2005 New York Giants season

2005 New York Giants season
Head coach Tom Coughlin
General manager Ernie Accorsi
Owner Wellington Mara
Bob Tisch
Home field Giants Stadium
Results
Record 11–5
Division place 1st NFC East
Playoff finish Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Panthers) 23–0

The 2005 New York Giants season began with the team trying to improve on their 6–10 record in 2004, which saw them end in second place in the NFC East. They achieved both these things as they finished the regular season with an 11 - 5 mark and were crowned champions of the NFC East.

Offseason

In the 2005 off–season the Giants acquired former Steelers' wide receiver Plaxico Burress as a free agent. Also, during the 2005 Draft, the Giants used their first pick on Louisiana St. Cornerback Corey Webster. They then used their next pick on Notre Dame Defensive End Justin Tuck. The rest of their picks included Southern Illinois Running Back Brandon Jacobs and Florida St. Defensive End Eric Moore.

Draft

Main article: 2005 NFL Draft
2005 New York Giants draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
2 43 Corey Webster  CB LSU
3 74 Justin Tuck *  DE Notre Dame
4 110 Brandon Jacobs  RB Southern Illinois
6 186 Eric Moore  DE Florida State
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Regular season

The Giants won their first two games of the season, against the Arizona Cardinals (42–19)[1] and a second game at the Meadowlands against the New Orleans Saints. The game was originally slated to be a home game for the Saints but had to be moved since the city of New Orleans was still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, and the Louisiana Superdome was untenable after being used as an emergency shelter for locals displaced by the hurricane.[2] Despite the Saints wearing their home colors and the Saints colors and logo being painted in one of the end zones, the game was a de facto home game for the Giants who won easily, 27–10.[1] The Giants lost to the Chargers the following week, 45–23,[1] in a game which was marked by Chargers fans booing and jeering Eli Manning for refusing to play for the Chargers. Manning and the Giants rebounded the following week however, and beat the St. Louis Rams by a score of 44–24.[1]

Through eight games, Burress, in a bid to become the first Giant wideout to make the Pro Bowl in 37 years, had 45 catches and five scores. Jeremy Shockey, who had not been as effective as he was in his rookie season, also was beginning to re-emerge with 32 catches and over 500 yards receiving after eight weeks.

Wellington Mara's gravesite

On October 25, 2005, beloved Giants patriarch Wellington Mara died after a brief illness, at the age of 89.[3] Mara had been involved with the Giants since he was 9 years old, when he was a ball boy for the Giants. Except a tour of duty in the military during World War II, Mara spent his entire adult life with the Giants. The New York Giants dedicated their next game to Mara, and shut out the Washington Redskins 36–0.[1] Afterwards, the Giants went on the road and defeated the San Francisco 49ers 24–6, but when they got home, lost to the Minnesota Vikings 24–21.[1] Just twenty days after Mara's death, on November 15, 2005, the other Giants Executive Officer and well-known businessman Bob Tisch died at the age of 79. He was diagnosed in 2004 with inoperable brain cancer. Tisch was a philanthropist all his life and donated considerable sums of money to charitable causes. After his diagnosis, he donated money to institutions aimed towards the research of drugs and treatments to control brain tumors.

Tiki Barber set Giants single season and single game rushing records in 2005.

The Giants then travelled to Seattle to play Seahawks. With the score tied at 21, kicker Jay Feely missed three field goals that would have given the Giants the lead.[4] The Giants lost 24–21 when Seahawks kicker Josh Brown kicked a 36-yard field goal.[4] The Giants then defeated the Cowboys 17–10.[5] the Giants defense made opposing QB Drew Bledsoe go 15 of 39 for 146 yards with only one touchdown pass and two interceptions.[5] The Giants then traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and defeated the defending NFC champion Eagles 26–23.[1]

During the season, the Giants and their stadium mates, the New York Jets, announced plans for a new stadium to replace Giants Stadium for both teams. Construction of said stadium began in 2007 and continued for two years, and the venue opened in 2010 as New Meadowlands Stadium. In 2011 naming rights would be bought by MetLife.

