David Tyree's 'Helmet Catch' ranked top play in Super Bowl history
With the Senior Bowl now in the rearview mirror, we have officially entered Super Bowl week.
The Giants have been in five Super Bowls throughout the franchise's history and have come out on top in four of those games. The four Super Bowl titles are tied with the Green Bay Packers for the fifth-most in NFL history.
When discussing the Giants' Super Bowl wins, it is impossible not to mention David Tyree's 'Helmet Catch' against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, a play which was ranked as the No. 1 play in Super Bowl history by NFL Films.
Facing a third-and-5 from their own 44-yard line while losing 14-10, Eli Manning was able to somehow escape the grasp of three Patriots defenders before heaving the ball downfield. Miraculously, Tyree made a leaping grab by pressing the ball against his helmet while New England's Rodney Harrison aggressively tried knocking it loose. The play gained 32 yards and led to the game-winning touchdown a few plays later, all of which occurred within the final minute of the game.
Tyree's incredible reception wasn't the only play from the Giants to make the NFL's Top 100 in Super Bowl history. In fact, it wasn't even the only play from that same game to crack the top 100. Plaxico Burress's 13-yard game-winning touchdown grab just four plays after Tyree's catch ranked No. 11 on the all-time list.
Coming in at No. 10 was Mario Manningham's impressive 38-yard sideline reception to start the Giants' game-winning touchdown drive against the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. Eight players later, Ahmad Bradshaw would score on a six-yard run to give the Giants a 21-17 lead with just 1:04 remaining.
The Giants had one play from their Super Bowl XXV victory over the Buffalo Bills to make the league's top 100 list, and it came at the hands and feet of wide receiver Mark Ingram. Down by two midway through the third quarter, Ingram caught a short pass from Jeff Hostetler on third and 13 and was able to fight his way for 14 yards and a first down. The play extended the drive and led to a touchdown run by Ottis Anderson to give the Giants the lead. This play landed at No. 49.
Two other plays from the Giants cracked the list, both of which came from Phil McConkey in Super Bowl XXI. Up 19-10 towards the end of the third quarter, the Giants ran the flea flicker to perfection and Phil Simms connected with McConkey for 44 yards, setting the Giants up on Denver's one-yard line. Joe Morris would punch it in for a touchdown on the following play, extending the Giants' lead to 26-10. The flea flicker reception came in at No. 63.
Only a few minutes later following an Elvis Patterson interception, McConkey would catch a six-yard touchdown pass from Phil Simms. The ball was first deflected up in the air by Mark Bavaro before McConkey snagged it, and the score gave the Giants a 33-10 lead. McConkey's touchdown catch was ranked No. 70 on the NFL's all-time list.
PFF's favorite draft prospect at each position
We are less than three months away from the 2021 NFL Draft, meaning a lot can change between now and April 29.
Despite the calendar just now turning to February, it is never too early to start learning about this year's crop of draft prospects.
Pro Football Focus compiled a list of the site's favorite prospects who are not getting the same amount of hype as top players such as Alabama's DeVonta Smith or Penn State's Micah Parsons. While there may not be as much buzz surrounding these players, the analytics site believes they each "have an elite grading profile combined with a physical skill set that's proven to succeed at their respective position in the NFL."
Here are some of PFF's Michael Renner's favorite draft prospects:
WR Elijah Moore, Ole Miss: (91.2 overall grade in 2020)
"Moore may get pigeonholed as an undersized slot only — the position he played this past year at Ole Miss — but that shouldn't necessarily be a bad thing with how dominant he was there. Moore not only possesses speed, but he also has quicks. More importantly, though, he's as tough as they come. He hauled in 9-of-11 contested targets this year despite being only 5-foot-9, 185 pounds. On top of all that, Moore won't even turn 21 until days before the draft."
OT Christian Darrisaw, Virginia Tech: (95.6 overall grade)
"Don't be surprised if we hear Darrisaw's name creeping up draft boards toward the top 10 this year. He's a people-mover who barely lost this past season. Despite facing a relatively tough slate of rushers in the ACC, Darrisaw didn't allow a single sack or hit and only gave up six pressures."
