TAMPA – The Giants can sometimes sound like a bunch of college kids when they talk about the tradition of their franchise. Though very few of them could be classified as historians, the freshness of the Harry Carson, Lawrence Taylor and Phil Simms era gives them a fresh link to past glory.
That’s particularly the case of the team’s defensive players, who hold a genuine reverence for those who wore the uniform before them. “We always think about LT, Harry Carson, Carl Banks, Leonard Marshall and the tradition that they set here,” said defensive tackle Keith Hamilton. “When you put that helmet on, you know what you represent.”
The Giants’ skill players first entered Raymond James Stadium last night in single file, a few minutes before the rest of the team. The 1990 Giants entered the Big Sombrero in similar fashion for Super Bowl XXV. Ottis Anderson, who would be the MVP of the Giants’ 20-19 win, led the slow trot into warm-ups. Last night it was Howard Cross.
It was a show of tribute to how things are done. Sometimes tradition means something.
A victory last night would have ensured the 2000 Giants of legendary status. Even in defeat, they would have done their legacy proud.
The Jets trot out Joe Namath and brag about ’69. A new era under Herman Edwards will renew their quest for a second Super Bowl. The memories of the Giants faithful need not be as long.
Taylor is a Hall of Famer, enshrined in 1999. Carson was a Hall of Fame finalist for the second year and will eventually get in because he deserves it. They, along with Carl Banks, Mark Collins and Marshall add to a tradition of defensive excellence set in the 1950s and ’60s when Andy Robustelli, Emlen Tunnell and Sam Huff forged Hall of Fame careers.
That tradition reached the Super Bowl stage in 1986 when a dominating defense made dousing coaches with Gatorade an expected celebration. They beat the Broncos in Super Bowl XXI in Pasadena in a dominating display of force. And they prevailed again in Super Bowl XXV by containing the powerful offense of the Buffalo Bills.
A new group of Giants have added to that tradition this season, upholding all the traits that their predecessors used to win championships. Play Hard. Be Smart. No Mistakes.
Win or lose Super Bowl XXXV, the 2000 Giants have reminded their faithful of the glory years when defense was the team’s anchor.
For all the well earned hype about the Ravens’ record-setting defense and all it has accomplished this season, the Giants’ defense has added to the legacy passed from Robustelli to Carson and to Taylor.
A victory over the Ravens last night would have ensured that 10 years from now there will be a new group of Giants talking about these Giants with reverence. They’ll talk about a group few believed in when the season began, a team whose coach guaranteed the playoffs and made it all the way to the Super Bowl.
If Jim Fassel should be carried off the field a winner, the year’s best script wasn’t written on paper but played out in living color. They’ll talk about how a group of strangers came together and played for championships.
They’ll talk about Hamilton, who in his ninth year, dedicated himself to conditioning and enjoyed his best season as a pro.
They’ll talk about Jessie Armstead, the team’s fiery leader, who told the 3,000 media assembled here, “I was born to play football.”
They’ll talk about Michael Strahan, who said he wasn’t bothered by not being voted to the Pro Bowl this year but has played the best defensive end of anyone in the league since.
They’ll talk about Micheal Barrow, the man teammates call “Preach.” He talks about peace, love and the Bible, then delights in crushing running backs.
They’ll talk about Jason Sehorn, the cornerback with the TV star girl friend, who overcame injury and whispers over his dedication to regain the form that made him one of the best athletes to put on the uniform.
They talk about Sam Garnes, the kid from The Bronx, who thinks he’s playing a Homecoming Game every Sunday at Giants Stadium. It isn’t just a profession with him, it’s about protecting the honor of his people, his city.
They’ll talk about Shaun Williams, a safety who in his third season blossomed into the player the Giants foresaw when they made him a first-round draft pick in 1998.
They’ll talk about Dave Thomas, who didn’t start a game for Jacksonville in ’99 and was supposed to be the weak link in the Giants’ secondary, but brought the maturity and experience that molded a young unit.
The 2000 Giants have proven themselves to be an exceptional team. They are not glamorous. Only Armstead is headed to the Pro Bowl this year. But what they lack in marquee value, they make up for in teamwork.
Like the old Giants, they are business-like. They didn’t talk much before the Super Bowl. The Giants’ way is to let action speak louder than words. The Giants didn’t brag their way to Tampa. They earned it. For that they’ll be remembered. And respected.
Just as Hamilton, Strahan and Armstead served as the bridge from the Taylor-Carson-Banks era to today’s current team, emerging players like Cornelius Griffin and Shaun Williams will be the link to future teams.
They’ll talk about how they came together in 2000 and reached the Super Bowl when few believed they could. In a new millennium, the Giants have new heroes, new role models. And a new chapter to an enduring tradition.