2004 New York Giants season

2004 New York Giants season
Head coach Tom Coughlin
General manager Ernie Accorsi
Owner Wellington Mara
Home field Giants Stadium
Results
Record 6–10
Division place 2nd NFC East
Playoff finish did not qualify

The 2004 NFL season was the 80th season for the New York Giants. After starting the season 5–2 the Giants lost 8 games in a row before winning the final game of the season to finish 6–10 and 2nd place in the NFC East.

Off-season

Former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin was hired to replace Jim Fassel, who was fired following the conclusion of the 2003 season. Departures: Kerry Collins, Brian Mitchell, Kenny Holmes, Brandon Short, Cornelius Griffin, Keith Hamilton, Michael Barrow, Matt Bryant.

NFL draft

Main article: Manning-Rivers trade

Due to their poor record from the previous season, the Giants were guaranteed one of the first four picks in the draft. Since they finished with the same record as the San Diego Chargers, the Oakland Raiders, and the Arizona Cardinals, tiebreakers would determine who received which pick and the Giants were given the fourth pick. That year, Ole Miss quarterback and Heisman trophy finalist Eli Manning was slated to be the #1 pick. That pick was in the possession of the Chargers, whom Manning was refusing to play for. Although forecasts saw the Giants picking either Robert Gallery, an offensive lineman from Iowa who went to the Raiders with the second pick, or Ben Roethlisberger, a quarterback from Miami of Ohio who went later in the draft to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team was looking to trade with the Chargers to acquire the pick. Instead, on draft day, a scenario was initiated where the Chargers drafted Manning, the Giants drafted North Carolina State's quarterback Philip Rivers, and the picks were swapped for each other.

The Giants also selected former Boston College offensive guard Chris Snee, Auburn linebacker Reggie Torbor, and strong safety Gibril Wilson.

Main article: 2004 NFL Draft
2004 New York Giants draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 4 Philip Rivers *  QB NC State Traded to SD
2 34 Chris Snee  OG Boston College
4 97 Reggie Torbor  DE Auburn
5 136 Gibril Wilson  S Tennessee
6 168 Jamaar Taylor  WR Texas A&M
7 203 Drew Strojny  OT Duke
7 253 Isaac Hilton  DL Hampton
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[1]

Regular season

Although the Giants had traded for Eli Manning, the season began with veteran quarterback and former league MVP Kurt Warner as the starter. After a season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Warner and the Giants enjoyed surprising success, starting a four-game winning streak that included road victories over the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers. Following a Halloween rout of the Minnesota Vikings, 34–14, the Giants were 5–2, trailing the then-undefeated Philadelphia Eagles by just two games.

The high-water mark of the Giants season came on November 7, when the Giants led the Bears 14–0 at the end of the first quarter. Over the rest of the game, though, the Giants turned the ball over five times, allowed the Bears to score 28 unanswered points (20 in the second quarter) and lost by a score of 28–21. After another loss, this time on the road against the Arizona Cardinals, Giants coach Tom Coughlin decided to replace Warner with Manning. The decision did not show immediate success, as the Giants turned the ball over ten times in the next four games, scoring a total of 37 points.

Close losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Bengals followed, dropping the Giants to 5–10. The season did end with a slight possibility of succeeding, as the Giants rallied from a 16–7 fourth quarter deficit to end the season with a 28–24 victory over the rival Dallas Cowboys. Manning threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, and Tiki Barber scored the game winner.

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 12, 2004 at Philadelphia Eagles L 31–17
67,532
2 September 19, 2004 Washington Redskins W 20–14
78,767
3 September 26, 2004 Cleveland Browns W 27–10
78,521
4 October 3, 2004 at Green Bay Packers W 14–7
70,623
5 October 10, 2004 at Dallas Cowboys W 26–10
64,018
6 Bye
7 October 24, 2004 Detroit Lions L 28–13
78,841
8 October 31, 2004 at Minnesota Vikings W 34–13
64,012
9 November 7, 2004 Chicago Bears L 28–21
78,786
10 November 14, 2004 at Arizona Cardinals L 17–14
42,297
11 November 21, 2004 Atlanta Falcons L 14–10
78,793
12 November 28, 2004 Philadelphia Eagles L 27–6
78,830
13 December 5, 2004 at Washington Redskins L 31–7
87,872
14 December 12, 2004 at Baltimore Ravens L 37–14
69,856
15 December 18, 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers L 33–30
78,836
16 December 26, 2004 at Cincinnati Bengals L 23–22
64,606
17 January 2, 2005 Dallas Cowboys W 28–24
78,500

Game summaries

Week 1

1 234Total
Giants 7 307 17
• Eagles 14 1070 31

[2]

Week 2

1 234Total
Redskins 7 007 14
• Giants 0 2000 20
  • Date: September 19
  • Location: Giants Stadium
  • Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 3:11
  • Game attendance: 78,767
  • Game weather: 62°F; wind 16
  • Referee: Tom White
  • Television network: Fox

[3]

Standings

NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(1) Philadelphia Eagles 13 3 0 .813 6–0 11–1 386 260 L2
New York Giants 6 10 0 .375 3–3 5–7 303 347 W1
Dallas Cowboys 6 10 0 .375 2–4 5–7 293 405 L1
Washington Redskins 6 10 0 .375 1–5 6–6 240 265 W1

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 2004 NFL Draft Results – Round 1
  2. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Dec-27.
  3. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Sep-12.
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