Big Blue Huddle

In 1985, ouir prep year for the Super Bowl we were 10-6.

three of those losses came to backup QB's, including the infamous Joe Theismann broken leg.  In fact against Cleveland we knocked out Gary Danielson, who was starting in place of an injured Bernie Kosar.  Kosar came in to relieve and we knocked him out of the game.  Cleveland only had 2 quarterbacks on the roster, so they had to send the already injured Danielson back out to finish the game.  The second Dallas game they had to finish with their 3rd string QB.

Next Sunday, the Blue face what has been a pesky opponent in their history.  The Giants and Falcons have faced each other 22 times in their history, each winning 11.  The last meeting last year I hope is emblazened in our coaching staff and players.

The Atlanta Falcons came into the NFL in 1966 coached by Norb Hecker.  They promptly dropped their first 9 games.  Then they ventured into Yankee Stadium to face the 1-7-1 Giants.  What ensued was one of many embarrassments the 1966 Giants would suffer that year.

A 27-16 loss at home in which the Giants never lead.  This expansion winless franchise caused 4 turnovers and had 7 sacks of Giant quarterbacks Tom Kennedy and Gary Wood.
Amazingly, the Giants actually outrushed and out gained their opponents in total yards and committed only 2 penalties.

Two years later, 1968, a hopefully very different Giant team went to Atlanta sporting a perfect 4-0 record and thoughts of resurrecting their climb back to an ultra competitive franchise.  They had Fran Tarkenton at the helm and the mercurial Homer Jones at WR along with great complimentary receivers Aaron Thomas and the venerable Joe Morrison.  The running game seemed more than adequate with Tucker Frederickson, Ernie Koy, and newcomer Bobby Duhon and Ronnie "Bye Bye" Blye.  The defense was anchored by a group of young veteran DB's, including Spider Lockhart.


The Falcons meanwhile continued to suffer from a lack of talent and were mired at 0-4 and had fired Coach Hecker that Monday after winning only 4 of their first 31 games.  He was replaced by HOF QB and Tarkenton's former Viking coach Norm Van Brocklin.  The bad blood between Tarkenton and Van Brocklin was legendary in the Vikings organization.  One of the many comments Van Brocklin made about Tarkenton after he resigned in Minnesota was "he's a loser".

So the stage was set for what should have been an easy win for the Giants and a chance to extend to 5-0 in a 14 game season.  Alas, Van Brocklin proved to be quite the motivator that day, with an assist from 3 fumbles lost by the Blue.  In fact, this day started what for me has become a common thread that exists to this day for the Giants...being beaten by the backup QB.  The Giants knocked out starter Randy Johnson in the 2nd quarter with a knee injury only to have Bob Berry, Tarkenton's backup in Minnesota, come in and have Atlanta ahead 24-21 late in the fourth quarter.  Tarkenton deftly marched the Giants downfield for the potential game winning score.  Facing a 3rd and 1 on the Atlanta 11 with 2 minutes left, Sir Francis eschewed a ground attack that had rolled up 180 yards and tried a rollout to the left pass play.  he was pressured and floated a very catchable ball towards Aaron Thomas in the end zone.  But unable to set up and throw with any ferocity the floater was intercepted by Lee Calland and the perfect season became a vapor.

The Giants would rally briefly that year beating Dallas in Dallas and take their record to 7-3, but sadly dropped their last 4 games for the 2nd consecutive and 3rd in 4 years .500 season.  Van Brocklin and the Falcons would go on to win only 1 more game the rest of the season.  It was billed as a game of revenge.....Van Brocklin vs. Tarkenton...but what resulted was the most gut wrenching loss of the Tarkenton era in New York.

Another noteable footnote in this rivalry is the game played in November of 2004 at Giants Stadium.  It marked the beginning of the Eli Manning era.  A loss...14-10, with Michael Vick rushing for 104 yards.  Eli was 17-37, 1 TD, 2 int.  But every great story has a beginning, and that was Eli's.

For anyone interested I have listed below the series results.

If anyone has any other memories of any of those games or the ones I discussed , please feel free to add.  history is meant to be shared, to learn from, and hopefully in many cases not to be repeated.

Also, I do have highlights from the 1968 game which i will be glad to send to anyone interested...just need an email address from you.

Finally, this is your team and your teams history.  if you have any specific requests please feel free to let me know. 



