"Bill Arsparger, possibly the most celebrated assistant coach in football, came to New York last season to save the Giants. It must be remembered that he left a cushy job as Don Shula's 'assistant head coach' in Miami.
Hence, the Giants had to come up with big numbers to lure Arnsparger away. They did. And he gave them a 2-12 season.
There were, however, extenuating circumstances. First of all, a lot of the players Bill found on the roster couldn't play. Those who could, for the most part, didn't know how to, since youth is served with strength and endurance, not always with intelligence.
Also, the team called Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut home. This year, they'll share New York's Shea Stadium with the Jets (and the Yankees and the Mets) until their Dream-In-The-Jersey-Swamp is finished in 1976, or 1986, or whenever.
So Arnsparger came in, studied the 2-11-1 Giants of 1973 and set in motion plans that would result in 25 new faces by opening day. This, indeed, is the crux of whatever hopes the Giants may be harboring. They are young. They are tied to their failure, which may be the only way to tie them to success.
Finally, the Giants played a number of magnificent 59-minute games. Sadly, they stopped a minute too soon, since such losses as 20-19 to Detroit, 23-21 to St. Louis, 16-13 to Chicago and a 26-20 overtime affair with the Jets all took place as the clock counted down.
Offensively, there are enough functional pieces if only Arnsparger can put them together. Craig Morton has escaped the WFL trap he set for himself and will remain the quarterback. This is of no small importance, since Morton is better than average and none of his backups can ever be considered close to that.
To run the ball there is Ron Johnson who can (and has) achieved plus-1000 yard seasons when neither injured nor insulted; Joe Dawkins, a workhorse obtained in a trade last year from Denver who wound up as leading rusher and receiver; three kids who were impressive as rookies in Doug Kotar, Leon McQuay and Steve Crosby; plus journeymen Mickey Zofko and Larry Watkins.
To catch the ball ... well, the Giants are overmanned. Bob Grim, Walker Gillette and Bob Tucker (he's the tight end) will start, but what then of such as Don Herrmann and a high-choice rookie, Danny Buggs of West Virginia? It is said that Buggs can run faster than a bullet, leap tall buildings ... oh, you already know that story.
Providing protection and holes are such as John Hicks and Tom Mullen, the impossibly good rookie guards of a year ago; Bob Hyland, the center; and Doug Van Horn, the tackle. Van Horn is the right tackle, and unless Arnsparger is wrong (he never is; ask him) the left tackle will be top draft choice Allen (Big Al) Simpson, a 6-5, 265-pounder from Colorado State.
Some depth exists here with guard Dick Enderle, tackle John Hill, erstwhile starting tackle Willie Young and center Karl Chandler.
Defense is not as deep, nor as good, but still promising. Tackle John Mendenhall is an All-Pro. End Jack Gregory was. The other end is Roy Hilton, a veteran. The other tackle? Ah, there's the rub. It's Jim Pietrzak or George Hasenohrl or Gary Pettigrew. None is recommended by Parents Magazine.
Brian Kelley has replaced Ron Hornsby as middle linebacker, and he's flanked by Pat Hughes on the left and Brad Van Pelt on the right. Kelley played the best of this group, and there is some competition coming from Hornsby, Rick Dvorak, Andy Selfridge, former WFLer Bob Schmit and rookie John Tate of Jackson State, said to be an unpolished hitter.
The secondary is medium-rare. Pete Athas and Henry Stuckey (acquired from Miami) should be the corners, with Spider Lockhart at free safety (if only because he's always been there) and Clyde Powers the strong-side safety. Bobby Brooks and Jim Stienke want corner jobs, while rookie Bob Giblin will fight for Lockhart's seat on the airplane.
The punting is handled capably by Dave Jennings, but Pete Gogolak was deficient as a field goal man and may face a challenge from free agent pickup (via New England) Jeff White."
-Dave Klein, Pro Football 1975
OFFENSE
"Quarterbacks: Now that Morton is free of the WFL clutches, he's the starter, no matter what. Young Carl Summerell isn't much.
Performance Quotient: 3 [1 through 5, 1 being best]
Running Backs: Johnson can be one of the NFC's best if healthy and happy. Last year he was neither. Dawkins runs hard, if without guile, and is valuable for short gains and as a receiver. He isn't the ideal fullback, however. Kotar was the surprise of the season, an unknown free agent who showed speed, strength and running savvy. McQuay has blinding speed, Zofko is a special teams ace and Watkins, from Buffalo, could prove useful.
Performance Quotient: 3
Receivers: This is a muddled situation. Of the six players, five can start. Gillette and Grim wound up as last year's starters, Gillette because Herrmann was hurt. Buggs has big things in his future, say the scouts. Tucker, a classy tight end who could use more speed, is irreplaceable. The best young Jim Obradovich can hope for is a bright future.
