How has fan loyalty to Big Blue changed over the last two decades?

1980’s and 90’s under Bill Parcell’s leadership

When Phil Simms was taking snaps under Bill Parcells, the Giants were a special team to cherish because of a superior coaching ability of Parcellls and great, accurate arm of Simms. Simms 15 year career included a 78.5 quarterback rating and ranks among the all time greats. This was  time before the hype of a nonconformist wideout or the bizarre comeback victory against the invincible New England Patriots several years ago. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was on the local front page and people were concerned about improving the quality of life for New Yorkers, betting that the Yankees’ dynasty would never end and that Y2K was a myth.

Parcells led the Giants to a strong winning season although he is not remember with as much awe and reverence as Tom Coughlin in more recent memory.

Football was simpler and did not involve recent trends such as instant reply or the virtual yellow line of scrimmage. There was no redone television network then either. Fans would show up to the stadium in the bitter, chilly weather because they had a love for the game and Parcell’s leadership of the team.

Parcell will be recognized as the Giants great coaches for his excellent preparation before every game, attention to detail and flexibility as a head coach. According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, the Giants won at least 10 games since 1985 which the team in recent years has not come close to doing.

As football was played in a simpler time, fans could not post “tweets” or share pictures on social media and the strongest way of identifying with the team was making an informed decision to purchase a pint of beer at the concession stand and leap to a standing position when the Giants’ offense passed midfield.