GMEN HQ » Harry Carson

Exclusive Interview with 06′ HOF Inductee, Harry Carson

Mike Ferrara — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 15:48:21 +0000

Before the Giants crushing loss to the Washington Redskins on Monday night, the GMen HQ crew was able to toss around some questions with some of the Giants greats. One of those legends was 2006 Hall of Fame inductee, Harry Carson. Harry took some time to answer questions ranging from Bill Belichick to RGIII. The interview quickly turned into a relaxed conversation by the end of it all. Carson was joined by Lawrence Taylor and Mark Bavaro who also took time to answer some questions that will be released later this week.

Question: What was it like being coached by two of the best in Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick?

Carson: ”It was good, maybe you should ask them how it was to coach guys like me and Lawrence Taylor”, he said jokingly. “No, but they were great coaches and taught me a lot. They really made me become a better player and helped me realize a championship.”

I also mentioned to him that Bill Belichick referred to him as the best linebacker he has ever coached. His response was “Well I’d have to agree with him on that, I’m a little biased.”

Question: What was it like being a member of the Big Blue Wrecking Crew defense in the 1980s?

Carson: ”We had a great group of guys. As a captain, the guys really did everything the coaches and I asked of them. We had a lot of fun playing the game during those years.”

Question: I was at Metlife stadium when the Giants unveiled their own Ring of Honor. How did it feel to be a part of that ceremony?

Carson: ”It was great. When you play the game for a team like the Giants, there is a lot of history and tradition. It’s an honor to be the first class that they inducted.”

Question: What was your proudest moment throughout your NFL career?

Carson: ”The Super Bowl in 1986 when I went out as the lone captain for the coin toss.”

Question: What was it like to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Carson: ”It was an honor to represent the Giants and my teammates in the Hall of Fame. It really meant a lot to me.”

Question: Would you be able to tell us about your role with the retired NFL players?

Carson: ”I’ve tried to be an advocate on behalf of those retired players that really don’t have a voice, like I was as captain of the Giants.”

Question: If you could be any athlete in football this day and age, who would you choose?

Carson: ”There are a number of great players in the league. If I had to pick one, it would be Patrick Willis on the San Francisco 49ers. He is a very active inside linebacker, which I admire.”

Question: What do you think of the Giants opposing quarterback tonight, Robert Griffin III?

Carson: ”RGIII is a super athlete. He is the most athletic quarterback I have ever seen, period. He has 4-3 speed, just the complete package. He is the key for the Redskins to get to the next level.”

*I would like to thank Harry Carson for taking his time out to give his professional insight.

Watch Giants Vs.Redskins with Taylor, Carson, Bavaro!

Joe Tufaro — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:28:23 +0000

GIANTS.BROWNPAPERTICKETS.COM

Are you ready for some football?

Monday Night, December 3rd The New York Football Giants go up against their rival, The Washington Redskins in a game that could decide the division race.
Join us at Dave and Busters in Times Square New York for a viewing party with Giants Legends Lawrence Taylor, Harry Carson, and Mark Bavaro.

These Giants Legends will be in attendance to greet fans, sign autographs, take photos, and give their personal insight on the season and the game.
There will be an open-bar as well as your favorite stadium snacks served throughout the game.
Do not miss out on this opportunity to watch a Giants game with these great football legends.
We will also be supporting the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation with a live and silent auction.
A portion of all ticket sales will benefit the foundation as well.

FOR TICKETS SIMPLY CLICK THE LINK BELOW:

GIANTS.BROWNPAPERTICKETS.COM

NFLPA Seeing the Error of it’s Choice?

Joe Tufaro — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 16:06:26 +0000

Last year saw the owners and players embattled in a labor dispute, and out of that dispute came a new agreement, one that was ratified by the players and signed by their representatives. Both sides heralded the new agreement as a milestone and a victory for their side. Now the players have found that maybe they didn’t get what they thought they were getting, or even really wanted.

It is no mystery to anyone who reads this site that I thought DeMaurice Smith was the wrong choice to represent the players from day one. A man who never stepped on the field, and a man who was going to get paid and applauded no matter how the fight went down last off season. My choice was Harry Carson,a Hall of Fame Player, a man of principal, a man who had been fighting for players rights since the 70′s, and a gentleman respected by the owners, players, and the fans.

