1992 New York Giants season

1992 New York Giants season
Head coachRay Handley
Home fieldGiants Stadium
Results
Record6–10
Division place4th in NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersRB Rodney Hampton

The 1992 New York Giants season was the franchise's 68th season in the National Football League. The Giants finished in fourth place in the National Football Conference East Division with a 6–10 record.[1] Head coach Ray Handley was fired after this season,[2] when the Giants lost six of seven games, after starting the season at 5–4.[1]

Injuries marred the Giants' season, especially at quarterback. Phil Simms, once again the team's starting quarterback, suffered a season-ending elbow injury in Week 4. With Simms out the team once again turned to Jeff Hostetler, the Giants' original 1991 starter and winner of Super Bowl XXV, to take his place. Hostetler, who had his own troubles with injuries including a broken back that ended his 1991 season, soon found himself out of the lineup after suffering a concussion in Week 12.[3][4] The Giants were then forced to turn to a pair of rookies, Kent Graham and Dave Brown, but Graham suffered from elbow and shoulder problems, and Brown suffered a broken right thumb.[5][6] Hostetler returned for the final two games of the season, a win over the Kansas City Chiefs and a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.[4][7]

Perhaps the most catastrophic injury was the torn Achilles' tendon suffered by future Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor in Week 10,[8] as the Giants only won once more after the injury.[1] It was the second consecutive year that an injury to Taylor ended his season prematurely (a sprained knee in Week 13 of the 1991 season forced Taylor to miss the final game of the regular season and a previous game against the Cincinnati Bengals).[9][10][11]

Offseason

Additions Subtractions
LB Ed Reynolds (Patriots) QB Matt Cavanaugh (Retried)
LB Gary Reasons (Bengals)
S Adrian White (Packers)
FB Maurice Carthon (Colts)
WR Odessa Turner (49ers)
DT Lorenzo Freeman (Vikings)

NFL Draft

1992 New York Giants draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 11 Derek Brown  TE Notre Dame
1 Supplemental Dave Brown  QB Duke
2 41 Phillippi Sparks  CB Arizona State
3 69 Aaron Pierce  TE Washington
4 99 Keith Hamilton  DT Pittsburgh
5 126 Michael Wright  DB Washington State
6 153 Stacey Dillard  DT Oklahoma
7 180 Corey Widmer  LB Montana State
8 211 Kent Graham  QB Ohio State
9 238 Anthony Prior  DB Washington State
10 265 George Rooks  DE Syracuse
11 292 Nate Singleton  WR Grambling State
12 323 Charles Swann  WR Indiana State
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted free agents

1992 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Brian Allred Cornerback Sacramento State
Michael Poloskey Linebacker Illinois
Scott Van Bellinger Linebacker Northern Illinois

Roster

1992 New York Giants roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
47 active, 12 reserve, 3 practice squad

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue
1 August 9 Cincinnati Bengals W 13–7 1–0 Giants Stadium
2 August 15 Cleveland Browns W 16–7 2–0 Giants Stadium
3 August 22 at New York Jets L 14–20 2–1 Giants Stadium
4 August 29 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 3–24 2–2 Three Rivers Stadium

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 6 San Francisco 49ers L 14–31 0–1 Giants Stadium Recap
2 September 13 Dallas Cowboys L 28–34 0–2 Giants Stadium Recap
3 September 21 at Chicago Bears W 27–14 1–2 Soldier Field Recap
4 Bye
5 October 4 at Los Angeles Raiders L 10–13 1–3 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Recap
6 October 11 Phoenix Cardinals W 31–21 2–3 Giants Stadium Recap
7 October 18 at Los Angeles Rams L 17–38 2–4 Anaheim Stadium Recap
8 October 25 Seattle Seahawks W 23–10 3–4 Giants Stadium Recap
9 November 1 at Washington Redskins W 24–7 4–4 RFK Stadium Recap
10 November 8 Green Bay Packers W 27–7 5–4 Giants Stadium Recap
11 November 15 at Denver Broncos L 13–27 5–5 Mile High Stadium Recap
12 November 22 Philadelphia Eagles L 34–47 5–6 Giants Stadium Recap
13 November 26 at Dallas Cowboys L 3–30 5–7 Texas Stadium Recap
14 December 6 Washington Redskins L 10–28 5–8 Giants Stadium Recap
15 December 12 at Phoenix Cardinals L 0–19 5–9 Sun Devil Stadium Recap
16 December 19 Kansas City Chiefs W 35–21 6–9 Giants Stadium Recap
17 December 27 at Philadelphia Eagles L 10–20 6–10 Veterans Stadium Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week 1: San Francisco 49ers at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 7 10 7731
Giants 0 7 7014

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 2: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 2: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 17 10 7034
Giants 0 0 141428

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: September 13
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 76,430
  • Referee: Tom White
  • TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and John Madden
Game information

Week 3: at Chicago Bears

Week 3: New York Giants at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 7 7 10327
Bears 7 7 0014

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: September 21
  • Game time: 9:00 p.m. EDT/8:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 63 °F (17 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,444
  • Referee: Howard Roe
  • TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf
Game information

