"Coach Alex Webster says he's going to be 'tougher' this year. He is going to forget the frills, he says, and concentrate on hammering away at fundamentals. He certainly will have enough areas for hammering fundamentals into his players.
Although the Giants ranked fifth in total offense, they owed that to the passing of Fran Tarkenton (the Giants were second to Dallas in passing offense, 11th in rushing offense). Fran is gone and the No. 1 quarterback job is up for grabs. The Giants were mediocre on defense against the pass (eighth) and poor against the rush (10th), primarily because they lacked a strong defensive line and the linebacking was erratic at best.
The Giants have a lot of receivers, including three who finished in the top ten last season in the NFC: tight end Bob Tucker, the NFC's leading pass catcher; wide receiver Bob Grim (7th), obtained from Minnesota for Tarkenton; plus veteran halfback Joe Morrison (10th). There are also rookies Eldridge Small (No. 1, Texas A&I), Tom Gatewood (Notre Dame) and Chris Meyers (Kenyon). Some of the pass catchers may go in trades as Alex Webster tries to plug more holes in his offense and his defense than he cares to think about. Alex says, 'We must rekindle a winning spirit and make our players believe in their ability, individually and collectively.'"
"There are two veteran quarterbacks coming into training camp (in New Jersey as the Giants begin the shift that eventually will put them in a new Stadium in the Jersey suburbs). Randy Johnson is listed as No. 1 because he was Fran Tarkenton's backup man last year. Randy, a former Falcon starting quarterback, threw well enough when he replaced Tarkenton last season, completing 55% of his passes. Also on hand will be Norm Snead, who played as infrequently as Johnson last season and was about as effective. They can throw to Tucker, Grim and Morrison, as well as to Don Herrmann and Rich Houston.
But what it all comes down to is Ron Johnson, the All-Pro back who rushed for 1,027 yards two years ago. He missed 12 games in 1971 with leg injuries.
'Ron is the key to our entire offense,' Webster says. 'If he's a hundred percent physically, we can do a lot of things with our Sprint-I formation and with our motion series.' Tucker Frederickson retired. Thus the runners are Bobby Duhon, Rocky Thompson and Charlie Evans, plus three rookies: Tommy Moziek (Houston), Eddie Richardson (Southern) and John Seyferth (Michigan). Duhon led the Giants in ground-gaining last year. Thompson has to learn to use his blinding speed and to pick holes. But the word from the Giants is that Evans is the leading candidate to replace Frederickson.
If lightning can strike one of these (as it did Ron Johnson two years ago), and if Johnson can still blast through lines, the Giants could have a formidable running game. But those are big ifs."
"There are some holes here. Greg Larson will probably be at center if he isn't displaced by ex-Bear Bob Hyland, who the Giants feel is the center in their future. Hyland will play guard if he doesn't take the center job. Doug Van Horn or Charlie Harper figure to man the other guard spot. Willie Young is the left tackle, but there will be a fight for the right tackle slot among ex-Ram Joe Tafoni (who disappeared from the Giant camp last summer after being traded to New York), Wayne Walton and Dick Hanson."
"Last season the Giants gave up 362 points, more than any team except Buffalo. One result was that defensive coach Norb Hecker was replaced by Jim Garrett, who is stressing to the front four that they have to generate a stronger pass rush while stopping the inside run.
Badly missed will be All-Pro end Fred Dryer, who was unhappy with the Giant situation and asked to be let go. Dave Tipton, a 1971 rookie who played little, is listed to try to replace him, but the Giants seem to be whistling nervously in the dark on that one.
Henry Reed (called 'the key to our defense' by Garrett) is at the other end with veterans Jim Kanicki and Roland Lakes at the tackles. Jack Gregory came in a late trade from Cleveland."
"Jim Files is a competent strong side linebacker, with Ronnie Hornsby, a second-year man who is learning, in the middle and either John Douglas or Pat Hughes on the other corner.
Among the deep backs, Bennie McRae, the old Bear, was hot and cold for the Giants last season but he'll get a chance at left cornerback. Willie Williams figures to be at the other corner with Scott Eaton and Spider Lockhart two more-than-adequate safeties. Freddie Summers is a backup."
"Veteran Pete Gogolak seems through as a field goal kicker (six for 17 last season) and the Giants will be looking at rookies or seeking a trade. Tom Blanchard is an adequate punter.
"The return of Ron Johnson to 1970 form could give respectability to the Giants, and the emergence of Snead or Randy Johnson as an All-Pro quarterback could make could make the team a contender in the NFC East. But don't bet all your money on any of those events taking place."
NEW YORK GIANTS' BIG PLAY
"This a bread-and-butter off-tackle play for the Giants, the quarterback handing off to the near back. The tackle pulls to trap the defensive end. The guard cross-blocks, opening the hole. The guard releases on his block to cut off the middle linebacker."
-John Devaney, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football, 1972 Edition
NEW YORK GIANTS RADIO INFORMATION
"Giant road and home games are broadcast in New York on station WNEW and carried in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut area on a network of 20 to 30 stations. The announcers are Marty Glickman and Chip Cipolla."
-The Complete Handbook of Pro Football, 1972 Edition
"After Sam Huff was named as part of the radio broadcasting team for the New York Giants, he encountered former teammates Frank Gifford and Kyle Rote, both on TV. Kyle rapped with Huff, saying, 'if you didn't tackle Jimmy Brown so much you'd be on TV instead of radio.' "
-Lester Bromberg, New York Post (Football Digest, October 1972)
"THE OFFENSE: If the entire New York Giant organization committed collective suicide by jumping off the middle of the George Washington Bridge, there remains some doubt as to whether New York State or New Jersey would claim the bodies. Technically, Mayor Lindsay would still be liable, because who in the hell else is going to play in Yankee Stadium until 1975? That is the target date for Wellington Mara's move to East Rutheford, where a beautiful and luxurious stadium will rise up out of the swamps. There is some feeling among Giant fans, however, that their team should go ahead and make the move in 1972- they played like they were in the swamp last season anyway.
Speaking of jumping off bridges, Alex Webster, who already has enough problems, looked at the schedule and saw that his team opened the preseason July 29, against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Not to mention that his three top draft choices would be playing the same weekend for the College All-Stars (Eldridge Small of Texas A&I, Larry Jacobson of Nebraska and John Mendenhall of Grambling). Really, though, Webster shouldn't fret because the Giants were so terribly inept last season that improvement is imminent. It is impossible for them to get worse. Well, improbable anyway.
Funny thing, though, is that Alex was asked what areas needed improvement; he said the defensive line, the offensive line, offensive backfield, special teams and place kicking. That left the punting, which Tom Blanchard did effectively last season (40.6, sixth best in the NFC) and the quarterbacking, which Fran Tarkenton did not do so effectively last season. Blanchard returns, Tarkenton is in Minnesota and at last look, Webster was still trying to decide on whether Norm Snead or Randy Johnson- or maybe even Ed Baker- would be the quarterback.
Although he listed Johnson as No. 1, Snead was a good bet to wind up as the starting quarterback. The merits of winning such an assignment might be dubious, however. Before he departed his Yorktown, Va. residence to report to camp, Snead was asked about his role with the plague-stricken Giants.
'I can't afford to think about any of those problems,' said the 11-year veteran who was rotated with Gary Cuozzo and Bob Lee at Minnesota. 'In many ways, this could be just the beginning.' He did not say the beginning of what.
Unless there is a marked improvement in the offensive line, it could be the beginning of trouble for Snead and/or Johnson and/or Baker. Guard Dick Enderle was obtained from the Falcons, tackle Joe Taffoni from the Rams, and along with number six draft pick Tom Mabry (tackle, Arkansas) they might be able to patch up the offensive line that leaked for 40 quarterback drops in 1971.
Part of the reason for the inordinate number of drops, though, was because of the inept running game. The Giants were 11th in rushing with a decrepit 1,461 yards- most of which were garnered by Bobby Duhon (344) and he wasn't even a regular. The key to the offense, then, will be Ron Johnson, the thousand-yard gainer of '70. With Johnson running on all twos, which he did in only one game last season, the Giants mushroomed to a 9-5 record- the only winning season in the five that Tarkenton was the quarterback.
Bob Grim, who came with Snead from Minnesota, brings excellent credentials (45 catches, sixth in the NFC) to the receiving corps already headed up by Bob Tucker. It is impressive that Tucker became the only tight end in history to win the receiving title (59 for 719 yards), but not necessarily did it happen out of exactitude. He was about the only receiver Tarkenton had at times last season and Francis spent many scrambling afternoons looking for him when patterns were broken, which they were often. If it tells you anything, wizened running back-flanker Joe Morrison was the Giants' second best catcher and, at that, 10th in the NFC. Number one pick Small, Coleman Zeno, Rich Houston and Don Herrmann lend depth to the positions.