The players say they got what they wanted on their end……which after review amounts to less practice time, less contact, and less meeting time. And yet we hear of “Special Players Traing Camps” held privately. Mark Sanchez and his Jets West, and other guys getting together on their own to get more time together. I thought you wanted LESS practice? Yes, teams like Cleveland, and Buffalo must now spend 90% of their cap money instead of pocketing it, but that turns out to be a small victory.

The players did not get any sort of guaranteed contract situation. You get hurt in the NFL, you get cut. You want to sit out while renegotiating your deal, your fines are double what they used to be. The players are also now finding out that The Office of The Commissioner, a position held by Roger Goodell, and hired by the owners, has absolute power. The Office is now judge, jury, and executioner. Sorry fellas….but you signed it.

“Obviously we don’t want Roger Goodell having absolute power,” Winston told Nate Davis of USA TODAY. “In a lot of this process, it seems like he does. It’s unfortunate. It seems like he’s running amok with it and deciding to do what he wants and it really doesn’t matter what the evidence says. Unfortunately, we don’t have an alternative option to appeal to.”

The sad part is that not many players took a minute to ask questions, to maybe leaf through the document, to inquire as to what are we getting, to ask their agent advice. The rank and file were told it’s a good deal, we did the work, now sign it and move on. Players complain constantly about the amount of fines…guess what guys…it’s written into the agreement. The fine schedule is part of the new CBA, negotiated and agreed to by your representative. Players complain that discipline is solely in the hands of the commissioner, which we know is not true. There are committees of ex-players and yes lawyers that recommend the discipline to the Commissioner, and he announces the decision. The appeal process is again written into the agreement.

My advice is to look a little more internally at your representation, and maybe ask your agent about what exactly the new CBA that you signed includes. I think you might be surprised.

Giants Ring of Honor:Harry Carson

Tom Brant — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:29:22 +0000

During the off-season, the staff here at GMenHq will be featuring a member of the Giants Ring of Honor on each Monday and Friday. Today’s feature is on: Harry Carson

Harry Carson was a stand out linebacker at Southern Carolina University where he majored in Education. A little know factoid about Harry Carson is that he also completed graduate work at Fairleigh Dickinson University too. Harry was drafted in the fourth round of the 1976 NFL Draft by the New York Giants

Most amazing about his 13 year NFL career with the Giants, Harry Carson was team captain for 10 years. During those 13 years with the Giants, Carson played in a total of 173 games starting 149 of those games. He added 8 sacks, 11 ints, and 14 fumble recovers. In depth statistics are lacking due to the era in which he played and what stats were kept accurately. Harry was known as the heart and sole of the Giants defense and he was extremely close to the Mara family.

Upon his retirement from the NFL Harry started broadcasting and currently works for numerous charity organizations. Fond of his NY Giants, Harry still considers himself a Giant and can be found at numerous Giants events throughout the year. Harry was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Let us know what you think of Harry Carson and sound off in the comments section

@tom_brant on twitter

Giants Punch Ticket to Super Bowl: 25 Years Ago This Week

Joe Tufaro — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:21:57 +0000

The New York Football Giants of 1986 hosted the NFC Championship game at Giants Stadium 25 years ago this week. It was a familiar match-up with the Division rival Washington Redskins. It was also a contest against mother nature.

With winds whipping upwards of 30 miles an hour, the Giants and Redskins battled the elements all day. Harry Carson, as the lone captain for the coin toss, called tails as always and wins the toss. The words “We’ll take the wind” are now a part of Giants lore. The Giants scored 10 first quarter points, and held Washington to just 2 first downs. The Redskins punted three times in the first quarter and netted 23, 27, and 24 yards. Behind 10-0, the Redskins mounted a drive in the 2nd quarter, only to have a botched snap on a field goal try of 51 yards. The Redskins were doomed. Jay Schroeder was forced to pass 50 times in this game, many of them futilely into the strong and gusting winds. He finished the game 20-50 with a 3.8 yard average per pass.

After the 17-0 halftime lead, the Giants defense took over and made that the final score. At the conclusion of the game, John Madden remarked “Last year, I thought the Bears had the best defense I had ever seen. But in the last two weeks, I feel these Giants have as good a defense as has ever played in this league.” He was right. They had now given up a total of 3 points in two playoff games.

