Top 10 All Time Giants
No one expected a quarterback out of Morehead State, which is in Kentucky, to eventually develop into a starting caliber quarterback. Even less expected that same quarterback to win Super Bowl MVP and set a passing record in the process. But as Disney films usually go, it’s a full circle, happy type of ending. As Super Bowl 21 concluded, and the Giant’s players basked in the heat of Pasadena, Phil Simms shouted into the camera what would become synonymous with the designation “Super Bowl MVP”: “I’m going to Disney World!” As corny marketing ploys go, this ranks near the top, but to watch Simms exclaim his plans for a trip to Disney on the record setting night, nothing seemed corny about it.
Before becoming the first MVP to find himself at the center of a theme park marketing plan, Phil Simms was an unproven, oft injured quarterback who had a hard enough time keeping his job, let alone completing 88% of his passes. After his selection as the 7th pick, he was booed by Giant’s fans, most of whom had never heard of him. He was going to a mediocre team that hadn’t reached the post season in 15 years and was currently on it’s fourth head coach of the decade.
Simms experienced relative success during his rookie season. He started 11 games, winning six and was named to the All-Rookie team for the 1979 season. The next four seasons, from 1980-83, saw Simms start only 23 games, winning 8 contests. His poor play on the field, in addition to the injuries that saw him miss the entire 1982 season and his subsequent benching in 1983 led him to request a trade.
New head coach Bill Parcells never traded the unhappy quarterback, and after severely dislocating his thumb in a week six match up against the Eagles in 1983, Simms was again forced to the sidelines. After nearly two full years out of the starting lineup, Simms was ready to handle starting quarterback duties in 1984.
That season, Simms threw for more than 4,000 yards and led the team to a playoff victory against the LA Rams in Anaheim. After a 3-12-1 season the year before, the Giants had their quarterback and within two years he would rise to Super Bowl MVP. Simms would also set the still standing record for pass completion percentage in the Super Bowl, completing 22 of 25 passes or 88%.
Simms wouldn’t start 16 games again until the final year of his career in 1993, but consecutive playoff appearances in ’89 and ’90 showed that Simms was still a top quarterback. Although his backup Jeff Hostetler was quarterback during the 1990 Super Bowl run, it was Simms 11-3 record during the regular season that set the stage for one of the most impressive playoff runs in the Super Bowl era.
After winning his second Super Bowl ring, Simms missed significant time over the next two seasons. He returned in 1993 to lead the giants to an 11-5 record and one more playoff win. In the divisional round, the Giants would lose to the 49ers in Candlestick in what would be Simms’ final game. A fitting end for one of the more fiery and fierce competitors the Giants have ever had; one that went toe to toe against the Bears, Niners, and Rams for years, never backed down and established a legacy for it.
Next: #4-The laid back gunslinger