1986-1990 New York Giants
Yeah, probably not quite a dynasty
Today we’ll look at the New York Giants of 1986-1990, a team not many would regard as a dynasty
Categories
Rings
The Giants won the Super Bowls after the 1986 and 1990 seasons. Just barely qualifying for the series (5/20)
Non-Championship Years
The Giants had built up with a two playoff seasons before their 1986 Super Bowl run. They had playoff-worthy records in the intervening years, though they had a losing record in the strike-shortened and replacement player including 1987 season, and missed the playoffs in 1988 on tiebreakers. After the 1990 season and coach Bill Parcell’s departure, they fell back to the pack. (7/10)
Peak Performance
The 1986 team went 14-2, gave up 3 points in two NFC playoff games, then won the Super Bowl by 20 points. Probably not remembered as an all-time great team only because of the two great teams that preceded it. (8/10)
Star Power
Lawrence Taylor is considered the most dominant defensive player in history over his long career. The defense also featured Carl Banks, Harry Carson, and Leonard Marshall.
On offense, Phil Simms was a top tier QB, though not considered a star, and the Giants won the Super Bowl after the 1990 season with backup Jeff Hostetler after Simms was injured. The featured running back also transitioned from Joe Morris to OJ Anderson. The star receiver was probably tight end Mark Bavaro (7/10)
Coaching / Innovation
Bill Parcells was considered one of the best coaches, and was rumored for every job that opened up until he retired. Defensive coordinator Bill Belichik would go on to some success as a head coach.
The way they used Taylor to terrorize offenses changed the game. (5/5)
Legacy
This run in general re-established the Giants as a premier franchise. They have had down years, but in general been in the mix since.
They also pioneered the Gatorade shower on winning head coaches, for whatever that’s worth. (4/5)
The Competition
The Broncos team they faced in their Super Bowl wins would go on to two more blowout Super Bowl losses, and was probably one of the weaker Super Bowl teams, coming from a weak AFC. The Bills team would go on to lose the next three Super Bowls, and this was probably the best of those teams.
The NFC of that time was stacked, featuring two other contemporaneous teams, including one in the Giants’ division. There was also the Bears, who had probably the most dominant season and other tough teams (4/5)
Achilles Heel
This was not exactly an explosive offense. They weren’t going to come back if they fell behind, though their defense generally prevented that from happening. (3/5)
Bias Check
As an Eagles fan, the Giants and Cowboys trade places as my least favorite team, and since the Cowboys were down at this time, the Giants had that spot.
They were still my father’s favorite team (+1)
Summary
44 points. The new low, though I expect that will be eclipsed by the next team on the list. They were a solid but unspectacular team that put things together for two Super Bowl runs.