Performance Quotient: 3
Interior Linemen: Rookie Simpson is almost certain to fit in at left tackle, teaming with Van Horn and sending veteran Young to the bench or worse. Hicks was a Rookie of the Year and Mullen a close second; the guards are set for a long time. Hyland has to stay free of injuries to at last realize his potential after eight years in the league. Hill can start at tackle if Simpson fails and Enderle lends experience. Chandler has vast potential and could push Hyland if the veteran stumbles. If Chandler and Simpson both win starting jobs, the line will average only 24.6 years of age.
Performance Quotient: 2
Kickers: Jennings is fine, save for an occasional slice or shank. Gogolak slipped badly in field-goaling and kicking off, and faces his first real job challenge from White.
Performance Quotient: 3"
-Dave Klein, Pro Football 1975
DEFENSE
"Front Linemen: If Mendenhall had some help, he'd be a legend. The one who should have helped, Gregory, didn't. He held out last year, showed up fat and had a poor season. Hilton won't make mistakes- or brilliant plays, Pietrzak is young and strong and seems in line for a job. But behind these starters is nothing to get excited about. Pettigrew helped some, Hasenohrl less.
Performance Quotient: 3
Linebackers: This unit is filled with potential. Kelley came a long way last year and put the veteran Hornsby on the bench. Van Pelt showed some flashes of the talent everybody thought he had and Hughes attained some consistency. Hornsby is still the hardest hitter of the lot but he makes mistakes on pass coverage. Dvorak had a nervous rookie year and Selfridge was a competent journeyman, valuable on special teams. Schmit comes from the WFL with an excellent reputation. Tate, an eighth-rounder, could surprise.
Performance Quotient: 3
Cornerbacks: Athas has the arrogance to succeed, usually does and wants to play free safety. Steinke finished last year as a starter, but Stuckey will take his job. Brooks was a promising rookie and can get much better. Any weakness comes potential shuffling.
Performance Quotient: 3
Safeties: Powers came on strong, impressing Coach Arnsparger. Lockhart may be losing something, but he's still a factor. Fourth-rounder Giblin has enormous possibilities.
Performance Quotient: 3"
-Dave Klein, Pro Football 1975
"If the Houston Oilers could rebound from two 1-13 seasons to last year's respectable 7-7 showing, then why can't the New York Giants bounce back after a pair of 2-12 debacles?
Well, for one thing, he Giants may not have hit rock bottom yet. But Bill Arnsparger, the former Don Shula aide who became Giant head coach last season, thinks his team has reached the bottom rung and has no way to go but up.
One thing Arnsparger didn't accomplish last year was to improve team morale. Of course, 12 defeats- three of them in a row coming in the closing seconds- isn't exactly a morale booster.
The Giants do appear to be doing something about their defense, which was last in the NFC and 24th in the league overall, beating only the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers. Arnsparger used a fifth round draft pick to get a man he is well acquainted with- cornerback Henry Stuckey, who saw action in 14 games for the Miami Dolphins. It was Arnsparger, you'll no doubt recall, who was credited with running the Dolphin defense during the time Miami won two Super Bowl titles. It is expected that Stuckey will become a starter for the Giants, knocking either Pete Athas or Eldridge Small down to a reserve's role.
The Giants also drafted three defensive backs, with 6-2 Robert Giblin from Houston leading the trio. Spider Lockhart at free safety and Chuck Crist and second-year man Clyde Powers round out the secondary.
Ex-Grambling player John Mendenhall, who starts his fourth year in 1975, is considered the keystone of the Giant defense. Mendenhall, however, was openly critical of the Giant organization last year and at one point asked to be traded. As the team heads into training camp, it appears that Mendenhall will continue to anchor the defensive front four from his right tackle spot.
Others in the defensive line are ends Roy Hilton and Jack Gregory and tackle Larry Jacobson. A pair of second-year men, Jim Pietrzak and George Hasenohrl, could help the defensive line considerably.
If Brad Van Pelt remains healthy, linebacking will not be as much of a problem for Arnsparger and his staff. Ron Hornsby and Pat Hughes are expected to be the other starting linebackers. The Giants are hoping for considerable help from draftees John Tate and Terry McClowry.
The acquisition of Craig Morton from the Cowboys in mid-season last year may have one of the smartest things the Giants have done in a long while. Although he didn't prove an instant panacea, the Giants did score 127 points in their final seven games with Morton at the helm, compared to 68 in the first seven under Norm Snead and you-name-it.