12/16/2012 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons A Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA) L 34-0 70,741
01/08/2012 * New York Giants Atlanta Falcons H MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) W 24-2 79,909
11/22/2009 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons H Giants Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) W 34-31, OT 78,491
10/15/2007 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons A Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA) W 31-10 69,828
10/15/2006 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons A Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA) W 27-14 70,840
11/21/2004 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons H Giants Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) L 14-10 78,793
11/09/2003 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons H Giants Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) L 27-7 78,813
10/13/2002 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons H Giants Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) L 17-10 78,728
10/08/2000 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons A Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA) W 13-6 50,947
10/11/1998 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons H Giants Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) L 34-20 71,173
10/23/1988 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons A Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta, GA) W 23-16 --
10/14/1984 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons A Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta, GA) W 19-7 --
09/11/1983 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons A Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta, GA) W 16-13, OT --
09/12/1982 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons H Giants Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) L 16-14 --
10/25/1981 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons A Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta, GA) W 27-24, OT --
11/11/1979 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons H Giants Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) W 24-3 --
10/01/1978 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons A Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta, GA) L 23-20 --
10/02/1977 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons A Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta, GA) L 17-3 --
10/06/1974 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons H Yale Bowl (New Haven, CT) L 14-7 --
11/14/1971 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons A Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta, GA) W 21-17 --
10/13/1968 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons A Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta, GA) L 24-21 --
11/20/1966 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons H Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY) L 27-16 

well done Bill.
More than any sport baseball lends itself to nostalgia and fond memoires.  I actually attended 2 games in old Griffith Stadium in DC before the Senators left for Minnesota.

Then on to DC Stadium (later RFK) to watch the end of dynasty Yankees when they were in town in the early 60's.  I remember autograph day when the kids (yes me) were allowed on the field to stand in line and get autographs.  Several Senators instructed me to get in the line for Gil Hodges and his signature was reserved for the middle of the ball.
I remember J.C. martin of the White Sox picking up and hugging my Grandfather's brother pregame on the field (He was J.C. high school coach).

Box seats were $4 and if it was a scheduled doubleheader it shot all the way up to $4.50   And Dad always splurged the extra money on my brother and I when we went.
I was there when the Senators left and had to forfeit the last game of tat season against the Yanks when they had a 9th inning lead as the "unruly" fans (all 11,000) charged the field for whatever stupid reason.

And then onto old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore to keep following my Yanks.  1978 was a magical year for us in that park.  First, the grounds crew dumps the tarp after a rain delay into left field creating a lake.  A 5 run 7th inning gets negated and the Yanks lose 3-0.  The Yanks protested to no avail.  Ultimately, that lead to a rule change that off season.  Later in "78/Sept. watched Guidry swallow his chew on a bat that got released which hit him in the leg....and we all gasped.  that was his 25-3 season and we were charging the Red Sox at the time.  But it wasn't the bat hitting him as to why he had to be assisted from the mound...he had swallowed his chew.  And in that same game in the 8thinning we saw the advent of Reggie wearing a batting helmet to play right field.  Reason....he comes trotting in with 1 out from his position carrying 2 D Cell batteries someone had thrown at him.  Goose pitches the final 11 outs and the yanks win 5-4.

Baseball will always be the sport for me...a day seldom goes by when some memory doesn't invade my thoughts.

My fondest was taking my brother to New York for his Father's Day present so we could both see a game in the Olld Stadium.  A 2-1 victory over the Padres...the highlight....Mo strikes out the side on 10 pitches.

Baseball will always be ingrained in my life.

Gardner looks so solid body wise I have wondered for a while why he hasn't taken more advantage of his own short porch stadium.

Personally, and i will preface this with the fact I am NOT a Joe Girardi fan, I blame management for asking him to be a more traditional "get on base and make things happen" player by pigeonholing him in the leadoff spot.

On a stronger team, it wouldn't matter.  On this team bereft of any type of clutch hitting and overpaid duds, he should be hitting somewhere in the 3 or 4 slot.

Right now, he is easily the best everyday player on this team.

He is second on this team in getting the most out of his ability.

The first is actually quite simple.  Easily my favorite player to focus on ....  Francisco Cervelli

Quote from: Webster29 on July 22, 2014, 09:38:38 PM
On behalf of the Mods it is my great pleasure and honor to announce that we have created a new position of Big Blue Huddle Historian and that Giant Obsession--Mike has accepted this position.

Many of you are well aware of Mike's passion and love for not just Giants history but pro football history in general.

Please join me in welcoming him to this new position and wish him well.   I am sure he would appreciate any suggestions and help any of you guys could give him.

Congrats Mike.   You deserve it.

Bill, Rich, and All the Moderators

Thank you for bestowing this honor upon me.  Be assured I will do my best to help facilitate and enrich any and everyones knowledge of my Beloved BLUE.

As I have stated to a few on here, when I first came upon BBWC back in 1998, i fancied myself extremely knowledgeable about our history.   Then I "met" Christopher Allen and quickly realized that my storehouse of knowledge/memories was very small indeed when compared to Christopher.  He was a marvel, a veritable encyclopedia, and i am still in awe and miss him a great deal.

In no way do i rival Chris or a couple of others that I have read religiously, and I never will.  I do have memories, books, resources from which to draw on.  BUT the most important resource will be the members of BBH.  I collect much information from all of you with your recollections and postings, and will always continue to do so.