THE DEFENSE: Whatever defense the Giants might have had last season probably left for Los Angeles on a Volkswagen bus when Fred Dryer, demanding to be traded, went to the Rams. He was the best pass rusher and the most aggressive tackler of the front four. Just when it looked like Disasterville revisited, the Giants made a deal for another dissatisfied defensive end- Jack Gregory or the Browns. He was a five-year regular in Cleveland and brings much-needed maturity to the Giant front foursome, where number one pick Jacobson and number three pick Mendenhall could challenge incumbents Roland Lakes and Jim Kanicki at tackle. The other end is capably manned by Henry Reed and Dave Tipton.
Linebacker is the place- if there is such a place- that the Giants shouldn't have trouble on defense. Jim Files, Ron Hornsby and John Douglas return for another season together.
There is still one cornerback open and it will likely go to Fred Summers, also obtained from Cleveland, unless Bennie McRae decides to play and isn't too gimp-legged to run. Safeties Scott Eaton and Spider Lockhart and corner Willie Williams return intact.
Defensive coach Norb Hecker is gone. The chore of putting all these parts together befalls energetic Jim Garrett, who has done everything from coach the Orlando Panthers in the Continental League and Susquehanna University to scout for BLESTO-V. The job is likely to require every ounce of Garrett's versatility, imagination and patience.
THE KICKING GAME AND SPECIAL TEAMS: Unless Pete Gogolak returns to his 1970 form early in the season, the job will belong to somebody else. He only connected on six field goals last season, but then he was only allowed to try 17. Worse yet, his poor kicks often left the Giants in bad field position. Blanchard is back to punt. Rocky Thompson, the number one choice of 1971, proved to be a threat on kickoffs last season, returning one of them 93 yards, and should be even more proficient this year.
THE QUESTIONS: You name it.
THE STRENGTHS: Season tickets are, as usual, sold out.
THE OUTLOOK: Cloudy with probable scattered showers. Playing as badly as they could possibly play, the Giants won four games last season. Considering this and considering that Johnson's return could make them a different football team, it is entirely possible that the Giants may even win four games again in 1972."
-Buddy Martin, Gridiron 1972 Pro Yearbook
"Of the NFC's 13 teams last year, the New York Giants finished last in the won-lost column (4-10, .286). Moreover, since their final game, they have traded away their most famous offensive player (quarterback Fran Tarkenton) and possibly their most effective defensive player (Fred Dryer).
Standing on that foundation, the Giants are entering a season in which they have more uncertainties in Tarkenton's and Dryer's positions than any other.
Coach Alex Webster's two-word evaluation of the pass rush last year was 'totally inadequate.' His defensive linemen sacked the quarterback only 18 times in 14 games. And now from this group the best rush-man, Dryer, has been subtracted. With Tarkenton subtracted, the best quarterbacks are Randy Johnson and Norm Snead.
Randy is a castoff from an expansion team. Snead, 33, has been with three teams in three years.
Plainly, the Giants have problems. It could be that they lead the league in problems.
But there are also some assets in this franchise. First, it has a nucleus of quality players: running back Ron Johson, receivers Bob Grim and Bob Tucker, blocker Greg Larson, linebackers Jim Files and Ron Hornsby and the entire secondary: safeties Spider Lockhart and Scott Eaton, and cornermen Willie Williams and Bennie McRae.
Second, Coach Webster has a capable staff of assistants, including a troubleshooter named Jim Garrett who is taking over the defense this season.
Garrett handled the special teams and offense in his first two Giant years. Moving finally to the other branch, he finds himself with good enough personnel if the pass rush can be improved.
That rush is still the responsibility of Jim Katcavage, now in his fourth year as a coach after a distinguished career as a rush-man himself. If the material is there, you would think Katcavage can do something with it.
The defensive backfield coach, Emlen Tunnell, has already proved himself. A Hall of Fame safetyman, Tunnell seems even better coaching than playing. He has developed the strongest Giant department. Matt Hazeltine, a brilliant 49ers linebacker for so many years, rounds out what appears to be a first class defensive staff.
Webster's offensive staff has the same solid look from Ray Wietecha (line) and Joe Walton (receivers) to Y.A. Tittle (quarterbacks). All of them know what winning takes in pro football.
As a loser, the Giants, in fact, are something of a mystery team, although one reason for their problems can be inferred from Webster's evaluation of himself as a head coach.
'When I started coaching three years ago,' he said the other day, 'I had definite ideas on how it should be done, I mean the discipline side of it. My philosophy was to use the soft approach, to meet everyone halfway, to compromise. But I guess it didn't work.'
His won-lost record provides the statistical evidence that something didn't work. And according to Webster, the explanation is that his players have been taking advantage of him.
Or as he puts it: 'I feel strongly that some people did not meet me halfway. So now things will be different. They'll be tougher; call it hard-line if you wish.' So that's what's new with the Giants this year. Webster plans a tougher approach with those who,, in his opinion, have been letting him down.
He has also changed some of his philosophy. You will remember that Webster came into coaching determined to make football more interesting, more exciting. This year his goal is simplification.
'It will be the old formula of learning by repetition,' he said. Thus the Lombardi hard-liners have another convert. And the fans for whom football is more game than blood-letting lose again. The success of the simple-minded tough guys- the old Packers, the Vikings, the new Cowboys- has always been a threat to the future of football and may yet turn off the country.
The most imaginative football leaders- Al Davis, Sid Gillman, the old Tom Landry and, yes, Otto Graham, among others- have had a hard time winning. Landry had to go conservative to win. And now Webster will give it a try.
Seemingly he has the personnel to improve his position. The two Johnsons in his backfield are potentially productive elements. Ron ranks with the NFL's better ball carriers, and if well last year would have proved it as usual. Randy, a 6-3 quarterback, did not respond to Norm Van Brocklin's coaching in Atlanta but could be tailored by Tittle. In New York this year, Randy may not be considered fun town's best passer, but he is the best the Giants have had since Tittle.
Three of Randy's new receivers were in the NFC's top 10 last year: Bob Tucker, 1; Bob Grim, 7; and Joe Morrison, 10. The first draft choice, Eldridge Small, is a receiver, and the Giants also drafted Tom Gatewood of Notre Dame. They can throw and catch.
And with Ron Johnson healthy they can run. Ron's running mate might be Charlie Evans or Bobby Duhon. Duhon led the Giants in yards last season when Bob Tucker became the first tight end to lead the NFL in receiving, thus demonstrating the growing power of zone defenses.
Small, 6-1, 190 from Texas A&I, is a two-way prospect with the credentials to play corner.
There is some talent in the offensive line with Greg Larson at center and Willie Young at left tackle plus three guard candidates: Doug Van Horn, Charlie Harper and ex-Bear and ex-Packer Bob Hyland.
For additions, the Giants acquired veteran guard Dick Enderle, a three-year starter for Atlanta, and tough Joe Taffoni, a 6-3, 255-pound tackle, who 'retired' last season and decided to return. He was a starter for Cleveland in 1970 and could be a big plus.
With Tarkenton, the Giants ranked fifth in total offense last year and second in passing, though only 11th in rushing with Ron Johnson out. On defense, the Giants were a disappointing tenth, ranking tenth in ground defense and eighth against the pass.
The names in the defensive line are better than their record as Giants. Tackles Jim Kanicki, 30, and Roland Lakes, 32, were stars in Cleveland and San Francisco. Jack Gregory, the top pass rushing defensive end who defected from Cleveland, will take over Dryer's spot at right end. Coach Garrett calls left end Henry Reed 'the key to our defense.' Reserves include Jerry Shay, a good one who broke a leg two years ago, and Larry Jacobson, a top-round draft pick from Nebraska.
Garrett says John Douglas or Pat Hughes will be the weakside linebacker next to Hornsby (middle) and Files (strong). The secondary includes McRae from the Bears and holdovers Williams, Eaton and Lockhart. There is depth in the secondary with Otto Brown, Richmond Flowers and Pete Athas.
The punter, Tom Blanchard, is 'adequate' to use Webster's word. Pete Gogolak kicked only six field goals last season in 17 attempts, and Webster is looking for another man.
Summing up, Webster says, 'We must rekindle a winning spirit.'
Yes."
-Bob Oates, Steet & Smith's Official 1972 Pro Football Yearbook
"Nevermore will the Giants' loyalists have to suffer through the agony of having to watch Francis Tarkenton prance through his routine. He's back to pass ... oops, he's running ... no, it's a pass ... whoops, what happened to the receiving? ... oh, Francis just lateralled to the guard. Second and 17.
