Players' legacies are made in the postseason, but they can't get there without first doing some special things in the regular season. With that in mind, the Giants.com crew debates the greatest individual seasons in franchise history.
John Schmeelk: Dan and Lance claimed the low-hanging fruit with Eli Manning's ridiculous fourth quarter production in the 2011 Super Bowl championship season and Lawrence Taylor's 20.5 sacks in 1986. This is where it gets a little tougher.
I'm going to dig into Giants history a little bit and reference two of Emlen Tunnell's seasons:
1949: 10 interceptions, 251 interception return yards, 2 return touchdowns, 26 punt returns, 315 punt return yards, 1 punt return touchdown.
1951: 9 interceptions, 74 interception return yards, 0 return touchdowns, 34 punt returns, 489 punt return yards, 3 punt return touchdowns
In both of those seasons, he was dominant as both a defensive back and a punt returner.
Another option for younger fans is Tiki Barber's 2005 season when he gained 2,390 yards from scrimmage, which is still the fourth-most productive season in NFL history, only behind seasons from Christian McCaffrey, Marshall Faulk and Chris Johnson. Barber was named first team All-Pro that year after rushing for 1,860 yards and over five yards per carry. He also caught 54 passes for 530 yards. He scored 11 touchdowns.
Barber's numbers that year may dwarf those of Frank Gifford's league leading 1,422 scrimmage yards in 1956, but it was a different era. Gifford was named first team All-Pro that season and was responsible for 11 touchdowns (including two passing). He deserves a mention for what was one of the best seasons in Giants history.
I will jump back to the modern age for one more great year: Michael Strahan's 2001 season. He was named Defensive Player of Year, first team All-Pro and set the NFL single season record with 22.5 sacks. His historic season shouldn't be overlooked.
When all is said and done, however, I am going to give the nod to Tunnell's 1949 season. He not only forced a lot of turnovers, he turned them into touchdowns while being one of the best punt returners in the NFL.
Dan Salomone: I don't think people appreciate Eli Manning's 2011 campaign. They "just" know the postseason heroics. The Giants had the last-ranked rushing attack and the sixth-worst defense in yardage allowed, and Manning put that team on his back with huge numbers. His 4,933 passing yards remain a single-season franchise record and were then the sixth-most in league history. That year, the Giants led the NFL with 18 completions of 40 or more yards. Manning was the first NFL quarterback to throw at least four touchdown passes of at least 72 yards since Kurt Warner and the "Greatest Show on Turf" in 2000.
Let's see, what else? Manning shattered a team record by completing 21 consecutive passes at one point. That was tied for the sixth-longest streak in NFL history and was the longest since his brother Peyton hit 23 straight in 2008.
Now here is where it gets legendary. Manning threw an NFL-record 15 fourth-quarter touchdown passes in 2011. The previous record of 14 was set by Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas in 1959 and tied by Peyton Manning in 2002.
Lance Medow: Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, but let's face it, there's really only one correct answer to this question. In 1986, Lawrence Taylor won NFL MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, led the league in sacks (20.5), was named to the Pro Bowl, earned first team All-Pro honors and helped the Giants win their first-ever Super Bowl title. He's just one of two defensive players (Vikings defensive tackle Alan Page – 1971) in NFL history to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season and the only defensive player to be unanimously voted league MVP.
Name another Giant who had that dominant a campaign and capped it off with both individual and team hardware. Taylor was responsible for more than one-third of his team's sacks (59) that season. He recorded six multi-sack games and wreaked havoc against every opposing quarterback. Thanks in large part to Taylor's dominant season, the Giants posted a 14-2 record and claimed the top seed in the NFC and ultimately cruised past the Niners, Redskins and Broncos en route to winning the Super Bowl. Taylor even returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown in the Divisional Round against San Francisco. Nothing comes close to what Taylor accomplished in 1986. It's not just the best individual season in team history. It's arguably one of the greatest individual seasons in NFL history.
The best photos of Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who was voted the No. 1 player in Giants history.