I view this position more of being a facilitator and instigator to crack open for review and discussion and "trips down memory lane" for everyone who wants to recall or to learn about our very RICH history.

I have not formulated a total plan yet, but be assured my goal is to make a "click" on the "Giants History" section something all will enjoy and hopefully some of our newer and younger members will find engaging and want to embrace.

I have always believed you can not be totally vested in your "family" without being cognizant of your "family tree".

To everyone, on my profile is listed my personal email, please feel free to use it.  Or PM me anytime with any thoughts, questions, or even challenges.

I am not the be all nor end all of Giants History, but I will do my best to give my best.

Again, THANK YOU to everyone involved.

For players like Jeter and Mo, the HOF should be able to waive the 5 year wait.

Why the wait for something so TOTALLY obvious.

So many moments came straight to him, and he made all of them memorable.

Derek Jeter Legacy

Jeter and Rivera are at the highest level in baseball and its history...LEGENDARY.

I will go you one better Steve.  I think their closer is in their system.  There are 2 guys in the lower minors (do not have their names off the top of my head) whom have had success. 
I expect one of them to surface and take the job by the end of summer.
Robertson will get a cursory shot early when games are spread out,but by June they will try someone else.
It is now time for a little Yankee "lightning" (a.k.a good fortune).

I am just happy they ditched Vernon Wells.  One year was more than enough.

Taking a close look at our roster now, I actually think we might contend.

Question....who closes ?  Robertson's few chances have had mixed results and he does tend to throw a lot of pitches in an inning.

EXCELLENT job Bill.

What better way to start a thread than conjecturing on Mr. Yankee...Derek Jeter.

Personally, I think  the chances are great that this is his last season.
We know he will come into camp in great shape, but he is 39.  His age is no biggie, but that catastrophic injury he suffered in the playoffs of 2012 doubled with his age I fear are too insurmountable.  I expect if he is not having something close to a jeter year by the All Star break, he will announce that this season is his last.

I truly hope not because for me he has been MY once in a lifetime Yankee. 

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/yankees-ss-jeter-resumes-baseball-203230262--mlb.html

My first radio Yankee experience was Mr. Coleman, the Scooter, and Frank Messer in 1968.  the Yanks were in steep decline, but what an entertaining trio.

Mr. Coleman was quite the man.  Marine Corps pilot in 2 wars, a fine ballplayer and a great announcer.

Rest peacefully Jerry....and thank you.

Quote from: Webster29 on December 17, 2013, 01:29:16 AM
I was sorry/surprised that Phil Hughes never fulfilled the promice so many thought he had coming up.   I saw him pitch with Trenton in Erie against the Tigers farm team Seawolves.   And he was amazing.  He went 6 innings and just dominated.  He was throwing between 65 and 95 mph on the gun and had fantastic control.  His breaking ball was like rolling off a table and always around the strike zone.  I thought the Yankees had their next truly great pitcher in him.   And at times he did look like the pitcher I thought he would be.   Just not on a consistant basis.   

Anyway I wish him the best.

You know, they did everything right with him and still it did not turn out well.

A No. 1 pick, he spent the requisite time at each minor league level honing his craft.  They always resisted the urge to rush him up to the next level.  They refused to include him in trade talks.

And yet, the dividends were minimal.  His best contribution was out of the pen in late 2009.  He was solid all the way thru the Series.

Well, shows you what I know about 2nd base.  The kid Adams, who I thought came on at the end of last year, was not kept and has signed elsewhere...KC, I think.

Joba to the Tigers......that has been a botched player from the day he took the mound.

Phil Hughes gone.....what a shock.

Boone Logan to the Rockies.....I can not believe he was not the first player wrapped up in the off season.  Carrying the load as the only left hander in the pen for 3 years and we let him walk. ??

I have truly mixed feelings about this.  i do not underestimate the job Joe did, but this was not "The Bronx Zoo".

Joe is living proof that a good baseball man in the "right" situation can have great success.  But I also have no doubt some other guys could have had the same results.

I grew up on Roy White.  Roy White was no bum.  The man played when it was only he and Bobby Murcer hitting in the lineup (and of course Horace Clarke).  Roy White bridgede the years from Mantle to Munson.  I was so happy he got to be on the 1977 and 78 teams....it was well deserved.

If the yankees wanted to designate the Number 6 to be retired and honor BOTH of these guys, I am all for it.

But that is the only way.

All 3 well deserved.  I can still remember sitting in  old DC (RFK) Stadium on a Sunday in July  (Doubleheader mind you.....buck more than a regular game) and watching Number 14 play 3rd, hitting his .230-.240.

I remember staring at that number and thinking it deserved a much better player to inhabite that uniform.  Of course, this was also the last year of the Mick.


This was during a transition that I know would have taken 50 years, if not for the fact in 1972 Mr. George Steinbrenner rescued the yankees from themselves and in the process helped to show baseball how to market itself.

Mr. Steinbrenner belongs in the HOF.