Big Blue Huddle

My Dad (whom passed away in 2005) told me stories about:

WR/DB/K HOF Ward Cuff.  Dad wasn't sure if it was 1938 or 1939 but Cuff made a spectacular one armed in stride catch @ the Polo grounds for a game winning 78 yard TD vs the Brooklyn Dodgers.

WR/RB/DB Kyle Rote. a picture of this catch still hangs in the Giants offices...  Dad said Rotes famous one handed leaping grab for a TD in the back of the end zone at Yankee Stadium, was one of the best catches he had ever seen by anyone.  Dad said it was similar to Lynn Swans leaping grab on the sidelines in SB 10.  the difference? Rote was in the back of the end zone for a TD! the stadium erupted 

Quote from: Giant Jim on July 15, 2018, 07:05:58 AM
This  thread never really took off, but since there's not much going on right now, I thought we could get it going again. So far, we have:

Offense

LT-Willie Young
LG -Doug Van Horn
C-Greg Larson
RG Dick Enderle
RT Joe Taffoni
TE-Bob Tucker
QB-Fran Tarkenton
HB-Doug Kotar, Ron Johnson
FB-Larry Csonka (We'll go with Csonka for now until we see who the coaches are.) Tucker Frederickson
WR-Homer Jones
WR Don Herrmann

DEFENSE

DE-Jack Gregory
DT-John Mendenhall
DT-Troy Archer
DE-Fred Dryer
LB-Matt Hazeltine
MLB-Jim Files
LB- Ron Hornsby
CB-Willie Williams
CB Bobby Brooks
FS-Spider Lockhart
SS - Tom Longo

OTHERS

PUNTER-Dave Jennings
KICKERPete Gogolak
HEAD COACH- Alex Webster

So far, the only one I disagree with is Doug Kotar, Ron Johnson would be my choice. I'll add Dave Jennings to get this going again. How about the offensive line, was it really that bad for all those years?

Hey Jim! Awesome thread. I took out all of the players that made it to playoffs/SB and added a few other choices of those that never got close to thew playoffs LOL.  for HC it would have to be Alex Webster,  He led them to 9-5 in 1970 and 8- 6 in 1972.  the players all loved him with Bob Tucker calling Alex "he was a players HC. we loved playing for Alex"

Jim - thank you for this very cool thread.  I will have to dig out my copy of David harries "the rise and decline of the NFL" from 1986.  He has a chapter titled "NFL expansion" that is very interesting. briefly, in the late 1960's Memphis TN and its Liberty Bowl stadium was considered the frontrunner for an NFL team, others lagging well behind included Portland Ore, Seattle WA, Tampa Bay FL, Jacksonville FL, Charlotte NC, Birmingham AL & San Antonio TX.  The NFL spent millions of bucks in studies and by the mid 70's the front runners were the eventual 27 & 28 teams, Tampa Bay & Seattle.  Amazing they never went back to Memphis for an expansion team albeit a 1 year home for the Oilers in 1997. 

Leroy Andrews
Steve Owen
Jim Lee Howell
Bill Parcells
Tom Coughlin

look no further those 5 all won championships for our NYG's 

however if I must

Halas
Brown
Ewbank (the only NFL champ/AFL champ/SB champ coach)
Lombardi
Parcells

I do not count someone whom is still coaching the NE Patsies as of 2021 yet when he retires, he replaces Weeb Ewbank

they were all "stars" to this wide eyed kid yet very fond memories during the bleak 1970's come from these names:


RB Doug Kotar the motor..saw him drag 4 Jets on his back for over 10 yards scoring a TD in 1974 preseason.  saw him catch 11-108 yards in a 1976 week 4, 26-21 loss to the St Louis Cardinals .  Kotar caught the ball on a flair pass running down the left sideline in the clear with seconds left for winning TD when Cardinal S Norm Thompson came out of nowhere and pushed him out of bounds at the 39.  2 seconds left and instead of looking for Kotar? (Crudinals had touble stopping him all day) Qb Craig Morton throws incomplete in the end zone off the hands (!) of Walker Gillete.....looking back now, Gillete was the Evan Engram of his day hahaha check out week 2 of 1976 vs Philly to see him drop sure TD!

NT/DT and on occasion DE, John Mendenhall - ok if I could use a time machine and go back and grab a past NYG defender not named LT? its the recently passed John Mendenhall.  His sideline to sideline pursuit was incredible, he was named all pro in 1974 for a 2-12 team (!) Cowboys G John Niland said after NYG 14-6 week 3 win @ Dallas "best DT in the conference? hell the best DT in football. we game planned our whole offense to take him out and he single handedly destroyed us!" I saw him play in person many times. I can recall him being double and triple teamed, yet making the tackle.  btw the times he played DE was in 1973 when NT Rich Glover was part of the rotation.  Mendenhall DE, Jacobson/Campbell/Goich DT, Glover NT, Gregory DE... was the 3rd down rushing package.