The Giants, and their faithful fans, now started planning their trip to sunny Pasadena for a re-match with the John Elway led Denver Broncos. Those of you who have been following this series of stories know that we already had plane tickets in hand, purchased the day after the Giants defeated the Broncos back in November. It was quite a trip…stay tuned

Giants Add 5 to Ring of Honor Sunday

Joe Tufaro — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:52:05 +0000

On Sunday at halftime the Giants will add 5 very deserving names to their Ring of Honor. They are Carl Banks, Dave Jennings, Alex Webster, Mark Bavaro and the late Brad Van Pelt.

Banks: Banks was the third overall pick in 1984 for the New York Giants out of Michigan State and played nine years for the team. He was an intregal part of both Super Bowl wins in ’86 and ’90. If you go back and watch the tape of the Buffalo Bills-Giants Super Bowl, you will see that the Giants do not win that game without the outstanding play of Carl Banks. Banks was added in 1984 to a linebacker group that already included Lawrence Taylor, and Harry Carson.

Banks Comes Up Big in Big Game

Bavaro: Bavaro, a Notre Dame product, was one of the toughest Giants to ever wear the uniform. Unfortunately Mark was slowed by serious injuries and only played 6 season for the G-Men. He had one 1,000 yard season and caught 28 touchdowns. Look on here tomorrow for a look back at the most famous play of his career.

The Original Tough Guy

Jennings: Jennings was the punter for the Giants from 1974-1984, and he got plenty of work. He made 4 Pro Bowls and averaged over 41 yards per punt for his career as a Giant.

Webster: Webster, who was the Head Coach when I started watching our Giants, was also a halfback and fullback earlier in life. He made two pro bowls while gaining over 7200 yards on the ground and threw the air while scoring 56 touchdowns. He won Coach of The Year in 1970.

Head Coach and Player

Brad Van Pelt: The Late, Great Brad Van Pelt was my favorite player growing up. He was drafted out of Michigan State where he also played baseball and basketball. Wearing number 10 as a Linebacker, Brad was extremely versatile. He was even the kicker on kickoffs in his rookie year. He made 5 Pro Bowls in his ten years with the Giants. He was a charter member of “The Crunch Bunch” the Giants linebacking corps that included Lawrence Taylor, Harry Carson, and Brain Kelly. Unfortunately for Brad and his fans he was part of just one winning season while with the Giants, and was named “Player of The Decade” for the ’70′s. He played in 4 different home stadiums for the team, and for 5 Head Coaches. I always will remember meeting Brad and marveling at the size of his hands and forearms. He had 20 career interceptions and 24.5 sacks.

Player of The Decade '70's

NFL Doing the Right Thing: A Letter from Roger Goodell

Joe Tufaro — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:41:38 +0000

To NFL Fans:We hope you are enjoying the NFL season. The playoff race is shaping up and promises to bring even more excitement as we head into the holiday season. My purpose in writing now is to update you on steps we are taking to help our older retired players – the heroes of the 60s, 70s, and 80s who deserve great credit for their role in building the NFL into what it is today.

These players did something for the game of football. Now it’s our turn to do something for them.

It’s easy to say we appreciate them. But our actions need to tell the same story. That’s why we are proud of the agreement we reached with the union this week on how to distribute the $620 million Legacy Fund set aside in our new collective bargaining agreement. It means we will begin paying higher benefits immediately to all retired players whose pensions vested before 1993.

This new Legacy Fund benefit has three important components:

Every player will receive a major pension increase. We have significantly raised the pension floor of minimum monthly payments.
Players whose pensions vested before 1975 – the players who played for the lowest salaries – are getting the biggest increase.
The Legacy Fund benefits will continue not only for the lifetime of the retired player, but also for the lifetime of his eligible beneficiary.

The formula for distributing the $620 million fund was designed after we discussed it with leaders of several retired player groups, including Mike Ditka, Carl Eller, Bruce Laird, Willie Lanier, George Martin and Ron Mix. The new benefit applies to more than 4,700 players who were vested in the Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle Player Pension Plan prior to 1993.

Here are two examples of how the Legacy Fund will significantly increase monthly pension payments to many retired players:

There is a 10-year veteran player who retired in the 1960s who has been receiving a $200 monthly pension. The Legacy Fund benefit will increase his monthly check to $1,840.
Another 10-year veteran who retired in the 1970s will see his monthly check increase from $165 to $1,810.

Nothing we do or say can ever fully express our appreciation for the dedicated players who built the NFL. But I believe that the Legacy Fund is an important step in the right direction. Paired with our efforts to set a higher standard for player health and safety, it represents the shared commitment and responsibility of the National Football League and its players to improve the lives of the men who played the game – yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Roger Goodell