Five years of Tarkenton and his unchartered excursions and his undermining the coaches was enough. To their mutual satisfaction, the Giants have traded Tarkenton away. He was acquired for an outrageous price in 1967 to be the Giants' foil to Joe Namath in the New York image factory. But the Giants won nothing in the five years Tarkenton played in New York. Only once could they come close.
Indeed, it was the original trade for Tarkenton that must be blamed for wrecking this once proud franchise. Four high draft choices the Giants surrendered to the Vikings for Tarkenton. The choices, in retrospect, could have been useful in stopping the decay of the Giants.
Now Tarkenton has been dispatched back to Minnesota. The players the Giants received in exchange should help. The best was Bob Grim. He gives the Giants the deep receiving threat they've lacked. Norm Snead and Vince Clements? Who knows?
'When I started coaching three years ago,' says Alex Webster, planning a crackdown, 'I had definite ideas about the discipline of it. My philosophy was to use the soft approach, to compromise. I feel strongly that some people did not meet me halfway. So now things will be different.'
For all his faults, Tarkenton was a sharp passer- and discovering a successor becomes the immediate problem. Randy Johnson, perhaps, is matured enough now to become a No. 1 quarterback. As the holdover backup, he deserves the first crack. The lumbering Snead is his competition. He has the experience edge, and he is the total opposite of Tarkenton. He is immobile.
The happiest note for the Giants is the return to full health of Ron Johnson. It was Johnson's heroics of two years ago, as a 1,000-yard runner, which nearly carried the Giants to the playoffs. Leg injuries rendered him virtually useless last year. The Giants have a fleet of runners to go with Johnson- Bobby Duhon, Rocky Thompson, Charlie Evans and Clements. Perhaps even old pro Joe Morrison.
Whoever the quarterback is, he will have some decent receivers for a change. Grim is one of the finest, a wholesome addition to this club. Bob Tucker, a refugee from the Eagles' taxi squad, has become a superior tight end. Last year, with 59 catches, he was an enormous surprise, the leading receiver of the NFC. Among the other wide receivers are incumbent Dick Houston, Don Herrmann and Morrison. There are two rookie challengers, Eldridge Small, a first-round draft choice, and Thom Gatewood.
Webster says again the Giants must upgrade their defense. How this can be done is another mystery. The Giants just don't have the people there. Their pass rush is a sporadic thing, and thus the Giants can be beaten toward the sidelines and occasionally deep.
Jack Gregory, who played out his option with Cleveland after enjoying a top-notch year, Jim Kanicki, Roland Lakes, and Henry Reed or Dave Tipton are scheduled to be the starting linemen. But there could be some changes. Larry Jacobson, a second first-round choice, was selected to bolster the defensive line. Other clubs, however, did not think so highly of him as the Giants did.
An area that should be vastly improved is the linebacking. Webster now has two young militants in there- Ron Hornsby in the middle and Jim Files. The other linebacker is John Douglas. But Pat Hughes, with a reputation as a hitter, could win the job away.
The defensive backfield was way down in interception production last year with 15. There are three savvy veterans back there- Bennie McRae, Spider Lockhart and Willie Williams, with Scott Eaton the most likely starter at the other spot and Freddie Summers a likely challenger to McRae. Young Summers, who saw little action with the Browns before joining the Giants, could win the competition.
Six years ago the Giants imperiled pro football by signing Pete Gogolak across league lines. Instead of an atomic pro football war, it became a peace maneuver and speeded the NFL-AFL merger. Now the Giants must take a hard look at Gogolak and decide whether he is worth retaining. Last year he gave them only six field goals in 17 attempts. No club in football had fewer field goals.
What the departure of Tarkenton will do for the Giants must be a moot question. Certainly, Yankee Stadium will be a calmer place. But the games may not be as entertaining."
-Cord Sportfacts Pro Football Guide 1972
OFFENSE
"QUARTERBACKS: Randy Johnson and Norm Snead have flunked elsewhere. Still, Johnson could develop into an acceptable quarterback. Snead has a strong arm but is interception-prone. Ed Baker has promise.
Performance Quotient: 4 [1 through 5, 1 being best]
RUNNING BACKS: With good health, Ron Johnson is a 1,000-yarder. If he's out, there is always old standby Bobby Duhon who was the team leader last year. Charlie Evans has shown some flashes, especially when the goal line is nearby.
Rocky Thompson has much to learn before his talents can be exploited. Newcomer Vince Clements could be a helper- but he has had knee problems. Tommy Moziek is strictly a hopeful.
Performance Quotient: 3
RECEIVERS: The zone defenses they faced made the Giants tap Bob Tucker's tremendous talents. Though unsung nationally, he is a fine tight end who led the NFL in receptions last year. With the addition of Bob Grim, a heady, quick receiver, the Giants could have an explosive air game- if the quarterbacks do their job. Dick Houston, too, has receiving talents.
Don Herrmann could become a starter again. Coleman Zeno has lots to learn, but the raw talent is there. Rookies Eldridge Small and Thom Gatewood should help. And old-pro Joe Morrison is valuable.
Performance Quotient: 2
INTERIOR LINEMEN: The running and receiving excellence won't mean much if some cohesiveness isn't developed on the line. At least the blockers will know where their passer is now; no more running around trying to knock over somebody for Fran Tarkenton's scrambles.
Willie Young and Joe Taffoni are adequate, experienced pass protectors. Bob Hyland and Doug Van Horn, though, have never fulfilled their promise. Greg Larson is aging. Charlie Harper and Dick Enderle could become starters.
Performance Quotient: 4
Kickers: Pete Gogolak has been off form of late and he could lose his job. Tom Blanchard is okay as a punter.
Performance Quotient: 3"
-Cord Sportfacts Pro Football Guide 1972
DEFENSE
"FRONT LINEMEN: The addition of Jack Gregory (from Cleveland) will help to stabilize a bad situation. Henry Reed and Dave Tipton compete for the other outside post. Fred Dryer is not likely to be missed; the overall attitude will be stronger without him.
The Giants have extreme age at the tackles in Jim Kanicki and Roland Lakes, who have seen better days elsewhere. No. 1 draftee Larry Jacobson is expected to work in, though other clubs did not rate him as high as the Giants. Vern Vanoy, Dave Roller and John Mendenhall fight to stick, with Mendenhall a possible candidate on the offensive line. Helped is needed inside.
Performance Quotient: 4
LINEBACKERS: Maybe for once the linebackers will remain constant. Jim Files, once the future hero in the middle, is now the future star to the outside. He's good against the run. Aggressive Ron Hornsby has developed quickly in the middle spot. They need a helper. John Douglas is the likely starter, pressed by Ralph Heck and Pat Hughes.
Performance Quotient: 3
CORNERBACKS: It has been traditional for the Giants to pick up retreads. Aging Bennie McRae and unfulfilled Freddie Summers will vie to fill the vacated left-side spot. McRae contributed little in '71.
Willie Williams is fine on the right and Pete Athas has exceptional promise.
Performance Quotient: 3
SAFETIES: Not a bad area. Spider Lockhart remains a top-flight weak-side man with ability on pass defense. Scott Eaton finally has found his niche on the strong side, where his tackling is useful.
Joe Green is a good backup. Richmond Flowers helps out because of his speed and smarts.
Performance Quotient: 3"
-Cord Sportfacts Pro Football Guide 1972
"In exchange for Fran Tarkenton, the Giants got the Viking battery of Norm Snead and Bob Grim plus running back Vince Clements plus two high draft picks.
Snead and Grim can help the Giant offense. So can Ron Johnson if he avoids the injuries that limited him to 32 carries last year. But there appears to be little immediate help for the conference's worst defense.
The Giants permitted an average of 25.9 points per game. They don't seem to have strengthened that defense a great deal."
