Top 5 New York Giants Offensive Touchdowns by Non-Skill Position Players
By Neal Lynch
#3. DE George Martin – Week 10 vs. Dallas Cowboys
Sunday, November 9th, 1980
In a 38-35 upset win over the Cowboys at Giants Stadium, defensive end George Martin caught a four yard pass for a touchdown from Phil Simms to go up 21-14 in the second quarter. Phil would go 18 of 33 for 351 yards and three touchdowns against one interception in one of his finest games of the season. This game would be considered the lone highlight of the lowly season.
In that 1980 season, Martin started all 16 games for the Giants and had one fumble recovery. In his 14 year career, George returned three interceptions for touchdowns and returned two fumble recoveries for touchdowns as well.
Meanwhile, the Giants finished last behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the NFC East with a 4-12 record. The win broke an eight game losing streak that lasted from Week 2 – Week 9. As much as the ’80 season sucked, their poor finish allowed the to select Lawrence Taylor with the second overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft.
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While the 1980 Giants allowed 425 points, the 1981 Giants only allowed 257 points. With L.T., the Giants went from a bottom five defense in ’80 to a top five defense in ’81. The result was the franchise’s first visit to the playoffs in seventeen years and the beginning of seven playoff appearances in 13 years for Taylor and the G-Men.
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