New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor, left, shares a laugh linebacker Pepper Johnson during the team's training camp on July 31, 1993 at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New York. (AP Photo/Kevin Larkin)
New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor (56) pressures Minnesota Vikings quarterback Jim McMahon Jan. 9, 1994 in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor (56) is congregated by Mark Collins (25) and Carl Banks (58) after his interception and touchdown run on a Joe Montana pass in the second quarter on Sunday, Jan. 4, 1986 in East Rutherford, N.J. at Giants stadium. The interception helped the Giants beat the San Francisco 49 ers 49-3 in their NFL playoff game. (AP Photo/Ray Stubblebine)
FILE - In a Jan. 20, 1991 file photo New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor runs after recovering a 49ers fumble in the fourth quarter of the NFC championship game to help win the game 15-13 in San Francisco. The two teams will meet again Sunday Jan. 22, 2012 to vie for the NFC championship. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli/file)
FILE - In this Jan. 25, 1987, file phot, New York Giants defense Lawrence Taylor (56), Erik Howard (74) and Leonard Marshall (70) celebrate over Denver broncos quarterback John Elway after he was sacked by George Martin (75) for safety in the second quarter of Super Bowl XXI in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ron Heflin, File)
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants forces Tampa Bay Buccaneer Quarterback Steve DeBerg to throw an incomplete pass to prevent a fourth quarter sack on Sunday, Sept. 24, 1984 game at the Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Ray Stubblebine)
LT at his Locker before his final home game 1993
New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor, dressed in shorts, heads for plane to Honolulu at Los Angeles International airport on Monday, Jan. 26, 1987. Taylor will participate in the Pro Bowl. Giants won Super Bowl Sunday with a 39-20 victory over Denver Broncos. (AP Photo/Bob Gablraith)
The defense of the New York Giants football team shown with their new poster,"The Crunch Bunch" subtitled, "The Board of De-Wreckers," in New York on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 1982. From left: Lawrence Taylor, Captain Harry Carson, Brad Van Pelt and Brian Kelly. (AP Photo/Mario Suriani)
New York Giants Lawrence Taylor, left, and Harry Carson open gifts and fan mail in the Giants locker room in East Rutherford after practice on Friday, Jan. 16, 1987. The Giants leave Sunday for Pasadena, California were they will face the Denver Broncos on January, 25 in Super Bowl XXI. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
New York Giants, from left, Lawrence Taylor, Jim Burt, Carl Banks, and Eric Dorsey pause during practice at the Giants training camp in Pleasantville, N.Y. on Monday, August 4, 1987. (AP Photo/G. Paul Burnett)
New York Giants star linebacker Lawrence Taylor is surrounded by reporters' microphones as he answers their questions during the morning press conferences on Jan. 22, 1987 in Anaheim. (AP Photo/Ray Stubblebine)
Former New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells, left, holds the Super Bowl XXV trophy while joining former linebacker Lawrence Taylor on stage during a 25 year anniversary celebration at halftime of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor waves to the crowd during a halftime ceremony of an NFL football game between the New York Giants and the Indianapolis Colts Monday, Nov. 3, 2014, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
This Oct. 25, 2009, file photo shows Football Hall of Famer and former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor gesturing to the crowd during a pregame ceremony before an NFL football game between the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Giants, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)
Former New York Giants Lawrence Taylor shows off his Hall of Fame ring that he received during a half time ceremony at Giants Stadium Monday, Oct. 18, 1999, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys 13-10. (AP Photo/Ed Betz)
Former New York Giants star Lawrence Taylor talks to the crowd during half time of the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants game at night on Monday, Oct. 10, 1994 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Taylor's old number was retired in his honor by the Giants. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Gatorade drenched New York Giants coach Bill Parcells, right, hugs his top linebacker Lawrence Taylor after the Giants clinched the NFC Eastern championship of the NFL with a 34-17 win over the Los Angeles Raiders at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, Dec. 24, 1989. (AP Photo/Ray Stubblebine)
Lawrence Taylor speaks to reporters during a news conference held for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's newest members in Los Angeles on Thursday, Feb. 4, 1999. Taylor, a New York Giants linebacker and the dominant defensive player of his time, was elected in his first year of eligibility. He was joined by running back Eric Dickerson, tight end Ozzie Newsome and guards Tom Mack and Billy Shaw. (AP Photo/Michael Caulfield)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski is sacked by New York Giants Lawrence Taylor for a four-yard loss during second quarter action at Philadelphia's Veterans' Stadium, Nov. 10, 1986. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)
Lawrene Taylor (56) of the New York Giants on the field at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington D.C. on December 19, 1982.