Week 5: at Los Angeles Raiders

Week 5: New York Giants at Los Angeles Raiders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 10 0010
Raiders 0 0 10313

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

  • Date: October 4
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT/1:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 66 °F (19 °C)
  • Game attendance: 43,103
  • Referee: Gary Lane
  • TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Dan Fouts
Game information

Week 6: vs. Phoenix Cardinals

Week 6: Phoenix Cardinals at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 7 7 0721
Giants 7 14 10031

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: October 11
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Light rain, 63 °F (17 °C)
  • Game attendance: 70,042
  • Referee: Jerry Markbreit
  • TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Matt Millen
Game information

Week 7: at Los Angeles Rams

Week 7: New York Giants at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 10 0717
Rams 7 7 101438

at Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California

  • Date: October 18
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT/1:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Light rain, 66 °F (19 °C)
  • Game attendance: 53,541
  • Referee: Bernie Kukar
  • TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Dan Fouts
Game information

Week 8: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week 8: Seattle Seahawks at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 0 3 7010
Giants 0 6 14323

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 9: at Washington Redskins

Week 9: New York Giants at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 7 14 0324
Redskins 7 0 007

at RFK Stadium, Washington D.C.

  • Date: November 1
  • Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Light rain, 46 °F (8 °C)
  • Game attendance: 53,647
  • Referee: Howard Roe
  • TV announcers (TNT): Gary Bender and Pat Haden
Game information

Week 10: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 10: Green Bay Packers at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 7 007
Giants 6 7 01427

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 11: at Denver Broncos

Week 11: New York Giants at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 6 0713
Broncos 14 0 31027

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

  • Date: November 15
  • Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST/6:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: Scattered clouds, 46 °F (8 °C)
  • Game attendance: 75,269
  • Referee: Bob McElwee
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann
Game information

Week 12: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week 12: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Eagles 0 20 20747
Giants 10 10 7734

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: November 22
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Light rain, 60 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 68,153
  • Referee: Dick Hantak
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Randy Cross
Game information

Week 13: at Dallas Cowboys

Week 13: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 3 003
Cowboys 3 6 14730

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

  • Date: November 26
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Overcast, 38 °F (3 °C)
  • Game attendance: 62,416
  • Referee: Johnny Grier
  • TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
Game information

Week 14: vs. Washington Redskins

Week 14: Washington Redskins at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Redskins 7 7 7728
Giants 0 3 7010

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: December 6
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Overcast, 31 °F (−1 °C)
  • Game attendance: 62,998
  • Referee: Gary Lane
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Randy Cross
Game information

Week 15: at Phoenix Cardinals

Week 15: New York Giants at Phoenix Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 0 000
Cardinals 0 9 3719

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

  • Date: December 12
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/2:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 56 °F (13 °C)
  • Game attendance: 28,452
  • Referee: Bernie Kukar
  • TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Dan Fouts
Game information

Week 16: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 16: Kansas City Chiefs at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 0 7 7721
Giants 14 7 14035

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: December 19
  • Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Overcast, 40 °F (4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 53,428
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bob Trumpy
Game information

Week 17: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 17: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 0 3710
Eagles 7 10 0320

at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Date: December 27
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 27 °F (−3 °C)
  • Game attendance: 64,266
  • Referee: Red Cashion
  • TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan, Matt Millen and Lesley Visser
Game information

Standings

NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Dallas Cowboys 13 3 0 .813 6–2 9–3 409 243 W2
(5) Philadelphia Eagles 11 5 0 .688 6–2 8–4 354 245 W4
(6) Washington Redskins 9 7 0 .563 4–4 7–5 300 255 L2
New York Giants 6 10 0 .375 2–6 4–8 306 367 L1
Phoenix Cardinals 4 12 0 .250 2–6 4–10 243 332 L2

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "1992 New York Giants". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  2. ^ Litsky, Frank (December 31, 1992). "Pro Football; Handley's Unhappy Reign Is Brought to an End". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  3. ^ Whittingham, Richard (2005). Illustrated History of the New York Giants. Chicago: Triumph Books. pp. 269–270. ISBN 1-57243-641-7.
  4. ^ a b Litsky, Frank (December 20, 1992). "Pro Football; Hostetler Does His Part, and More". The New York Times. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  5. ^ Litsky, Frank (December 16, 1992). "Pro Football; Optimistic Hostetler Returns to Practice". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  6. ^ Litsky, Frank (October 17, 1992). "Pro Football: Giants Notebook; For Simms, Next Year Is Too Far Downfield". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  7. ^ Litsky, Frank (December 28, 1992). "Pro Football; Exit Losing". The New York Times. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  8. ^ Litsky, Frank (November 10, 1992). "Pro Football; Successors Are Sought to an Irreplaceable Giant". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  9. ^ "Bored Taylor practices again". Hudson Valley News. Associated Press. December 4, 1991. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  10. ^ Litsky, Frank (December 21, 1991). "Football; Today, the Motivated vs. the Moribund". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  11. ^ "Oilers–Giants notes". The Victoria Advocate. Associated Press. December 22, 1991. Retrieved May 1, 2011.