-Bill Jauss, Football Digest, September 1972
1972 NEW YORK GIANTS ROSTERS
New York Giants 1972 Veteran Roster
60 Steve Alexakos (G) San Jose State
45 Pete Athas (S) Tennessee
15 Tom Blanchard (P) Oregon
83 Skip Butler (K) Texas-Arlington
21 Otto Brown (CB-S) Prairie View
34 Junior Coffey (RB) Washington
51 John Douglas (LB) Missouri
28 Bobby Duhon (RB) Tulane
20 Scott Eaton (S-CB) Oregon State
-- Dick Enderle (G) Minnesota
31 Charlie Evans (RB) USC
58 Jim Files (LB) Oklahoma
44 Richmond Flowers (S) Tennessee
3 Pete Goglolak (K) Cornell
33 Joe Green (S) Bowling Green
-- Jack Gregory (DE) Delta State
27 Bob Grim (WR) Oregon State
77 Dick Hanson (T) North Dakota State
61 Charlie Harper (G-T) Oklahoma State
55 Ralph Heck (LB) Colorado
85 Don Herrmann (WR) Waynesburg
67 Ron Hornsby (LB) Southeast Louisiana
84 Rich Houston (WR) East Texas State
56 Pat Hughes (LB) Boston University
70 Bob Hyland (G) Boston College
11 Randy Johnson (QB) Texas A&I
30 Ron Johnson (RB) Michigan
73 Jim Kanicki (DT) Michigan State
87 Dick Kotite (TE) Wagner
76 Roland Lakes (DT) Wichita
53 Greg Larson (C) Minnesota
43 Carl Lockhart (S) North Texas State
26 Bennie McRae (CB) Michigan
40 Joe Morrison (WR) Cincinnati
80 Henry Reed (DE) Weber State
74 Dave Roller (DT) Kentucky
75 Jerry Shay (DT) Purdue
16 Norm Snead (QB) Wake Forest
-- Freddie Summers (CB-S) Wake Forest
-- Joe Taffoni (T) Tennessee-Martin
22 Rocky Thompson (RB) West Texas State
71 Dave Tipton (DE) Stanford
38 Bob Tucker (TE) Bloomsburg (PA)
63 Doug Van Horn (G) Ohio State
79 Vern Vanoy (DT) Kansas
78 Wayne Walton (G) Abilene Christian
41 Willie Williams (CB) Grambling
69 Willie Young (T) Grambling
88 Coleman Zeno (WR) Grambling
-The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1972 Edition)
1972 New York Giants Rookies in Draft Order
Eldridge Small (DB) Texas A&I
Larry Jacobson (DE) Nebraska
John Mendenhall (T) Grambling
Tom Mozisek (RB) Houston
Tom Gatewood (WR) Notre Dame
Larry Edwards (LB) Texas A&M-Kingsville
John Hill (C) Lehigh
Mike Zikas (DT) Notre Dame
Tom Mabry (T) Arkansas
Ed Richardson (RB) Southern
John Odom (DB) Texas Tech
Jay Anderson (DT) Mayville (ND)
Chuck Heard (DE) Georgia
James Evans (LB) South Carolina State
Ken Kavanaugh, Jr. (TE) LSU
Neovia Greyer (DB) Wisconsin
John Seyferth (RB) Michigan
-The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1972 Edition)
1972 Giants Veterans
60 Steve Alexakos (G) San Jose State
45 Pete Athas (S) Tennessee
15 Tom Blanchard (P) Oregon
83 Skip Butler (K) Texas-Arlington
21 Otto Brown (CB-S) Prairie View
34 Junior Coffey (RB) Washington
51 John Douglas (LB) Missouri
28 Bobby Duhon (RB) Tulane
20 Scott Eaton (S-CB) Oregon State
65 Dick Enderle (G) Minnesota
31 Charlie Evans (RB) USC
58 Jim Files (LB) Oklahoma
44 Richmond Flowers (S) Tennessee
3 Pete Goglolak (K) Cornell
33 Joe Green (S) Bowling Green
81 Jack Gregory (DE) Delta State
27 Bob Grim (WR) Oregon State
77 Dick Hanson (T) North Dakota State
61 Charlie Harper (G-T) Oklahoma State
55 Ralph Heck (LB) Colorado
85 Don Herrmann (WR) Waynesburg
67 Ron Hornsby (LB) Southeast Louisiana
84 Rich Houston (WR) East Texas State
56 Pat Hughes (LB) Boston University
70 Bob Hyland (G) Boston College
11 Randy Johnson (QB) Texas A&I
30 Ron Johnson (RB) Michigan
73 Jim Kanicki (DT) Michigan State
87 Dick Kotite (TE) Wagner
76 Roland Lakes (DT) Wichita
53 Greg Larson (C) Minnesota
43 Carl Lockhart (S) North Texas State
26 Bennie McRae (CB) Michigan
40 Joe Morrison (WR) Cincinnati
80 Henry Reed (DE) Weber State
74 Dave Roller (DT) Kentucky
75 Jerry Shay (DT) Purdue
16 Norm Snead (QB) Wake Forest
Freddie Summers (CB-S) Wake Forest
72 Joe Taffoni (T) Tennessee-Martin
22 Rocky Thompson (WR) West Texas State
71 Dave Tipton (DE) Stanford
38 Bob Tucker (TE) Bloomsburg (PA)
63 Doug Van Horn (G) Ohio State
79 Vern Vanoy (DT) Kansas
78 Wayne Walton (G) Abilene Christian
41 Willie Williams (CB) Grambling
69 Willie Young (T) Grambling
88 Coleman Zeno (WR) Grambling
Coach - Alex Webster
-Gridiron 1972 Pro Yearbook
1972 Giants Rookies
D1: Eldridge Small (DB) Texas A&I
D1: Larry Jacobson (DE) Nebraska
D3: John Mendenhall (T) Grambling
D3: Tom Mozisek (RB) Houston
D5: Tom Gatewood (WR) Notre Dame
D5: Larry Edwards (LB) Texas A&M-Kingsville
D6: John Hill (C) Lehigh
D7: Mike Zikas (DT) Notre Dame
D8: Tom Mabry (T) Arkansas
D9: Ed Richardson (RB) Southern
D10: John Odom (DB) Texas Tech
D12: Jay Anderson (DT) Mayville (ND)
D13: Chuck Heard (DE) Georgia
D14: James Evans (LB) South Carolina State
D15: Ken Kavanaugh, Jr. (TE) LSU
D16: Neovia Greyer (DB) Wisconsin
D17: John Seyferth (RB) Michigan
-Gridiron 1972 Pro Yearbook
Giants Veteran Roster
60 Steve Alexakos (G) San Jose State
45 Pete Athas (DB) Tennessee
15 Tom Blanchard (P-QB) Oregon
83 Skip Butler (K) Texas-Arlington
21 Otto Brown (DB) Prairie View
34 Junior Coffey (RB) Washington
51 John Douglas (LB) Missouri
28 Bobby Duhon (RB) Tulane
20 Scott Eaton (DB) Oregon State
Dick Enderle (G) Minnesota
31 Charlie Evans (RB) USC
58 Jim Files (LB) Oklahoma
44 Richmond Flowers (DB) Tennessee
3 Pete Goglolak (K) Cornell
Dan Goich (DT) California
33 Joe Green (DB) Bowling Green
Jack Gregory (DE) Delta State
Bob Grim (WR) Oregon State
77 Dick Hanson (T) North Dakota State
61 Charlie Harper (G-T) Oklahoma State
55 Ralph Heck (LB) Colorado
85 Don Herrmann (WR) Waynesburg
67 Ron Hornsby (LB) Southeast Louisiana
84 Rich Houston (WR) East Texas State
56 Pat Hughes (LB) Boston University
70 Bob Hyland (G) Boston College
11 Randy Johnson (QB) Texas A&I
30 Ron Johnson (RB) Michigan
73 Jim Kanicki (DT) Michigan State
87 Dick Kotite (TE) Wagner
76 Roland Lakes (DT) Wichita
53 Greg Larson (C) Minnesota
43 Carl Lockhart (DB) North Texas State
26 Bennie McRae (DB) Michigan
40 Joe Morrison (WR) Cincinnati
80 Henry Reed (DE) Weber State
74 Dave Roller (DT) Kentucky
75 Jerry Shay (DT) Purdue
Norm Snead (QB) Wake Forest
Freddie Summers (DB) Wake Forest
Joe Taffoni (T) Tennessee-Martin
22 Rocky Thompson (WR) West Texas State
71 Dave Tipton (DE) Stanford
38 Bob Tucker (TE) Bloomsburg (PA)
63 Doug Van Horn (G) Ohio State
79 Vernon Vanoy (DT) Kansas
78 Wayne Walton (G) Abilene Christian
41 Willie Williams (DB) Grambling
69 Willie Young (T) Grambling
88 Coleman Zeno (WR) Grambling
-Steet and Smith's Official 1972 Pro Football Yearbook
Rookies
Ernie Altamarino (C) C.W. Post
Jay Anderson (DT) Mayville
Ed Baker (QB) Lafayette
Vince Clements (RB) Connecticut
Larry Edwards (LB) Texas A&M-Kingsville
Mark Ellison (G) Dayton
Jim Evans (LB) South Carolina State
Tom Gatewood (WR) Notre Dame
Neovia Greyer (DB) Wisconsin
Chuck Heard (DE) Georgia
John Hill (C) Lehigh
Larry Jacobson (DE) Nebraska
Ken Kavanaugh (TE) LSU
Gordon Lambert (LB) Lambert
Wilmer Levels (DB) North Texas State
Tom Mabry (T) Arkansas
Tom McCreight (G) Northwestern
John Mendenhall (DT) Grambling
Tommy Mozisek (RB) Houston
Chris Myers (WR) Kenyon
John Odom (WR) Texas Tech
Paul Olson (T) McAlester
Jim Poole, Jr. (TE) Mississippi
Ed Richardson (RB) Southern
Jack Rizzo (RB) Lehigh
Paul Rogers (K) Nebraska
Jack Simcsak (K) VPI
Eldridge Small (DB) Texas A&I
John Seyferth (RB) Michigan
Larry Sherrer (RB) Hawaii
Bob Terrio (LB) Nebraska
Mike Zikas (DT) Notre Dame
-Street and Smith's Official 1972 Pro Football Yearbook
1972 New York Giants Roster by Position
