Hall of Fame Game: The Giants of #28

Aug 24, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants cornerback Jayron Hosley (28) returns punt during the first half as New York Jets safety Josh Bush (32) closes in at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

The Hall of Fame Game is in 28 days…

One step closer to live game action with a clock, referees, keeping score and all that good stuff. As we flashback, more interesting Giants continue to unveil themselves.

May I present you… Tom Flynn. While Flynn will never be mistaken for the prototypical Giant — he played just 30 games for Big Blue between 1986-1988 — he is a “classic” name nonetheless. After being cut by his origin franchise Packers mid-way through 1986, the Giants scooped up Flynn and karma took its course. On December 20th 1986, week #16, Flynn lit the fuse for an epic 55-24 route of (you guessed it) the Green Bay Packers. Flynn blocked a Bill Renner punt early in the first quarter and returned it for a score, exacting his own version of revenge.

The Giants closed out the 1986 regular season 14-2 and captured their inaugural Super Bowl era crown.

Cornerback Everson Walls also wore a dapper #28, albeit for a brief stint. Walls intercepted 11 passes in 2+ seasons in New York, including six during the Giants Super Bowl winning campaign in 1990. He made a potential touchdown saving tackle on Thurman Thomas which in retrospect preserved a trip to the history books for Big Blue. With that said… he played his first nine NFL seasons with Dallas, so we’ll try to curb our enthusiasm.

Former Jints safety Gibril Wilson also donned the number for a four-pack of Giant seasons, which earned him inclusion in GMEN HQ’s list of “Criminally Underrated Giants”:

"Wilson started 51 games at both safety spots during his four-year stint in New York. Most notably, he was the starting FS on the Super Bowl XLII champion Giants in ’07-’08 — and broke up Tom Brady’s long heave for Randy Moss on the game’s final play. Not too shabby for a 5th round selection… Despite possessing the speed to cover ground on the back line (11 INT’s), Wilson lived for mixing it up at the line of scrimmage. Utilized more as a blitzing safety early in his career, Wilson sacked the QB six times in his first 24 professional games. He posted three seasons of 70+ solo tackles before Oakland signed him away for $39 million in 2008."

The #28 currently belongs to slot corner Jayron Hosley. He’ll serve a 4-game ban for substance abuse and Giants brass was already growing tired of his uninspired play. Don’t be shocked to see that jersey number be open for business… perhaps soon to be adorned by a future Giant legend. It’s the circle of NFL life.

Is it football season yet?