The running game, at least on paper, would seem fairly sound with the likes of Ron Johnson, Leon McQuay and Joe Dawkins. But Johnson's unhappiness with the organization doesn't show on paper and could lead to problems. Dawkins, obtained from Denver before the season got underway, finished as the Giants' top rusher with 561 yards.
Definitely in the Giants' favor is the Giants' offensive line with guards Tom Mullen and John Hicks having fine seasons in 1974 as rookies and expected to get better with each 1975 game. Bob Hyland will center and the offensive tackles are John Hill and Doug Van Horn. The team's first draft pick was offensive lineman Allen Simpson, 6-5 and 265, who starred at Colorado State.
The pass-catching corps should be helped by draftee Danny Buggs, a 6-3 West Virginia product with a 9.5 clocking in the 100 and 48.3 in an indoor 440 event.
Draftee Jim O'Bradovich from Southern California is also expected to help both Bob Tucker and Chip Glass at tight end. He caught the deciding touchdown for USC in the 1975 Rose Bowl.
Veterans Don Herrmann and Bob Grim will go into camp as the starting wide receivers but Grim could be pressed by second-year man Ray Rhodes.
Dave Jennings averaged 39.8 yards as a rookie punter and returns for 1975. Draftee Ricky Townsend from Tennessee, a two-time All-American pick by the Football Writers Association of America, could challenge the veteran Pete Gogolak as the field goal specialist.
It all adds up to a chance for improvement, but even if the Giants triple their victories to six in 1975, they appear destined for the cellar once more in the NFC East."
-Ben Thomas, Gridiron News 1975 Pro Yearbook
"Despite a new coach, a good draft and some solid mid-season trades, the Giants managed to win but two games last year. Some last-second losses made the horrendous season all the more bitter and resulted in some locker room squabbling that apparently still has not been fully resolved. Several of the better players (Mendenhall, Gregory, Johnson, etc.) have openly asked Coach Bill Arnsparger to trade them away.
In any event, the Giants' defense showed no improvement under Arsparger who is considered a defensive genius. If anything, it got worse, allowing 299 points, tops in the NFC. The secondary was pitiful, allowing 22 touchdown passes, also tops in the NFC, so a major reshuffling of personnel is mandatory. Ex-Dolphin Henry Stuckey takes over at the right corner with Bobby Brooks, Eldridge Small and Pete Athas competing for the other slot. Carl Lockhart plays weak safety but newcomer Robert Gibliln of Houston, a super athlete, could take charge at strong safety over Clyde Powers and Chuck Crist.
Pat Hughes is solid at one outside linebacker post but Brad Van Pelt faces a challenge from Henry Reed, Andy Selfridge and young John Tate of Jackson State, a fierce hitter. Brian Kelley and Ron Hornsby again battle for the middle job.
All-Pro John Mendenhall is the heart and soul of New York's defense and wages a single-handed battle at tackle against rival runners. Jack Gregory, Roy Hilton, Larry Jacobson, Gary Pettigrew and Jim Pietrzak round out the front wall contingent which leaves plenty of room for improvement. At least one more quality performer is needed here of the Giants expect to claw their way back to respectability.
Craig Morton, a fine passer and field general, insures quality quarterbacking but he'll have to go the route since Jim DelGazio and Carl Summerell remain unproven commodities. Walker Gillette, Bob Grim and Don Herrmann could be pushed by two speedy newcomers, All-American Danny Buggs and 6'4" Mike Mahoney of Richmond whom scouts rated highly. The emphasis on outside speed allows Morton to open up the aerial game which had been keyed to the backs and to tight end Bob Tucker who is joined this season by Jim Obradovich of USC.
Joe Dawkins proved an invaluable addition, pacing the Giants in both rushing (561 yards) and pass receptions (46) as well as showing great blocking ability at fullback where Larry Watkins will also be on hand. Young Doug Kotar and flashy Leon McQuay pack breakaway speed and may alternate at tailback if Ron Johnson gets his wish and is traded away.
The interior line has Doug Van Horn and the No. 1 draft pick, Al Simpson of Colorado State, at tackles, Bob Hyland at center, and the two outstanding '74 rookies, Tom Mullen and John Hicks, at guards. Dick Enderle, Willie Young, Karl Chandler and versatile John Hill are key reserves.
Dave Jennings did a fine job as a rookie punter in '74 but place kicker Pete Gogolak may be displaced by Ricky Townsend of Tennessee.
Having Morton available for a full season plus enjoying the easiest overall schedule of any team in the NFL should result in an improved won-loss record. Arnsparger is expected to make further changes, particularly for defensive players, so this may be another rebuilding year for New York."
-Jim Stewart, Pro Football Illustrated 1975
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