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks
Randy Johnson (Texas A & I)
Norm Snead (Wake Forest)
Ed Baker (Lafayette)
Running Backs
Ron Johnson (Michigan)
Charlie Evans (USC)
Bobby Duhon (Tulane)
Rocky Thompson (West Texas State)
Vin Clements (Connecticut)
Tommy Mozisek (Houston)
Receivers
Bob Grim (W) (Oregon State)
Rich Houston (W) (East Texas State)
Bob Tucker (T) (Bloomsburg)
Joe Morrison (W) (Cincinnati)
Don Herrmann (W) (Waynesburg)
Coleman Zeno (W) (Grambling)
Eldridge Small (W) (Texas A&I)
(W)-Wide Receiver (T)-Tight End
Interior Linemen
Willie Young (T) (Grambling)
Joe Taffoni (T) (Tennessee-Martin)
Bob Hyland (G-C) (Boston College)
Doug Van Horn (G) Ohio State)
Greg Larson (C) (Minnesota)
Charlie Harper (G-T) (Oklahoma State)
Dick Enderle (G) (Minnesota)
(T)-Tackle (G)- Guard (C)-Center
Kickers
Pete Gogolak (Cornell)
Tom Blanchard (Oregon)
DEFENSE
Front Linemen
Henry Reed (E) (Weber State)
Jack Gregory (E) (Delta State)
Jim Kanicki (T) (Michigan State)
Roland Lakes (T) (Wichita State)
Dave Tipton (E) (Stanford)
Larry Jacobson (E) (Nebraska)
John Mendenhall (E) (Grambling)
Vern Vanoy (T) (Kansas)
Dave Roller (T) (Kentucky)
(E)-End (T)-Tackle
Linebackers
Jim Files (O) (Oklahoma)
John Douglas (O) (Missouri)
Ron Hornsby (M) (Southeast Louisiana)
Ralph Heck (O-M) (Colorado)
Pat Hughes (O) (Boston University)
(O)-Outside Linebacker (M)-Middle Linebacker
Cornerbacks
Bennie McRae (Michigan)
Willie Williams (Grambling)
Pete Athas (Tennessee)
Freddie Summers (Wake Forest)
Safeties
Scott Eaton (S) (Oregon State)
Spider Lockhart (W) (North Texas State)
Joe Green (S-W) (Bowling Green)
Richmond Flowers (W) (Tennessee)
(S)-Strong Side (W)-Weak Side or 'Free' Safety
-Cord Sportsfacts Pro Football 1972
1972 New York Giants Revised Roster (after final cutdown before start of regular 1972 season)
45 Pete Athas (CB) Tennessee
15 Tom Blanchard (P-QB) Oregon
79 Carter Campbell (LB) Weber State
24 Charlie Crist (S) Penn State
51 John Douglas (LB) Missouri
28 Bobby Duhon (RB) Tulane
65 Mark Ellison (G) Dayton
62 Dick Enderle (G) Minnesota
31 Charlie Evans (RB) USC
58 Jim Files (LB) Oklahoma
44 Richmond Flowers (S) Tennessee
83 Tom Gatewood (WR) Notre Dame
3 Pete Goglolak (K) Cornell
68 Dan Goich (DT) California
33 Joe Green (S) Bowling Green
81 Jack Gregory (DE) Delta State
27 Bob Grim (WR) Oregon State
85 Don Herrmann (WR) Waynesburg
52 John Hill (C) Lehigh
67 Ron Hornsby (LB) Southeast Louisiana
84 Rich Houston (WR) East Texas State
56 Pat Hughes (LB) Boston University
70 Bob Hyland (C-G) Boston College
75 Larry Jacobsen (DE) Nebraska
30 Ron Johnson (RB) Michigan
53 Greg Larson (C) Minnesota
43 Carl Lockhart (S) North Texas State
64 John Mendenhall (DT) Grambling
40 Joe Morrison (WR) Cincinnati
49 Joe Orduna (RB) Nebraska
80 Henry Reed (DE) Weber State
18 Eldridge Small (CB) Texas A&I
16 Norm Snead (QB) Wake Forest
72 Joe Taffoni (T) Tennessee-Martin
22 Rocky Thompson (RB) West Texas State
71 Dave Tipton (DE) Stanford
38 Bob Tucker (TE) Bloomsburg (PA)
63 Doug Van Horn (G) Ohio State
78 Wayne Walton (G) Abilene Christian
41 Willie Williams (CB) Grambling
69 Willie Young (T) Grambling
-Football Digest, December 1972
1972 New York Giants Depth Chart
Offense
QB Norm Snead (Wake Forest) 16, Tom Blanchard (Oregon) 15
HB Ron Johnson (Michigan) 30, Joe Orduna (Nebraska) 49, Bobby Duhon (Tulane) 28
FB Charlie Evans (USC) 31, Joe Morrison (Cincinnati) 40
WR Bob Grim (Oregon State) 27, Rocky Thompson (West Texas State) 22, Tom Gatewood (Notre Dame) 83
T Willie Young (Grambling) 69
G Bob Hyland (Boston College) 70, Dick Enderle (Minnesota) 62
C Greg Larson (Minnesota) 53, John Hill (Lehigh)*
G Doug Van Horn (Ohio State) 63, Mark Ellison (Dayton)*
T Joe Taffoni (Tennessee-Martin) 72, Wayne Walton (Abilene Christian) 78
TE Bob Tucker (Bloomsburg) 38
WR Rich Houston (East Texas State) 84, Don Herrmann (Waynesburg) 85
Defense
DE Larry Jacobson (Nebraska)*, Henry Reed (Weber State) 80
DT Dan Goich (California) 68
DT John Mendenhall (Grambling)*, Dave Tipton (Stanford) 71
DE Jack Gregory (Delta State) 81
LB Jim Files (Oklahoma) 58, Carter Campbell (Weber State) 79
MLB Ron Hornsby (Southeast Louisiana State) 67
LB Pat Hughes (Boston University) 56, John Douglas (Missouri) 51
CB Pete Athas (Tennessee) 45, Eldridge Small (Texas A&M-Kingsville)*
SS Richmond Flowers (Tennessee) 44, Joe Green (Bowling Green) 33
FS Spider Lockhart (North Texas) 43, Chuck Crist (Penn State)*
CB Willie Williams (Grambling) 41, Eldridge Small (Texas A&M-Kingsville)*
K Pete Gogolak (Cornell) 3
P Tom Blanchard (Oregon) 15
KR Rocky Thompson (West Texas State) 22
PR Bobby Duhon (Tulane) 28, Pete Athas (Tennessee) 45
*rookie
1972 New York Giants Topps Cards
Pete Athas
Bobby Duhon
Pete Gogolak
Bob Grim
Ron Hornsby
Randy Johnson
Ron Johnson
Jim Kanicki
Spider Lockhart
Norm Snead
Bob Tucker
1971 NFC Receiving Leader: Bob Tucker
1972 NFLPA Wonderful World Stamps, alphabetical
Otto Brown
Bobby Duhon
Scott Eaton
Jim Files
Tucker Frederickson
Pete Gogolak
Bob Grim
Don Herrmann
Ron Johnson
Jim Kanicki
Spider Lockhart
Joe Morrison
Bob Tucker
Willie Williams
Willie Young
1972 NFLPA Wonderful World Stamps, by position
HB Ron Johnson
HB Bobby Duhon
FB Joe Morrison
FB Tucker Frederickson
WR Bob Grim
WR Don Herrmann
TE Bob Tucker
T Willie Young
DT Jim Kanicki
LB Jim Files
CB Willie Williams
CB Scott Eaton
SS Otto Brown
FS Spider Lockhart
K Pete Gogolak
1972 New York Giants Sunoco Stamps, alphabetical
Pete Athas
Tom Blanchard
Otto Brown
John Douglas
Scott Eaton
Charlie Evans
Jim Files
Tucker Frederickson
Pete Gogolak
Jack Gregory
Charlie Harper
Don Herrmann
Ron Hornsby
Bob Hyland
Randy Johnson
Ron Johnson
Jim Kanicki
Roland Lakes
Greg Larson
Spider Lockhart
John Mendenhall
Joe Morrison
Henry Reed
Rocky Thompson
Bob Tucker
Doug Van Horn
Willie Williams
Willie Young
1972 New York Giants Sunoco Stamps, by position
WR Don Herrmann 85
LT Willie Young 69
LG Bob Hyland 70
C Greg Larson 53
RG Doug Van Horn 63
RT Charlie Harper 61
TE Bob Tucker 38
WR Joe Morrison 40
QB - Randy Johnson 11
RB Tucker Frederickson 24
RB Ron Johnson 30
RB Charlie Evans 31 (update)
DE Jack Gregory 81 (update)
DE Henry Reed 80
DT John Mendenhall 64 (update)
DT Jim Kanicki 73
DT Roland Lakes 76
LLB John Douglas 51
MLB Ron Hornsby 67
RLB Jim Files 58
LCB Willie Williams 41
LCB Pete Athas 45 (update)
RCB Otto Brown 21
LS Scott Eaton 20
RS Spider Lockhart 43
K Pete Gogolak 3
P Tom Blanchard 15
KR Rocky Thompson 22
1972 New York Giants Profile Summary
Head Coach - Alex Webster
Offensive Line Coach - Ray Wietecha
QB Norm Snead (Wake Forest) 16
QB Randy Johnson (Texas A&I) 11
QB Tom Blanchard (Oregon) 15
HB Ron Johnson (Michigan) 30
HB Bobby Duhon (Tulane) 28
FB Joe Morrison (Cincinnati) 40
WR Bob Grim (Oregon State) 27
WR Rich Houston (East Texas State) 84
WR Rocky Thompson (West Texas State) 22
WR Eldridge Small (Texas A&I) 18
WR Thom Gatewood (Notre Dame) 83
TE Bob Tucker (Bloomsburg) 38
C Greg Larson (Minnesota) 53
G Doug Van Horn (Ohio State) 63
G Bob Hyland (Boston College) 70
T Willie Young (Grambling) 69
T Joe Taffoni (Tennessee-Martin) 72
DT Jim Kanicki (Michigan State) 73
DT John Mendenhall (Grambling) 64
DE Jack Gregory (Delta State) 81
DE Larry Jacobson (Nebraska) 75
MLB Ron Hornsby (Southeast Louisiana State) 67
LB Jim Files (Oklahoma) 58
LB Pat Hughes (Boston University) 56
CB Willie Williams (Grambling) 41
CB Pete Athas (Tennessee) 45
SS Richmond Flowers (Tennessee) 44
FS Spider Lockhart (North Texas) 43
DB Eldridge Small (Texas A&I) 18
K Pete Gogolak (Cornell) 3
P Tom Blanchard (Oregon) 15
KR Rocky Thompson (West Texas State) 22
PR Bobby Duhon (Tulane) 28
THE DECLINE OF THE NEW YORK GIANTS
"THE NEW FOOTBALL GIANTS. The power inherent in those words was once a keystone of the National Football League.
Today, they are synonymous with what seems to be a mission of self-destruction. No matter what the Giants do, they find themselves damned. If any other major league franchise decided it was time to build a new modern stadium, the owners would be praised for their foresight.
Yet, Wellington Mara is depicted as a latter-day Walter O'Malley, who is about to tear the Giants loose from the hearts of their fans and carry them to nearby New Jersey.
No matter that most of the team's season ticket holders would prefer a new stadium. Who cares if the team finally has a decent place to practice? Certainly not the provincial members of New York's media.
No, we can find no fault with the eventual move into Hackensack. Rather, it is the concern of most fans that the Giants have lost the ability to win football games, and even worse, the journey to oblivion seems unending.
It wasn't so long ago that New York was the most successful team in the NFL. The Giants had appeared in six of eight championship games in the period from 1956 to 1963. It was little wonder that they had earned the reputation of the NFL's 'Flagship Franchise.'
Now, ten years after the 12-2 Eastern Division championship team of 1962, the Royal House of Mara is in utter disarray. The Giants are a team without a proven winning quarterback, and even worse, they are a team without a defense. Eventually, the Giants could also be a team without a home if New York City so decides.
Yet, the team still has its fans. They still come to the games with echoes of past glories, and the hope that the future will see a return to contention. This is the one thing that allows them to tolerate the failure of the present, but the patience of the multitude is wearing thin.
In recounting the Giants' past, it would seem that the fans have suffered enough, and that is time for a change.
In 1962, the Giants were a powerful offensive machine that could score great amounts of points either in the air or on the ground. Y.A. Tittle was the quarterback, and receivers like Del Shofner, Frank Gifford, Joe Walton and Aaron Thomas combined with the prospective Hall of Fame passer for a two-year total of 70 touchdown passes in 1962 and 1963.
Alex Webster, Phil King and Joe Morrison were powerful runners who, although they lacked speed, were dependable backs who excelled at catching Tittle's favorite weapon- the screen pass.
The offensive line was second only to the power of the Packers: Wietecha, Larson, Dess, Stroud and Brown. Their performances have yet to be matched.
Defensively, it was a mature club, liberally sprinkled with mature All-Pros. Robustelli, Grier, Mo, Kat. The Giants are still searching for their replacements as well. Huff, Scott and Winter were the linebackers; Barnes and Lynch were on the corners, and Patton and Webb were the safeties.
The only member of the current Giant defense unit who could have started with this unit is Spider Lockhart. Offensively, of course, Larson is still playing, but only a healthy Ron Johnson would force his way into the lineup.
The summer of '63 saw the first crack appear in the Giants' defensive armor. The front office decided that Rosey Grier was past his prime, and as a result, Mara and Coach Allie Sherman sent him to the Rams. In exchange for the massive presence of Grier, Mara secured the services of John LoVetere, a younger and quicker lineman who looked like a Giant. Unfortunately, he didn't play like Grier, and even though he had a fairly good season in 1963, LoVetere never got to prove his worth because of a career-ending knee injury. At the same time, Grier went on to star for four more years with the Rams' original Fearsome Foursome- Lundy, Grier, Olson and Jones.
Offensively, the Giants were able to replace the retiring Ray Wietecha with Greg Larson who's started at center ever since. Bookie Bolin took over Larson's spot, and despite the changes, the New York offensive line was still functioning as one of the best in the league.
For the third straight season, the Giants found themselves in the NFL championship. However, that appearance against the Bears in the gelid confines of Wrigley Field marked the last hurrah of a powerful team.
Admittedly, the 1964 Giants were growing older, but there shouldn't have been any such panic as was reflected in the wholesale restructuring of the defense. Instead of resorting to the building blocks of the draft, Allie Sherman and Wellington Mara entered the trade marts. In so doing, they mortgaged the future for the needs of the present, but unfortunately, the talent thus acquired was of no help at all, and those mortgage payments keep coming due.
The two major trades of 1964 were the worst in the history of the franchise. Perhaps fate had decided to get even with Mara for the great dual robbery of 1961 in which the Giants picked up Y.A. Tittle and Del Shofner for a mere pittance. Be that is it may, Mara and Sherman committed two very costly errors in judgment when they traded away Sam Huff and Dick Modzelewski. At the time, the most pressing needs of the Giants were help at defensive end where Robustelli had retired; speed in the backfield, and a capable tight end to replace the retired Joe Walton. The answers came at a great cost.
Middle linebacker Sam Huff, a legend in his own time, went to the Redskins for Andy Stynchula and Dick James. The sole criterion for the acquisition of James was the fact that he did everything (run, catch the ball, and return kicks) so well against the Giants. Unfortunately, both Stynchula and James lasted less than two seasons, while Huff went on to star in Washington. It's still possible to recall the impact of the headlines that sent Huff into exile. Aside from the numerous and equally expensive failures of evaluation that seem so much a part of their annual college draft, the one thing that started the Giants on the road to ruin was the dispatch of Huff for nothing.
Then toward the end of camp, the other shoe fell. Dick Modzelewski, the smallish but brutally effective defensive tackle, was dealt to the Browns for Bobby Crespino. Even up; one for one- a straight player trade. The effects on the fortunes of the 1964 Giant defense were devastating.
Suffice it to say, the Giants have never adequately replaced those two. While Mo was appearing in two successive title games with the Browns, and Huff was playing superlatively for the Skins, the Giants were launched on a seemingly endless search for somebody to play middle linebacker and defensive tackle.
The list is long and far from noteworthy; the names are tokens to the futility of these much lamented trades. Some of the easily forgotten MLB candidates included Lou Slaby, Jerry Hillebrand, Tom Costello, Mike Ciccolella, Vince Costello, Henry Davis, Jeff Smith, Ralph Heck and presently Jim Files and Ronnie Hornsby.