IOL Landon Dickerson, Alabama: (91.3 overall grade)
"Sadly, Dickerson's draft stock will take a hit after he tore his ACL in the SEC title game. But given the kind of person he is, it would be unwise to write him off as a rookie. Dickerson led the Power 5 with 14 big-time blocks this season, and that came playing high-level SEC competition and two playoff games. He was consistently excellent when he wasn't pancaking guys, too, and should be a steal wherever he lands on Day 2."
LB Nick Bolton, Missouri: (74.7 overall grade)
"The 74.7 grade may not sound impressive, but if you take it back to the beginning of 2019 when Bolton took over as the starter, his 91.2 overall grade is easily the highest of any Power 5 linebacker who played both seasons (Micah Parsons' 91.6 from 2019 has him beat). In fact, the next closest in the draft class is Auburn's K.J. Britt at 81.8. Bolton doesn't have quite ideal physical tools, but he has more than enough to be a quality middle linebacker in the league."
CB Asante Samuel Jr., Florida State: (81.8 overall grade)
"Cornerbacks at every single level of football were under fire this past fall, but Samuel still managed to come out unscathed. His 82.8 coverage grade was the eighth-highest among all starting cornerbacks in college football. He allowed a passer rating of 46.2 in his coverage all season, giving up only seven first downs and one touchdown all year. With similar instincts and athleticism to his father, Samuel seems a safe bet to overcome his small stature."
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah updated his ranking of the top 50 prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft for the final time before the start of the draft.
No. 50 Georgia CB Eric Stokes
No. 49 Oregon S Jevon Holland
No. 48 LSU WR Terrace Marshall Jr.
No. 47 Notre Dame OT Liam Eichenberg
No. 46 Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth
No. 45 Wisconsin-Whitewater IOL Quinn Meinerz
No. 44 Oklahoma EDGE Ronnie Perkins
No. 43 Alabama DT Christian Barmore
No. 42 Houston EDGE Payton Turner
No. 41 Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman
No. 40 Alabama IOL Landon Dickerson
No. 39 Florida State CB Asante Samuel Jr.
No. 38 Virginia Tech OT Christian Darrisaw
No. 37 North Dakota State OT Dillon Radunz
No. 36 Oklahoma State OT Teven Jenkins
No. 35 Michigan OT Jalen Mayfield
No. 34 Missouri LB Nick Bolton
No. 33 Washington EDGE Joe Tryon
No. 32 Alabama QB Mac Jones
No. 31 Penn State EDGE Jayson Oweh
No. 30 Georgia EDGE Azeez Ojulari
No. 29 Washington DT Levi Onwuzurike
No. 28 Florida WR Kadarius Toney
No. 27 Northwestern CB Greg Newsome II
No. 26 Mississippi WR Elijah Moore
No. 25 North Carolina RB Javonte Williams
No. 24 Tulsa LB Zaven Collins
No. 23 Kentucky LB Jamin Davis
No. 22 Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley
No. 21 Miami EDGE Jaelan Phillips
No. 20 Alabama RB Najee Harris
No. 19 Clemson RB Travis Etienne
No. 18 Miami EDGE Gregory Rousseau
No. 17 Michigan EDGE Kwity Paye
No. 16 TCU S Trevon Moehrig
No. 15 Notre Dame LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
No. 14 South Carolina CB Jaycee Horn
No. 13 USC OL Alijah Vera-Tucker
No. 12 Penn State LB Micah Parsons
No. 11 Oregon OT Penei Sewell
No. 10 Northwestern OT Rashawn Slater
No. 9 Alabama CB Patrick Surtain II
No. 8 Ohio State QB Justin Fields
No. 7 North Dakota State QB Trey Lance
No. 6 Alabama WR DeVonta Smith
No. 5 Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle
No. 4 BYU QB Zach Wilson
No. 3 LSU WR Ja'Marr Chase
No. 2 Florida TE Kyle Pitts
No. 1 Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence
Best of Mic'd Up from 2020 season
From Head Coach Joe Judge's debut to rookie safety Xavier McKinney's game-sealing Week 17 interception, go behind the scenes with the best of the Giants wired up from the 2020 season.
