2007 New York Giants season

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2007 New York Giants season
OwnerJohn Mara
Steve Tisch
General managerJerry Reese
Head coachTom Coughlin
Offensive coordinatorKevin Gilbride
Defensive coordinatorSteve Spagnuolo
Home fieldGiants Stadium
Results
Record10–6
Division place2nd NFC East
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(at Buccaneers) 24–14
Won Divisional Playoffs
(at Cowboys) 21–17
Won NFC Championship
(at Packers) 23–20 (OT)
Won Super Bowl XLII
(vs. Patriots) 17–14
Pro BowlersDE Osi Umenyiora
Uniform

The 2007 season was the New York Giants' 83rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 32nd playing their home games at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and their fourth under head coach Tom Coughlin.

The Giants finished the regular season 10–6 and in second place in the NFC East, improving upon their 8–8 record in 2006 in which they finished third in their division.[1] They qualified for the playoffs as a wild-card team as the #5 seed, and beat the #4 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24–14. Next, they defeated the top-seeded Dallas Cowboys 21–17 and the #2 seed Green Bay Packers 23–20 (both of whom they had lost to in their first two games of the season by ten points or more) to become the National Football Conference (NFC) representative in Super Bowl XLII.[2] There, they defeated the heavily favored and previously undefeated 18–0 New England Patriots 17–14 and spoiled their perfect season, aided by the famous Manning to Tyree Helmet Catch.[3][4][5]

The 2007 New York Giants became the 9th wild card team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl and the 5th wild card team to win the Super Bowl, and the very first NFC wild card to accomplish the feat. They were the third team in history to win three road playoff games en route to a Super Bowl and set a league record for most consecutive road wins in a single season (11), though the Super Bowl is played on a neutral field rather than an opponent's stadium.[6] It was the 7th league championship season for the New York Giants and their first since they won Super Bowl XXV in 1990. This season would also mark the end of defensive end Michael Strahan's NFL career as he retired following the Giants' Super Bowl victory.

2007 marked the third consecutive season that the Giants made the playoffs, which was only the second time that had happened since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. Tom Coughlin joined Bill Parcells, Steve Owen, and Allie Sherman as the only head coaches in the history of the team to lead the Giants to the postseason three consecutive years.

The Giants season is widely regarded as one of the greatest

cinderella stories in professional sports history, not only did they beat one of the greatest teams of all time in the undefeated Patriots, they did so as a wild-card team that had to win three playoff games on the road to get to Super Bowl XLII, and after looking very mediocre at times during the regular season.[7][8][9][10][11] In fact, based on regular-season performance, the 2007 New York Giants were the worst team to ever reach a Super Bowl,[12] a curiosity later surpassed when the 2011 New York Giants won Super Bowl XLVI to become the first team with a negative point differential to win a Super Bowl.[13] NFL Films named the 2007 Giants as the 53rd greatest team of all time in their countdown of the top 100 teams in football history.[14]

Offseason

Expectations

After their poor finish to the 2006 season, where the Giants lost 7 of their last 9 games after a 6–2 start (albeit achieving a playoff berth in the last week of the season), expectations for the Giants were generally low. Many pundits began to consider Eli Manning as a potential draft bust, especially when considering fellow 2004 draft pick Ben Roethlisberger's Super Bowl run in 2005 and Philip Rivers leading his team, the Chargers, to a 14–2 regular season in 2006; making matters worse, older brother Peyton Manning, who Eli was often compared unfavorably to, had led the Colts to the Super Bowl victory that same year and won the MVP of the game. At the same time, head coach Tom Coughlin came under intense criticism due to his fiery coaching style and strict team rules, and many (including fans) believed that he deserved to be fired after the team's collapse in the second half of the season. In particular, they noted the team's lack of discipline and unity down the stretch and considered these actions a reflection of Coughlin's coaching. Finally Tiki Barber, the Giants's all-time leading rusher and the catalyst for much of their success the previous two seasons, retired at just 31 years of age to enter a broadcasting career.

The Giants decided to give Tom Coughlin one more chance heading into the 2007 season, giving him a one-year contract extension. This essentially indicated that he needed to get the Giants into the postseason in order to receive a long-term contract extension. After his family demonstrated concern over his on-field persona and his apparent anger towards his players, Coughlin decided to undergo a personality change heading into the season. While his strict team rules (most notoriously, his five-minute early rule for a team meeting) remained in place, he became less angry and more encouraging towards his players, and the players took note of his change. Coughlin also set up a leadership committee with Eli Manning and other team captains in order to relate to his players better.

The Giants also entered the season with two new coordinators. Coughlin promoted quarterbacks coach Kevin Gilbride to offensive coordinator, a position he would hold until his retirement after the 2013 season. He also fired defensive coordinator Tim Lewis and replaced him with Steve Spagnuolo, who would have a crucial impact on the Giants's 4-3 defense.

