The1979 New York Giants seasonwas thefranchise's 55th seasonin theNational Football League(NFL). TheGiantshad a 6–10 record in 1979 and finished in fourth place in theNational Football Conference East Division.[1]
| 1979New York Giantsseason | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Timothy J. Mara Wellington Mara |
| General manager | George Young |
| Head coach | Ray Perkins |
| Home field | Giants Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–10 |
| Division place | 4thNFC East |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | Brad Van Pelt Harry Carson Dave Jennings |
The Giants were one of three franchises, not including theSeattle Seahawks(anexpansion teamthat began play in 1976), which did not make the playoffs during any year of the 1970s. The others were theNew York JetsandNew Orleans Saints.[2]
Offseason
editBefore the 1979 NFL Draft,Bill Walsh,who was the new coach of theSan Francisco 49ers,flew toMorehead State Universitywith assistant coachSam Wycheto work outquarterbackPhil Simms.[3]Walsh was so impressed with him that he planned to draft Simms, actually preferring him over another young quarterback they scouted and ultimately drafted,Joe Montana.[4]The Giants, however, decided to make Simms their first-round pick to the surprise of many.[5]As Simms acknowledged, "most people have never heard of me."[5]When Simms' name was announced by CommissionerPete Rozelle,his selection was booed loudly by Giants fans.[6]However, he became more popular with his teammates, who jokingly dubbed him "Prince Valiant"in his rookie training camp.[7]
Draft
edit| 1979 New York Giants draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Phil Simms* | QB | Morehead State | |
| 2 | 36 | Earnest Gray | WR | Memphis | |
| 4 | 90 | Phillip Tabor | DE | Oklahoma | |
| 5 | 117 | Cleveland Jackson | TE | UNLV | |
| 6 | 145 | Bob Torrey | RB | Penn State | |
| 6 | 158 | Eddie Hicks | RB | East Carolina | |
| 7 | 172 | Steve Alvers | TE | Miami (FL) | |
| 8 | 200 | D.K. Perry | DB | SMU | |
| 8 | 201 | Roy Simmons | OG | Georgia Tech | |
| 9 | 227 | Tom Rusk | LB | Iowa | |
| 10 | 256 | Dan Fowler | OG | Kentucky | |
| 11 | 282 | Mike Mince | DB | Fresno State | |
| 11 | 284 | Ken Johnson | RB | Miami (FL) | |
| 12 | 310 | Tim Gillespie | OG | NC State | |
| Made roster†Pro Football Hall of Fame*Made at least onePro Bowlduring career | |||||
Personnel
editStaff
edit|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
|
Roster
edit| Quarterbacks(QB)
Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) |
Offensive linemen(OL)
|
Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB)
|
Reserve
|
Regular season
editSimms won his first four starts in his rookie year.[9]He led the team to a 6–4 record as a starter, throwing for 1,743 yards and 13touchdownpasses,and was named to the NFL All Rookie Team.[10]According to his1981Toppstrading card,he was runner-up in 1979 forRookie of the Year,losing out to future teammateOttis Anderson.[11]
Schedule
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 2 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | L17–23 | 0–1 | 67,366 |
| 2 | September 9 | St. Louis Cardinals | L14–27 | 0–2 | 71,370 |
| 3 | September 17 | atWashington Redskins | L0–27 | 0–3 | 54,672 |
| 4 | September 23 | Philadelphia Eagles | L13–17 | 0–4 | 74,265 |
| 5 | September 30 | atNew Orleans Saints | L14–24 | 0–5 | 51,543 |
| 6 | October 7 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W17–14 | 1–5 | 72,841 |
| 7 | October 14 | San Francisco 49ers | W32–16 | 2–5 | 70,352 |
| 8 | October 21 | atKansas City Chiefs | W21–17 | 3–5 | 44,362 |
| 9 | October 28 | atLos Angeles Rams | W20–14 | 4–5 | 43,376 |
| 10 | November 4 | Dallas Cowboys | L14–16 | 4–6 | 76,490 |
| 11 | November 11 | Atlanta Falcons | W24–3 | 5–6 | 60,860 |
| 12 | November 18 | atTampa Bay Buccaneers | L3–31 | 5–7 | 70,261 |
| 13 | November 25 | Washington Redskins | W14–6 | 6–7 | 72,641 |
| 14 | December 2 | atDallas Cowboys | L7–28 | 6–8 | 63,787 |
| 15 | December 9 | atSt. Louis Cardinals | L20–29 | 6–9 | 39,802 |
| 16 | December 16 | Baltimore Colts | L7–31 | 6–10 | 58,711 |
Note:Intra-division opponents are inboldtext.
Game summaries
editWeek 6
edit
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Standings
edit| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Dallas Cowboys(1) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 10–2 | 371 | 313 | W3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles(4) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 339 | 282 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 348 | 295 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 1–7 | 5–9 | 237 | 323 | L3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–6 | 4–8 | 307 | 358 | L1 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"1979 New York Giants".Pro Football Reference.Archivedfrom the original on July 8, 2009.RetrievedJune 25,2022.
- ^2000 National Football League Record & Fact Book.New York City:Workman Publishing Company.2000. pp.293–295.ISBN0-7611-1982-5.
- ^Simms, Phil and Meier, Rick.Phil Simms On Passing.New York City:William Morrow and Company,1998. pp. 74–75.ISBN0-688-16108-1.
- ^King, Peter (August 27, 2001)."The Rating Game: NFL Quarterback".Sports Illustrated.RetrievedSeptember 26,2016.
- ^abKatz, Michael (May 5, 1979)."Giants Defend 'Value' in Choice of Simms".The New York Times.RetrievedJanuary 31,2018.
- ^Mooney, Roger. "No team takes Phil Simms first in today's NFL",The Bradenton Herald,April 22, 2007, p. 1D.
- ^Katz, Michael (May 11, 1979)."Giants Test Simms in A Workout".The New York Times.RetrievedJanuary 31,2018.
- ^"1979 New York Giants Draft".The Football Database.RetrievedAugust 7,2015.
- ^Smith, Michael David (November 17, 2020)."Tua Tagovailoa aims to be first rookie QB since Ben Roethlisberger to win first 4 starts".NBC Sports.RetrievedNovember 23,2020.
- ^Neft, David S., Cohen, Richard M., and Korch, Rick.The Complete History of Professional Football from 1892 to the Present.New York City:St. Martin's Press,1994. p. 660.ISBN0-312-11435-4.
- ^Topps Football (1981).Card #55.
- ^"Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14 at New York Giants 17".Pro Football Reference.RetrievedOctober 18,2013.
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