Only Vince Costello, Files and Hornsby showed a modicum of Huff's ability, while none of the foregoing had even a trace of number 70's elan. No Giant fan has ever cheered for anyone the way they did for Sam.
The cast of defensive tackles since the days of Rosey and Mo is even less imposing: there was the Davis quartet: Roger, Rosey, Bruce and Don; Jim Garcia, Mike Bundra, Jim Moran, John Contulis, Tony DiMidio, Roger LaLonde, and Lou Slaby (the erstwhile MLB).
Others included Bill Matan, Lou Thompson, McKinley Boston, Doug Chatham, Jim Colvin, Maury Youmans, Henry Davis (Yes, the same Davis who tried the middle and did little); then came Joe Szczecko and Dennis Byrd. Even the ones who did start- Lurtsema, Kancicki and Shay- couldn't have carried Mo's shoes, let alone replace him.
The 1964 season itself was nightmarish. Never before had a team fallen from the championship game to the basement so quickly. Y.A. Title suffered the humiliation of a public beating at the hands of Pittsburgh's John Baker who ran right over a futile block by rookie Lane Howell, and it was from that moment on that the season tumbled out of control.
Gary Wood, an eighth-round draft choice, had replaced Glynn Griffing as the reserve quarterback, and with Tittle finished as a viable force, the once proud Giant offense was led by a rookie from the Ivy League. The results, two wins, ten losses and two ties, were almost predictable.
Two other rookies, Steve Thurlow and Ernie Wheelwright, supplanted Webster and James in the starting backfield, while Slaby tried to make New York forget Mr. Huff. Bob Crespino didn't win a job either, mainly because Aaron Thomas had been on the scene all the while, and the only thing that Stynchula did was to play out his option. At the same time, LoVetere suffered his career ending injury.
As a result, all the Giants had to show for the sorely missed services of Huff, Modzelewski and Grier were a torn knee (LoVetere), a spare tight end (Crespino), a dissatisfied lineman (Stynchula) and a return specialist (James) who had a tendency to fumble every time that he touched the ball. Of course, there were those big yawning holes in the defense that made rival quarterbacks most anxious to visit the Big City.
The legacy of that last place finish in 1964 was the reward of the first pick in the 1965 college draft. In a year that produced selections that included Gale Sayers, Dick Butkus, Joe Namath, Mike Curtis, Jim Nance, Otis Taylor and Fred Biletnikoff, the Giants picked a relatively unknown running back from Auburn. The fans might not have known who he was, but the scouts did, and they rated Tucker Frederickson as a future superstar. However, as fate would have it, Tucker never reached his full potential because of knee injuries, and this year before training camp announced his retirement.
Perhaps the 1965 draft can best be used as an example of the inability of the Giants' scouting system to produce effectively. Even though the Giants had the number one selection in the NFL draft that particular year, the personnel department headed by Jim Lee Howell was spectacularly non-efficient. Aside from Tucker Frederickson, the only 1965 choices still active with the Giants include Spider Lockhart (13) and Willie Williams (8). Chuck Mercein, Ernie Koy and Henry Carr were the only others of that '65 crops who managed to stick with the Giants for any length of time. Needless to say, the Giants are still paying the price for faulty player evaluation.
Prior to the 1965 season and a return to respectability (7-7), the last of the great Giants retired. Gone were Tittle, Gifford, Webster, Stroud, and Robustelli. For most of the preseason, Allie Sherman toyed with the idea of using Gary Wood as his number one quarterback. Fortunately, Allie saw the error of his ways, and two weeks before the season opener, he dealt for Earl Morrall.
Anytime that a team has to make a deal for an established passer, the price is going to be high, and the Morrall transaction was no exception. Darrell Dess and Erich Barnes were sent to Cleveland for Mike Lucci, whom the Giants sent to Detroit for Morrall. Earl more than earned his keep as he established a long-range scoring punch with both Homer Jones and Aaron Thomas that put the Giant offense in gear. Tucker Frederickson was even better than the scouts thought he could be, and in Koy, Mercein and Thurlow, the Giants had the ingredients for a first-class running game that the press immediately styled as the 'Baby Bulls.'
Defensively, however, the team had suffered a telling blow with the loss of Erich Barnes. Although Lockhart was more than adequate, the pressures of playing in tandem with a rookie took its toll on Dick Lynch, and 1965 was the last good season for the former Notre Dame star. The defensive line was still full of holes, and only the rock-like presence of Jim Katcavage kept the Giant defensive rush respectable. The linebacking, with the addition of Jim Carroll and Olen Underwood on the outside, was consistently uninspiring, and the middle was still wide open.
Sherman, rather than put up with Don Chandler's request for part-time privileges with full-time pay, dealt the best two-way kicker in Giant history to Green Bay for next to nothing. As a result, the Giants kicking specialists, in the persons of Bob Timberlake, Andy Stynchula and Chuck Mercein, put the fun back in the extra point try by taking the foot out of football. The whole experience was ghastly, and the Giants are still, to this day, looking for a punter with the ability of Don Chandler.
As the Giants approached the 1966 season, they were dazzled by the brilliance of their sudden return to respectability. It was felt by both fans and management alike that the team was one or two moves away from a return to contention.
Accordingly, Mara, with the agreement of Sherman, set out to lure Pete Gogolak away from the Buffalo Bills, and this move more than any other made a merger inevitable.
The 1966 draft was rightfully directed at getting some big people to fill those aching cavities on both the offensive and defensive line. The choices were Austin Peay and Don Davis. Peay eventually played his way to Green Bay, and Davis ate his way to oblivion. Mike Ciccolella, who had been a future (18) selection in 1965, was deemed the annual heir apparent to Huff's MLB domain, and it was thought that Phil Harris (7th round) from Texas would understudy Jim Patton and that Wendell Harris, obtained from Baltimore for Andy Stynchula, had a shot at the other safety spot.
It's a matter of record that the incipient optimism of 1966 was buried under the weight of 501 points which the new-look Giant defense gave up. Those holes had turned into veritable canyons of disaster. In fact, the once proud unit gave up more cumulative points (273) in second-half play than the Giants scored all year. In a word, it was awful.
Once again, the reward for such a case of shell-shock (1 win, 12 losses, 1 tie), as evidenced by the inept 1966 performance, was, of course, another top spot in the coming draft. Unfortunately, it was also an expansion year, and the first pick went to New Orleans. But as things turned out it didn't matter that the Giants were forced to pick behind the Saints.
It was the feeling of the Giant management that the team couldn't afford the time that it takes to build through the draft. Two factors influenced Mara's decision to deal for Fran Tarkenton. One was the parity of the Jets under the command of the spectacular Joe Namath, and the other was the desperate need for a quarterback. Allie Sherman had given up on Morrall, and neither Tom Kennedy nor Gary Wood was equal to the task.
As any Giant fan can tell you, Tarkenton did not come cheaply. The price was, to say the least, exorbitant, but a man who is drowning (12 defeats, 501 points allowed) will do anything to survive. Mara and Sherman, as was their wont, gave up the future for the present. Tarkenton came East for a pair of number one choices as well a number two pick. The offense had been strengthened, but the defense had been left to wither away.
Had the Giants waited and had gone with Morrall for a couple more seasons (he was traded the following season and subsequently led the Colts in two Super Bowl appearances), the team would surely have been better off, but then again, who's to say how well they would have used those premium picks that went to the Vikings?
Speaking from the vantage point of perfect hindsight, it's interesting to conjure visions of what might have been. In 1967 the Giants had the second overall pick, as well as the same position in the second round.
The 1968 draft was even better, because the Giants had received the first pick of the entire draft as part of the merger deal, and this was in addition to their normal first-round pick.
The following list of names, in light of the eventual return of Tarkenton to the Vikings, is worse than physical torture for the Giant fan who remembers what was available. That first combined draft had the following people: Bob Griese, Floyd Little, George Webster, Jim Lynch, Willie Lanier, Alan Page, Rick Volk and Lem Barney.
If that isn't bad enough, the 1968 graduation class included the likes of Claude Humphrey, Marvin Upshaw, Curley Culp, Fred Carr, Greg Landry, Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick.
The Giants could have picked any three of the above players- if they had kept Morrall instead of making the deal for Tarkenton. Since a team wins with defense (of which the Giants had very little), the next five years were a wild and exciting scramble to nothing more than .500 football.
Those two drafts for '67 and '68 represented the high-water mark of Mara's complicated gamble with the future of the team as represented in his much opposed strategy of building through trades rather than through the draft.