Defensive end Michael Strahan held out for the entirety of training camp. Having previously been disillusioned with Tom Coughlin's coaching methods, he spent the offseason debating whether or not he would come back for the season, and decided that since he had already played for 14 seasons, he wouldn't have needed the training camp anyway. He eventually returned to the team mere weeks before the season started. Despite his training camp holdout and a hefty fine for not attending the camp, he was still elected as a team captain.

Expectations, however, were still low as few predicted that the Giants would make the playoffs. Perception grew worse as Tiki Barber, now an analyst for NBC, began attacking his former team, particularly Tom Coughlin and especially Eli Manning. Barber attacked Manning not only as a non-productive quarterback, but declared that his leadership skills were "almost comical." When asked about Barber's comments, Manning noted that he didn't have to take the comments seriously, considering that Barber announced his intentions to leave the team in the middle of the previous season.

[15] [16] [17]

Giants free agents heading into the 2007 season

Players whose contracts expire become

unrestricted free agents
(UFA), or exclusive-rights free agents (ERFA). Players listed in green were retained by the team, while those in red were signed by another franchise. Restricted free agents are indicated by the round in which the player was originally drafted, as this determines qualifying offers and compensation.

Position Player Free agency
tag
Date signed 2007 team
Offensive guard
Lewis Kelly UFA (none)
Center
Ryan Kuehl UFA February 27 New York Giants
Center Shaun O'Hara UFA March 1 New York Giants
Center Grey Ruegamer UFA New York Giants
Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe UFA March 4 Minnesota Vikings
Outside linebacker Brandon Short UFA (none)
Outside linebacker Reggie Torbor RFA (4) May 3 New York Giants
Cornerback Frank Walker UFA March 13 Green Bay Packers
Running back Derrick Ward RFA (7) March 1 New York Giants
Safety
Gibril Wilson RFA (2) May 3 New York Giants[18]

Draft Class

2007 New York Giants draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 20 Aaron Ross  Cornerback Texas
2 51 Steve Smith *  Wide receiver USC
3 81 Jay Alford  Defensive tackle Penn State
4 116 Zak DeOssie * 
Outside linebacker
Brown
5 153 Kevin Boss  Tight end
Western Oregon
6 189 Adam Koets 
Offensive tackle
Oregon State
7 224 Michael Johnson 
Safety
Arizona
7 250 Ahmad Bradshaw  Running back Marshall
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

NOTES:

The Giants were awarded an additional seventh-round pick (#250 overall) as a
compensatory selection
.

Training camp photos

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 11 Carolina Panthers L 21–24 0–1 Giants Stadium Recap
2 August 19 Baltimore Ravens W 13–12 1–1 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
3 August 25 New York Jets L 12–20 1–2 Giants Stadium Recap
4 August 30 at New England Patriots L 20–27 1–3 Gillette Stadium Recap

Regular season

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 9 at Dallas Cowboys L 35–45 0–1 Texas Stadium Recap
2 September 16 Green Bay Packers L 13–35 0–2 Giants Stadium Recap
3 September 23 at Washington Redskins W 24–17 1–2
FedExField
Recap
4 September 30 Philadelphia Eagles W 16–3 2–2 Giants Stadium Recap
5 October 7 New York Jets W 35–24 3–2 Giants Stadium Recap
6 October 15 at Atlanta Falcons W 31–10 4–2 Georgia Dome Recap
7 October 21 San Francisco 49ers W 33–15 5–2 Giants Stadium Recap
8 October 28 at Miami Dolphins W 13–10 6–2 United Kingdom Wembley Stadium (London) Recap
9 Bye
10 November 11 Dallas Cowboys L 20–31 6–3 Giants Stadium Recap
11 November 18 at Detroit Lions W 16–10 7–3 Ford Field Recap
12 November 25 Minnesota Vikings L 17–41 7–4 Giants Stadium Recap
13 December 2 at Chicago Bears W 21–16 8–4 Soldier Field Recap
14 December 9 at Philadelphia Eagles W 16–13 9–4 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
15 December 16 Washington Redskins L 10–22 9–5 Giants Stadium Recap
16 December 23 at Buffalo Bills W 38–21 10–5
Ralph Wilson Stadium
Recap
17 December 29 New England Patriots L 35–38 10–6 Giants Stadium Recap

Standings

NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(1) Dallas Cowboys 13 3 0 .813 4–2 10–2 455 325 L1
(5) New York Giants 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 373 351 L1
(6) Washington Redskins 9 7 0 .563 3–3 7–5 334 310 W4
Philadelphia Eagles 8 8 0 .500 2–4 5–7 336 300 W3

Staff

2007 New York Giants staff
Front office
  • President/CEO – John Mara
  • Chairman/executive vice president – Steve Tisch
  • Senior vice president/general manager – Jerry Reese
  • Vice president of player evaluation –
    Chris Mara
  • Assistant general manager – Kevin Abrams
  • Director of pro personnel –
    David Gettleman
  • Assistant director of pro personnel – Ken Sternfeld
  • Director of college scouting – Marc Ross

