The Giants are one of the most well-known and well-loved teams in all professional sports.
Established in 1925, Big Blue has had a lot of great players over the nearly 100 years the team has been around.
But if you had to put together the best Giants team of all time, who would be on it?
If the New York Giants were to start a new team, we’d start with some of the best players in Giants history, many of whom are in the team’s Ring of Honor or the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Eli Manning
It’s good to start with a simple one. Eli is by far the best quarterback in Giants history. When it comes to quarterbacks for the New York Giants, Manning is the best there. He has 57,023 career passing yards, four Pro Bowl appearances, and two Super Bowl MVP awards to show for it.
Frank Gifford
Gifford is one of the best running backs in NFL history who can do it all, too. A member of the 1950’s All-Decade Team, the NFL MVP in 1956, and a Hall of Famer in both the pro and college ranks, Gifford could do it all.
Barber
Barber is the most productive running back in the history of the Giants. He has rushed for 10,449 yards, almost 4,000 more than the next back on the list, Rodney Hampton, who is second.
Amani Toomer
There was no receiver who played more games, caught more passes, or got more yards than Toomer, who has the most yards in Giants history with 9,497.
Odell Beckham Jr
It’s Beckham who comes next on the yardage list. He had 5,476 yards and 44 touchdowns in just five years with the team. He might be the best receiver the Giants have ever had, but he didn’t last long enough to top the list.
Jeremy Shockey
I understand that some people will be mad at me for starting Shockey instead of Bavaro as a tight end. From a production point of view, it’s very close, but Shockey is almost always better than Bavaro in almost every way.
Bavaro
With the Giants, Bavaro won two rings, while Shockey has only one. Shockey had four Pro Bowl selections and was more athletic than Bavaro, so he was a little better than Bavaro.
Rosey Brown
It’s easy to pick the NFL Hall of Famer and nine-time Pro Bowler because he has played 162 games for the New York Giants at left tackle. Elliott, on the other hand, was a regular at left tackle for the Giants from 1988 to 1995. He also played for the Jets for six years. His only appearance in the Pro Bowl came in 1993 when he played for Big Blue.
Chris Snee
After the New York Giants picked Snee 34th overall in 2004, he quickly became a big part of the offensive line and was a big help. When he played for New York, Snee played in 141 games. He also made four Pro Bowls and helped the team win two championships.
Mel Hein
Hein played 170 games for the Giants from 1931 to 1945, and he was a five-time All-Pro. He helped the Giants win two NFL championships. Hein is on the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, and he is one of the best centers in NFL history. He also played on the defensive line, so he can play both ways.
Rosey Grier
Grier was a two-time Pro Bowler who started 85 games for the Giants. Marshall was also a two-time Pro Bowler for the team, though he was mostly a defensive end but did play some tackle at the end of his career, too.
Strahan
There are a lot of good names here, but Strahan is an easy choice. Strahan is one of the best pass-rushers to ever play in the NFL. He is sixth all-time in sacks in the NFL, and he is one of the best. The seven-time Pro Bowler has set a single-season record with 22.5 sacks in 2001. He has six seasons with more than 10 sacks. The Hall of Famer is an easy choice for one of the spots on the D-end.
Lawrence Taylor
It starts with Taylor. Taylor is the biggest slam-dunk pick on the list for linebackers, just like for defensive line, this might be the best all-around player on defense in NFL history. Taylor has seven straight seasons with more than 10 sacks and made each of his first 10 Pro Bowl appearances, which is a record. Taylor was the league’s MVP in 1985, and he’s one of the best pass-rushers in history. He could take over any game from his linebacker spot in any game, so he’s very important.
Dick Lynch
During the past few years, cornerback has been a lot less important for the Giants than it was in the past. Lynch, on the other hand, is the only cornerback in the team’s Ring of Honor, so he gets the start.
Williams
In place of Lynch, I’ll go with Williams, the fifth-most interceptions in team history. Bill Williams caught 10 passes alone in 1968 and was in the Pro Bowl the next year.
Tunnell
Tunnell, a nine-time Pro Bowler, and two-time NFL champion lead the team’s all-time interceptions list with 74 picks. As a member of the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, the Hall of Famer is also a member.
Patton
Second, on the Giants’ all-time interceptions list is Patton, so he’s an easy choice at the other safety spot, as he made five straight Pro Bowls as a Giant in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Lawrence Tynes
Over nine seasons, he only made 57.5 percent of his field goals. Compared to Gogolak, Tynes only played for the Giants for six years, but he kicked 83.6 percent of his field goals. Because he also made some important play-off kicks, he helped the New York Giants win two Super Bowls, too.
Dave Jennings
Jennings is the only punter in the Ring of Honor for the Giants, and for good reason. He played 11 seasons with the Giants and made the Pro Bowl four times.
Zak DeOssie
In football, there aren’t a lot of stats for long snappers, but the fact that they’ve been around for a long time shows that they’re good at what they do. He was the long snapper for the Giants for 13 years and made two Pro Bowls during that time.
It starts with Taylor. Taylor is the biggest slam-dunk pick on the list for linebackers, just like for defensive line, This might be the best all-around player on defense in NFL history. Taylor has seven straight seasons with more than 10 sacks and made each of his first 10 Pro Bowl appearances, which is a record. Taylor was the league’s MVP in 1985, and he’s one of the best pass-rushers in history. He could take over any game from his linebacker spot in any game, so he’s very important.