Instead of the quality that might have been obtained, the results of the two drafts were negligible. The only member of the current Giant roster who was acquired in the 1967 draft was Scott Eaton, who was obtained in the eighth round. Mara and Sherman dealt away five of the first seven choices, and only Dave Lewis (fifth round) made it in the NFL.
Significantly, though, Lewis wasn't good enough to punt for the Giants, but he's been more than adequate for the Bengals for whom he's led the AFC the past two years.
The 1968 story is no better. As a result of management's trading four of the first six choices, only Bob Duhon has managed to remain with the Giants.
Both the 1967 and 1968 seasons were adequate in that the team didn't lose more games than they won. Tarkenton was outstanding as he threw 50 touchdowns in the course of the two seasons, and was the chief reason why the Giants had won back the mantle of respectability.
However, the defense was a poor relative, starving because of the lack of new talent that should have come from the drafting table but didn't because of all those trades that fed the offense.
It was Sherman who paid the price for that neglect. Allie, who had directed the Giants to three straight Eastern championships at the beginning of his term of office, ended his Mara stewardship with two successive 7-7 years. After getting off to a quick 7-3 start, Sherman's forces folded in the stretch of the 1968 season that ended with four weeks of defeat.
When the Giants continued to lose through the 1969 preseason (five straight, including a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Jets), Mara had to make a move. In one of his most difficult decisions as an owner and a fan, Wellington Mara fired Allie Sherman as head coach and hired the affable Alex Webster in his place.
Nearly everyone connected with the team applauded the change, and even the Good-Bye Allie Choir was placated by the choice of Webster. The players went out and upset the Vikings (a team that was headed to the Super Bowl) to give Webster a win in his debut. Tarkenton was even better than before, and the Giants' number one pick, Fred Dryer, was outstanding, but the early momentum brought on by the coaching change wasn't enough to sustain a season long effort. Even so, the Giants closed out Big Red's first year as boss with three strong wins over the Cardinals, the Steelers and the division champion Browns. Once again, optimism was the style for the Giants' next step to contention.
Both players and management approached the 1970 season with rising aspirations, and with this in mind, Mara and Webster reached the decision to trade Homer Jones. If you remember, Jones, next to Tarkenton, was the biggest name the Giants had.
In 1967 and 1968, Homer caught 20 touchdowns and totaled a thousand yards in receiving for both seasons. However, his production took a large dip in 1969, and the Giants felt that a man who caught just one touchdown pass could be reasonably be deemed as expendable.
Another factor was Homer's inability to conform to coaching instructions, especially in regard to the running of patterns. It will come as no surprise that New York's continuing need was the still missing defensive tackle as well as a running back who could deliver the promise of Tucker Frederickson that had been blunted by knee trouble.
Mara took a page out of the Giants' championship years by stealing Ron Johnson and Jim Kanicki in exchange for Homer Jones. At first, though, the Giants almost did it again. Originally, Kanicki was the big name in the trade as far as the Giants were concerned, and Johnson and the since-gone Wayne Meylan were thought of as throw-ins. In fact, the Giants virtually ignored Johnson in the first weeks of the strike-shortened camp, with the result that the newly acquired running back was close to laying it on the line- 'either play me or let me go.' Fortunately, Fran Tarkenton spoke up for Johnson and told Webster about the newcomer's feelings. It was a good thing that he did so.
Ron Johnson moved the Giant offense like no other runner in the history of the team. The former Michigan star and number one pick of the Browns in 1969 gained over 1,000 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. Tarkenton, given the benefit of a strong attack for the first time since coming to the Giants, responded in kind by having his best season in New York. Despite some periodic defensive lapses, the Giants had their first winning season since the halcyon days of 1963.
Besides the acquisition of Kanicki and Johnson, Mara also traded for Clifton McNeil, and with the benefit of a good defensive draft, it was felt the Giants were firmly planted on the path to sure improvement. Their recent draft choices prior to the '71 meeting had been directed at defense, and Dryer, Files and Hornsby were quality athletes. The team was more than respectable; it was a winner.
Or so it seemed. Alas, it was all a mirage. The Giants were not a 9 and 5 team, and they proved it as the promise of 1970 dissolved into the reality of 1971.
Last season was a ten-point program that can be best described as a study in futility that his herewith presented, item by item:
(1) The Giants' 1970 schedule was the easiest in football while 1971's opposition was much tougher; (2) Mara, Jim Lee Howell and Jim Trimble made a horrible mistake in selecting Rocky Thompson as the team's first-round choice; (3) management and players alike were overconfident and opted for an easier camp that featured more conflicts than contact; (4) management didn't pay Tarkenton enough; (5) ditto the same in regard to Johnson's contract; (6) those two mistakes plus the Shiner mess ruined the cohesiveness of the training camp; (7) the failure to properly diagnose the seriousness of Johnson's thigh injury; (8) the installation of too many offensive gimmicks, including a complicated system of rule blocking; (9) Webster's inability to delegate authority and still maintain control over his subordinates; (10) the ill-fated return to the policy of bartering the future as represented by the trading of high draft picks for Bob Hyland, Bennie McRae and Roland Lakes.
The results of the above mismanagement were reflected in the final standings that saw the Giants tumble out of contention to the tune of a 4-10 relapse. But, because of the Hyland-McRae trade, they didn't have the comfort of an early selection in the 1972 draft. In fact, they had lost the opportunity to pick the third best player in the country. In the space of five years, the team had come full circle.
Once again it was time for a change, and the remedy came in the form of another Tarkenton trade. Francis went back to whence he came, and in exchange for their original quarterback, the Vikings gave up Norm Snead, Bob Grim, a number one choice (Larry Jacobsen) and Vince Clements, an untried rookie running back with a bad knee. As if Johnson and Frederickson didn't give the Giants enough of that particular medical variety.
Also dispatched from the scene was Fred Dryer who had been openly critical of Mara's management of the team. In return for Dryer, the Giants received the Patriots' number one choice and used it to select Eldridge Small, whom the Giant scouts thought was capable of playing defense.
Small subsequently told Webster and his staff that he had never played defense except for his brief appearance in the Senior Bowl. Thus Webster immediately switched Small's name to the offensive depth chart as a receiver.
As a result, the Giants have quality of receiving in the collective personages of Don Herrmann, Bob Grim, Eldridge Small, Bob Tucker and Coleman Zeno, but it remains to be seen whether Randy Johnson or Snead are capable of throwing to them with any kind of consistent accuracy. Of course, the return to form of Ron Johnson will make it easier on the New York offense in that he can do so many things well.
Defensively, the potential of Jacobsen is questionable, especially in the light of Giant projections to play him out of position as the defensive end who's penciled in as Dryer's replacement, while the rest of the defensive line is lacking in quality performers.
Perhaps defensive coach Jim Garrett can have them make up in hustle what they lack in talent. The linebacking is of good quality, and the secondary is adequate, but the loss of Dryer takes away the team's best quarterback hunter, and the resultant lack of a pass rush will haunt the team all year long.
With the trading of Tarkenton and Dryer for draft choices, Mara has completely reversed his previous strategy, but it has come too late. It will take some time before the Giants see the light of contention, and by that time, they will most likely be known as the Hackensack Giants.
Finally, the Giant fan is left alone to contemplate what it might have been like if Mara had turned to the draft five years ago. With these premium picks that were surrendered for Tarkenton, they could have taken Alan Page, Bob Griese and Willie Lanier.
It would make the coming move all the more palatable."
-Frank Ross, Football Digest, September 1972
1972 New York Giants Team Photo
Pete Athas
Tom Blanchard
Otto Brown
Carter Campbell
Vince Clements
Chuck Crist
John Douglas
Bobby Duhon
John Dziegiel (trainer)
Scott Eaton
Mark Ellison
Dick Enderle
Charlie Evans
Jim Files
Richmond Flowers
Jim Garrett (coach)
Tom Gatewood
Pete Gogolak
Dan Goich
Jack Gregory
Bob Grim
Charlie Harper
Matt Hazeltine (coach)
Don Herrmann
John Hill
Julie Horai (trainer)
Ron Hornsby
Rich Houston
Pat Hughes
Bob Hyland
Larry Jacobsen
John Johnson (trainer)
Randy Johnson
Ron Johnson
Jim Kanicki
Jim Katcavage (coach)
Dick Kotite
Greg Larson
Carl Lockhart
Wellington Mara (president)
John Mendenhall
Sid Moret (assistant trainer)
Joe Morrison
Tommy Moziek
Joe Orduna
Henry Reed
Eddie Richardson
Eldridge Small
Norm Snead
Joe Taffoni
Rocky Thompson
Dave Tipton
Bob Tucker
Emlen Tunnell (coach)
Doug Van Horn
Joe Walton (coach)
Wayne Walton
Alex Webster (head coach)
Ray Wietecha (coach)
Willie Williams
Willie Young