New York Giants coach Bill Parcells is carried on the shoulders of Lawrence Taylor (56) and Carl Banks (58) after winning the Super Bowl XXV in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 28, 1991. The Giants defeated the Buffalo Bills, 20-19. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor bites on a cigar as he signs an autograph on a football for a fan in the lobby of the team's Costa Mesa, California, hotel on Sunday, Jan. 19, 1987. The Giants arrived to begin workouts for next week's Superbowl. (AP Photo/Ray Stubblebine)
Washington Redskins Gerald Riggs tries to break free from New York Giants' Greg Jackson, on ground, as Giants' Lawrence Taylor, right, moves in to cap the play during first quarter action at RFK Stadium in Washington, Sept. 11, 1989. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
New York Giants Lawrence Taylor, (56), is hauled down by Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster, (52), after recovering a fumble by Steeler quarterback Mark Malone during the third quarter of NFL exhibition game in Pittsburgh at night on Friday, August 31, 1985. The Giants won the game 24-14. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
New York Giants quarterback Jeff Hostetler rolls backward into a handstand as Lawrence Taylor (56) hugs kicker Matt Bahr after game-winning field goal in final second of NFC championship game in San Francisco, Jan. 20, 1991. Hostetler held the ball then rolled into the handstand. Giants go to Super Bowl with 15-13 victory. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants during the Giants 19-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on September 8, 1991
Lawrence Taylor (56) of the New York Giants in action during Super Bowl XXV at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, FL on January 27, 1991. The Giants defeated the Buffalo Bills 20-19.
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants
Lawrence Taylor (56) of the New York Giants hits Troy Aikman (8) of the Dallas Cowboys during the Giants 15-0 win at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on December 16, 1989.
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants during the Giants 24-14 win over the Minnesota Vikings at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on October 30, 1989
Lawrence Taylor (56) of the New York Giants dumps Gatorade during a game from the Giants 1989 season at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
Lawrence Taylor (56) of the New York Giants on the sideline during a game from the Giants at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants during the Giants 34-17 win over the Los Angeles Raiders at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on December 24, 1989
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants during the Giants 35-7 win over the Phoenix Cardinals at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on September 24, 1989
Lawrence Taylor (56) of the New York Giants hits Steve Pelluer (16) of the Dallas Cowboys during the Giants 28-21 win at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on November 6, 1988.
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants during the Giants 28-12 win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on December 11, 1988
Lawrence Taylor (56) of the New York Giants in action during the Giants 24-14 win over the Washington Redskins at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington D.C. on December 7, 1986.
Lawrence Taylor (56) of the New York Giants pursues Stump Mitchell (30) of the St. Louis Cardinals during the Giants 27-7 win at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on December 14, 1986.
Lawrence Taylor (56) of the New York Giants returns an interception for a touchdown during the Giants 49-3 win over the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Playoff game at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on January 4, 1987.
Lawrence Taylor (56) of the New York Giants waits for the snap during the Giants 39-20 win over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA on January 25, 1987.
Lawrence Taylor (56) of the New York Giants celebrates during a game from the Giants 1986 season at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
Lawrence Taylor (56), Gary Reasons (55) and Kenny Hill (48) of the New York Giants purées Art Monk (81) of the Washington Redskins during the Giants 17-0 win in the NFC Championship Game at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on January 11, 1987.
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants during the Giants 17-3 win over the Washington Redskins at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on October 20, 1985..
Lawrence Taylor (56) of the New York Giants pressures Ron Jaworski (7) of the Philadelphia Eagles during the Giants 17-13 loss at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on October 9, 1983.
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants during the Giants 24-19 win over the Los Angeles Rams at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on November 10, 1985..
Lawrence Taylor (56) of the New York Giants in action during the Giants 17-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on October 9, 1983.
Lawrence Taylor (56) of the New York Giants pressures Dan Fouts (14) of the San Diego Chargers during the Giants 41-34 loss at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on October 2, 1983.
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants during the Giants 15-14 loss to the Washington Redskins at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC on December 19, 1982
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants during the Giants 23-15 win over the Minnesota Vikings at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on December 9, 1990
Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants during the Giants 21-14 win over the Tampa Bay Bucaneers at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, FL on November 24, 1991
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