What If The New York Giants Successfully Claimed Cris Carter Off Waivers in 1990?
By Neal Lynch
1999
The ’99 draft brought in tackles Luke Petitgout and Mike Rosenthal, plus blocking tight end Dan Campbell. The G-Men finished third in the division with a 7-9 record. The offense experienced a slight resurgence, as it pulled itself out of the NFL’s basement and was hovering around the middle of the pack. Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard were developing into productive wideouts. However, the defense had a poor year.
Cris Carter continued his successful ways with 90 receptions (4th in the NFL) for 1,241 receiving yards (8th in the NFL), and 13 receiving touchdowns (1st in the NFL/57th all-time). He’d be named 1st Team All-Conference by Pro Football Weekly and 1st Team All-NFL by the Associated Press and Pro Football Writers Association.
Had Carter been on the Giants, they’d probably win this game…
- Week 3 September 26th L 1-2 @ New England Patriots 14-16
The Giants would’ve gone 8-8 and tied with the Cowboys for second place in the NFC East, but would’ve lost the tiebreaker with a worse divisional record.
2000
The Giants’ first draft of the new century yielded defensive lineman Cornelius Griffin and linebackers Dhani Jones and Brandon Short. Yet again, Big Blue missed on another first round pick, another stud collegiate running back. The G-Men would finish 12-4, win the NFC East, and clinch home-field advantage through the playoffs. Tiki Barber became a force. The defense was a top 5 unit. Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard were a solid duo.
On the Vikings, Carter caught 96 balls for 1,274 yards and 9 touchdowns (6th in the NFL).
The G-Men would still lose the Super Bowl because that Ravens defense was impenetrable, but, I have to believe the game would be a little closer.
2001
Cornerbacks Will Allen and Will Peterson were the most notable selections from the 2001 draft, but neither really were impressive enough to make any mark on the franchise. The Giants ended up with a 7-9 record, finishing third in the NFC East. The offense was middle of the road running the ball, but put up big numbers throwing the ball, only because they would be trailing in most games. The D was tough on the run, but susceptible against the pass, even with Michael Strahan’s single season sack record. Barber, Toomer, and Hilliard were the main weapons while Joe Jurevicius had a breakout season.
As for Cris Carter, he tallied fewer than 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 1992. His 73 receptions were the fewest since 1992 and his six receiving touchdowns were the lowest since 1992. Oddly enough, his catch total would be tops on the Giants roster while his yardage would be second behind Toomer and his touchdowns would be #1.
If Carter were on the Giants, it’s highly possible the G-Men win these three games…
- Week 5 Sun October 14th L 3-2 @ St. Louis Rams 14-15
- Week 6 Mon October 22nd L 3-3 Philadelphia Eagles 9-10
- Week 16 Sun December 30th L 7-8 @ Philadelphia Eagles 21-24
Those victories would give Big Blue a 10-6 record and the NFC East division title, having beaten the Eagles twice and owning the better divisional record. Eagles would then be 9-7 and tied with the Bucs for the final playoff spot. Bucs would be eliminated from postseason contention based on head-to-head tiebreaker.
NFC WILD CARD ROUND
Eagles (9-7) #6 at Giants (10-6) #3 – Giants win
49ers (12-4) #5 at Packers (12-4) #4 – Packers win
Bears (13-3) #2 & Rams (14-2) #1 – Bye
NFC DIVISIONAL ROUND
Packers (12-4) #4 at Rams (14-2) #1 – Rams win
Giants (10-6) #3 at Bears (13-3) #2 – Bears win
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Bears at Rams – Rams win
Next: 2002 & BEYOND