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

  • Offensive coordinator – Kevin Gilbride
  • Quarterbacks –
    Chris Palmer
  • Running backs – Jerald Ingram
  • Wide receivers –
    Mike Sullivan
  • Tight ends – Mike Pope
  • Offensive line –
    Pat Flaherty
  • Assistant offensive line – Dave DeGuglielmo
  • Offensive quality control –
    Sean Ryan
 

Defensive coaches

Special team coaches

  • Special teams coordinator –
    Tom Quinn
  • Assistant special teams – Thomas McGaughey

Strength and conditioning

Roster

2007 New York Giants final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
53 active, 11 inactive, 8 practice squad

Regular season

Week 1: at Dallas Cowboys

Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 6 10 31635
Cowboys 3 14 141445

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

The Giants opened up their 2007 campaign with a 45–35 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium. For the second straight year, the Giants left Dallas with injuries to key starters including DE Osi Umenyiora, RB Brandon Jacobs, and QB Eli Manning. Before suffering a separated shoulder in the fourth quarter, Manning put on a stellar performance, completing 28 of 41 passes, for 312 yards, 4 touchdowns and just 1 interception. However, a horrid defensive performance overshadowed his play.

The Giants got off to a fast start as Eli hit Plaxico Burress on a 60-yard touchdown pass off play action to open up the scoring. Burress and Manning would connect for 3 touchdowns on the night. After a Dallas took a 17–6 lead late in the half, Eli led the Giants on another drive, capped off to his second strike to Burress. Burress on the night caught 9 passes for 144 receiving yards. The Giants closed to within one at half's end following a Lawrence Tynes field goal after a Dallas fumble.

Romo hit Terrell Owens on a 22-yard pass to give Dallas an 8-point lead. After the Giants cut the lead to five on another Tynes field goal, Dallas increased the margin to 12 as Romo capped off a quick four play drive with a 9-yard rush. The Cowboys appeared to put the game away with yet another Romo touchdown, once again finding Terrell Owens on a wide open catch and run, upping margin to 38–22. Eli and the Giants responded with two straight scoring drives. One finished with a dumpoff touchdown pass from Manning to reserve running back Derrick Ward and the other with Burress' 3rd touchdown, cutting the Dallas lead to three.

On a crucial 3rd and seven late in the game, Romo hit backup wideout Sam Hurd for a 51-yard touchdown. With Manning injuring his shoulder, backup Jared Lorenzen finished the game for the Giants at quarterback late in the fourth quarter. Amani Toomer in his return from a knee injury, notched 9 catches for 91 yards while Burress gained 144. Justin Tuck and Gibril Wilson recorded the Giants' only sack and interception of the night respectively in the 45–35 loss as the Giants began the season at 0–1.

It would be the only road loss for the Giants in the season.[19]

Week 2: vs. Green Bay Packers

Period 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 7 72135
Giants 0 10 3013

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

The Giants playing defense against the Packers

The Giants played their Week 2 home opener against the Green Bay Packers. After both teams missed a field goal to open the game, Green Bay got on the board first with a 6-yard run by rookie DeShawn Wynn. The Giants responded with a 26-yard scoring strike by Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress. The Giants got a Lawrence Tynes field goal and a 10–7 half time lead.

In the second half, the Packers drove 51 yards to start the second half. Favre capped off the scoring drive with a 2-yard pass to Bubba Franks for a 14–10 lead the Packers would not relinquish. The Giants responded with another drive but once again, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, this one on Amani Toomer, hurt the Giants. Tynes kicked a second field goal, pulling the Giants to within one.[20]

The Packers went on to score 21 unanswered points.[20]

With the loss, the Giants would fall to 0–2 for the first time since 1996. Also, within the two games they played, the Giants gave up a total of 80 points.

Week 3: at Washington Redskins

Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 3 0 71424
Redskins 7 10 0017

at

FedExField, Landover, Maryland

In the first quarter, New York got the first score as kicker

Chris Cooley, while kicker Shaun Suisham ended the half with a 47-yard field goal that gave Washington a 17–3 lead.[21]

The Giants on defense against the Redskins

With the Giants staring at a 14-point deficit, and an 0–2 start to their season, the Giants came out strong to start the second half. In the third quarter, QB Eli Manning finally got the Giants offense turned around and RB Reuben Droughns would score on a 1-yard TD run to cut the lead in half.

In the fourth quarter, Droughns rushed again for a 1-yard touchdown, while Manning completed a 33-yard TD pass to WR Plaxico Burress, giving the Giants a startling 24–17 lead against the home team.

In the game's final moments, Washington found first and goal at the Giants 1-yard line. New York's defense then proceeded to make a goal-line stand as they stopped RB Ladell Betts from getting into the end zone on 4th down during the final seconds of the game. This goal line stand was known as the initial catalyst of the Giants' Super Bowl season.

With the win, the Giants improved to 1–2.[19]

Week 4: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Period 1 2 34Total
Eagles 0 0 033
Giants 0 7 9016

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey