History of Professional Football from 1892 to the Present. ISBN   0-312-11435-4.
  9. Neft, David S., Cohen, Richard M., and Korch, Rick. The Complete History of Professional Football from 1892 to the Present. 1994 ISBN   0-312-11435-4

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Giants</span> National Football League franchise in East Rutherford, New Jersey

The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays its home games at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 5 miles (8 km) west of New York City. The stadium is shared with the New York Jets. The Giants are headquartered and practice at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, also in the Meadowlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco 49ers</span> National Football League franchise in Santa Clara, California

The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play their home games at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, located 38 miles (61 km) southeast of San Francisco. The team is named after the prospectors who arrived in Northern California in the 1849 Gold Rush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XXI</span> 1987 Edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XXI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1986 season. It was the 21st Super Bowl and was played on January 25, 1987, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Giants defeated the Broncos, 39–20, for their first Super Bowl and first NFL title since 1956. It was the first of consecutive Super Bowl losses for the Broncos, who lost the Super Bowl a year later 42–10 to the Washington Redskins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XXIV</span> 1990 Edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XXIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1989 season. The game was played on January 28, 1990, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 49ers defeated the Broncos by the score of 55–10, winning their second consecutive Super Bowl, and their fourth overall, tying the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins at that time. San Francisco also became the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls with two different head coaches; rookie head coach George Seifert took over after Bill Walsh retired following the previous season's Super Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XXV</span> 1991 edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1990 season. The Giants defeated the Bills by the score of 20–19, winning their second Super Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XXXI</span> 1997 edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XXXI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1996 season. The Packers defeated the Patriots by the score of 35–21, earning their third overall Super Bowl victory, and their first since Super Bowl II. The Packers also extended their league record for the most overall NFL championships to 12. It was also the last in a run of 13 straight Super Bowl victories by the NFC over the AFC. The game was played on January 26, 1997, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XXXV</span> 2001 National Football League championship game

Super Bowl XXXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2000 season. The Ravens defeated the Giants by a score of 34–7, tied for the seventh largest Super Bowl margin of victory with Super Bowl XXXVII. The game was played on January 28, 2001, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, making it the first time Raymond James Stadium has held a Super Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Parcells</span> American football coach (born 1941)

Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He came to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 1983 to 1990, where he won two Super Bowl titles. Parcells was later the head coach of the New England Patriots from 1993 to 1996, the New York Jets from 1997 to 2000, and the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006. Nicknamed "the Big Tuna", he is the only NFL coach to lead four different franchises to the playoffs and three to a conference championship game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence Taylor</span> American football player (born 1959)

Lawrence Julius Taylor, nicknamed "L.T.", is an American former football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the New York Giants. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest defensive players of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1971–72 NFL playoffs</span>

The National Football League playoffs for the 1971 season began on December 25, 1971. The postseason tournament concluded with the Dallas Cowboys defeating the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI, 24–3, on January 16, 1972, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the New York Giants</span> Sports team history

The New York Giants, an American football team which currently plays in the National Football League (NFL)'s National Football Conference (NFC), has a history dating back almost 100 seasons, with 4 Super Bowl victories. The Giants were founded in 1925 by Tim Mara in the then five-year-old NFL. Mara owned the team until his death in 1959, when it was passed on to his sons, Wellington and Jack. During their history, the Giants have won eight NFL championships, four of which came in Super Bowls.

James P. Burt is an American former professional football player who was a nose tackle for the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). Burt was a member of the Giants team that won Super Bowl XXI and the 49ers team that won Super Bowl XXIV. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes.

This article contains an in-depth explanation of the history of the Dallas Cowboys, a professional American football team that competes in the National Football League (NFL).

The San Francisco 49ers are the first major league professional sports franchise to be based in San Francisco, and one of the first professional sports teams based on the West Coast of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the New York Giants (1979–1993)</span>

The period of 1979 to 1993 was one of the most successful in New York Giants franchise history. Members of the NFL's National Football Conference, the Giants struggled after reaching the NFL Championship Game in 1963. The 1964 season began a 15-year stretch in which the Giants were unable to make the playoffs. However, in 1979 they started rebuilding, hiring General Manager George Young, the first GM in the family-run team's history. Young, a former Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins executive, assembled a team that would become successful in the 1980s and early 1990s. Led by a run-oriented offense and a defense nicknamed the "Big Blue Wrecking Crew", the team qualified for the postseason six times in 10 seasons from 1981 to 1990. During that period, they won Super Bowl XXI (1987) and Super Bowl XXV (1991).

The 1986 season was the New York Giants' 62nd in the National Football League (NFL) and their fourth under head coach Bill Parcells. The New York Giants, who play in the National Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football League (NFL), won their fifth championship—and first Super Bowl—in franchise history during the season. Led by consensus league Most Valuable Player (MVP) linebacker Lawrence Taylor and Super Bowl MVP quarterback Phil Simms, the Giants posted a 14–2 record during the regular season, tied for the best record in the league with the defending Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears. The Giants improved on their 10–6 record from 1985, won their first division championship since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, and won Super Bowl XXI against the Denver Broncos.

The 1990 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.

The 1993 New York Giants season was the franchise's 69th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the first under head coach Dan Reeves, who was hired by the Giants after being fired by the Denver Broncos in the off-season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">49ers–Giants rivalry</span> National Football League rivalry

The 49ers–Giants rivalry is an American football rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Giants. It is one of the great inter-division rivalry games in the National Football League (NFL). The two teams do not play each other every year; instead, they play at least once every three years and at least once every six seasons at each team's home stadium, sometimes more often if the two teams finish in the same place in their respective divisions or meet in the playoffs. Since 1982, the 49ers and Giants have met eight times in the postseason, tied for the most times two teams have met in the playoffs in the NFL since that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bears–Giants rivalry</span> National Football League rivalry

The Bears–Giants rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants. The rivalry was notable for the six NFL championship games between the two teams before the creation of the Super Bowl, and the two subsequent Super Bowl-era playoff meetings that involved two of the NFL's greatest defensive units: the Bears' 46 defense crew helmed by Buddy Ryan, and the Giants' Big Blue Wrecking Crew mentored by Bill Belichick.