On December 17, 2005, in their 27–17 home victory against the Kansas City Chiefs, Tiki Barber set the team's single game rushing yard record with 220 yards, breaking the previous record of 218 yards, which had been set by Gene Roberts on November 12, 1950.[6]

The Giants were able to clinch at least a wild card berth without playing when the Minnesota Vikings fell to the Baltimore Ravens 30–23 in week 16. The Giants then won the NFC East title for the first time since 2000 with a 30–21 win against the Oakland Raiders. The team's appearance in the 2005 postseason was their 27th, tied with the Dallas Cowboys and the St. Louis Rams for the most ever by an NFL team.

Playoffs

The Giants lost 23–0 to the Carolina Panthers in the first round.[1] The Giants sent five players to the Pro Bowl. Barber and Shockey went representing the offense, while Strahan and Osi Umenyiora represented the defense and David Tyree was voted as the NFC's special teams player (non-kicker).[7]), .[8]

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Channel Attendance
1 September 11, 2005 Arizona Cardinals W 42–19 FOX 4:15
78,387
2 September 19, 2005 at New Orleans Saints W 27–10 ABC 7:30
68,031
3 September 25, 2005 at San Diego Chargers L 45–23 ESPN 8:30
65,373
4 October 2, 2005 St. Louis Rams W 44–24 FOX 1:00
78,453
5 Bye
6 October 16, 2005 at Dallas Cowboys L 16–13 FOX 1:00
62,278
7 October 23, 2005 Denver Broncos W 24–23 CBS 4:15
78,516
8 October 30, 2005 Washington Redskins W 36–0 FOX 1:00
78,630
9 November 6, 2005 at San Francisco 49ers W 24–6 FOX 4:05
63,820
10 November 13, 2005 Minnesota Vikings L 24–21 FOX 1:00
78,637
11 November 20, 2005 Philadelphia Eagles W 27–17 FOX 1:00
78,626
12 November 27, 2005 at Seattle Seahawks L 24–21 FOX 4:15
67,102
13 December 4, 2005 Dallas Cowboys W 17–10 FOX 1:00
78,645
14 December 11, 2005 at Philadelphia Eagles W 26–23 FOX 1:00
67,443
15 December 17, 2005 Kansas City Chiefs W 27–17 CBS 4:15
78,625
16 December 24, 2005 at Washington Redskins L 35–20 FOX 1:00
90,477
17 December 31, 2005 at Oakland Raiders W 30–21 ESPN 8:30
44,594
Playoffs
Wild Card January 8, 2006 Carolina Panthers L 23–0 FOX 1:00
79,378

Game summary

Week 14

1 234OTTotal
• Giants 7 10333 26
Eagles 7 10060 23

[9]

Standings

NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(4) New York Giants 11 5 0 .688 4–2 8–4 422 314 W1
(6) Washington Redskins 10 6 0 .625 5–1 10–2 359 293 W5
Dallas Cowboys 9 7 0 .563 3–3 7–5 325 308 L1
Philadelphia Eagles 6 10 0 .375 0–6 3–9 310 388 L2

Images

See also

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 2005 New York Giants, databasefootball.com, accessed March 16, 2007.
  2. ↑ Maske, Mark. Saints to Play Home Opener at Giants Stadium, Washington Post, September 3, 2005, accessed March 23, 2007.
  3. ↑ Goldstein, Richard. Wellington Mara, the Patriarch of the N.F.L., Dies at 89, The New York Times, October 26, 2005, accessed April 17, 2007.
  4. 1 2 Associated Press, Three missed FGs doom Giants in OT loss to Seahawks, November 27, 2005, accessed March 21, 2007.
  5. 1 2 Associated Press, Giants alone atop NFC East after narrow win vs. 'Boys, December 4, 2005, accessed March 21, 2007.
  6. ↑ Associated Press, Tiki torches Chiefs in Giants' win, December 17, 2005, accessed March 21, 2007.
  7. ↑ Tiki Barber plans to stay busy after retirement, NFL.com, accessed March 22, 2007.
  8. ↑ 2005 New York Giants, pro-football-reference.com, accessed March 21, 2007.
  9. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 21, 2013.

External links

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