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Big Blue Wrecking Crew
The Big Blue Wrecking Crew was the defense for the New York Giants during the 1980s that won two Super Bowl championships and three NFC East titles, the first in Super Bowl XXI in 1986 and the other in Super Bowl XXV in 1990. A 3-4 defense, it was among the greatest NFL defenses of all time, and featured Lawrence Taylor as its star, considered by many to be the greatest defensive player in NFL history.
The New York Giants, while historically a successful franchise, suffered a long playoff drought lasting from 1964 after losing the 1963 NFL Championship to the Chicago Bears until 1981 when they clinched their first playoff berth in 17 seasons on the last day of the regular season by defeating the Dallas Cowboys with a game-winning field goal in overtime.
The New York Giants of the 1970s struggled, posting losing records in 9 of the 10 seasons from 1971 to 1980. The Giants fortunes began to shift in 1981 with the drafting of Lawrence Taylor, as well as the shrewd management of general manager George Young, and the leadership of linebacker coach, defensive coordinator and eventual head coach Bill Parcells. The personnel moves of Young and the hard-line attitude and aggressive coaching of Parcells would be the primary factors of the rise of the Giants in the 1980s. Additionally, the drafting of Taylor began the era of perhaps the greatest linebacker corps in NFL history: the Crunch Bunch.
The Crunch Bunch was an impressive group of linebackers, including future Hall of Famers Harry Carson and Lawrence Taylor as well as five-time Pro Bowler Brad Van Pelt and Brian Kelley. As a unit they totaled 24 Pro Bowl selections and though they only played together for three seasons from 1981 through 1983 it set the foundation for Giants defensive dominance through the 1980s. The unit was anchored by Taylor, who NFL Network named the 3rd greatest player of all time and the best defensive player. The defensive coordinator of the Giants during this span was Bill Belichick, who would go on to coach the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl championships.
The Giants drove me crazy. They gave me the most fits. They were the opposite of Buddy Ryan's Bears defense. They played that soft two-deep zone that didn't allow any big plays. You had to earn everything you got against the Giants.
— —Joe Gibbs
This defensive unit first truly came to the forefront during the 1986 season, and was among the most fearsome of all time, a beautiful example of the 3-4 defense. It featured a powerful defensive line, with George Martin and Leonard Marshall at defensive end, and Jim Burt at nose tackle. The linebacker corps for this team was relentless, featuring Lawrence Taylor as the "Jack", Gary Reasons as the "Will", Harry Carson as the "Mike" and Carl Banks as the "Sam". This front 7 formed what is among the greatest rushing defenses of all time, giving up merely 80.2 rushing yards per game. Additionally, the team accrued 59 sacks, 24 interceptions, and only gave up 14.8 points per game powering the Giants to a 14–2 record.
In the playoffs the Big Blue Wrecking Crew held the San Francisco 49ers, led by Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana to 3 points (and scored themselves on an interception return for a touchdown by Lawrence Taylor) to win 49–3 in the divisional round and shut out a powerful Washington Redskins offense that averaged 23 points per game during the regular season in the NFC Championship 17–0. Although the Redskins posted a 12–4 record of their own in 1986 and made it to the NFC championship game the Giants still beat them 3 times in that season accounting for 3 of their 5 losses.
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Big Blue Wrecking Crew
The Big Blue Wrecking Crew was the defense for the New York Giants during the 1980s that won two Super Bowl championships and three NFC East titles, the first in Super Bowl XXI in 1986 and the other in Super Bowl XXV in 1990. A 3-4 defense, it was among the greatest NFL defenses of all time, and featured Lawrence Taylor as its star, considered by many to be the greatest defensive player in NFL history.
The New York Giants, while historically a successful franchise, suffered a long playoff drought lasting from 1964 after losing the 1963 NFL Championship to the Chicago Bears until 1981 when they clinched their first playoff berth in 17 seasons on the last day of the regular season by defeating the Dallas Cowboys with a game-winning field goal in overtime.
The New York Giants of the 1970s struggled, posting losing records in 9 of the 10 seasons from 1971 to 1980. The Giants fortunes began to shift in 1981 with the drafting of Lawrence Taylor, as well as the shrewd management of general manager George Young, and the leadership of linebacker coach, defensive coordinator and eventual head coach Bill Parcells. The personnel moves of Young and the hard-line attitude and aggressive coaching of Parcells would be the primary factors of the rise of the Giants in the 1980s. Additionally, the drafting of Taylor began the era of perhaps the greatest linebacker corps in NFL history: the Crunch Bunch.
The Crunch Bunch was an impressive group of linebackers, including future Hall of Famers Harry Carson and Lawrence Taylor as well as five-time Pro Bowler Brad Van Pelt and Brian Kelley. As a unit they totaled 24 Pro Bowl selections and though they only played together for three seasons from 1981 through 1983 it set the foundation for Giants defensive dominance through the 1980s. The unit was anchored by Taylor, who NFL Network named the 3rd greatest player of all time and the best defensive player. The defensive coordinator of the Giants during this span was Bill Belichick, who would go on to coach the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl championships.
The Giants drove me crazy. They gave me the most fits. They were the opposite of Buddy Ryan's Bears defense. They played that soft two-deep zone that didn't allow any big plays. You had to earn everything you got against the Giants.
— —Joe Gibbs
This defensive unit first truly came to the forefront during the 1986 season, and was among the most fearsome of all time, a beautiful example of the 3-4 defense. It featured a powerful defensive line, with George Martin and Leonard Marshall at defensive end, and Jim Burt at nose tackle. The linebacker corps for this team was relentless, featuring Lawrence Taylor as the "Jack", Gary Reasons as the "Will", Harry Carson as the "Mike" and Carl Banks as the "Sam". This front 7 formed what is among the greatest rushing defenses of all time, giving up merely 80.2 rushing yards per game. Additionally, the team accrued 59 sacks, 24 interceptions, and only gave up 14.8 points per game powering the Giants to a 14–2 record.
In the playoffs the Big Blue Wrecking Crew held the San Francisco 49ers, led by Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana to 3 points (and scored themselves on an interception return for a touchdown by Lawrence Taylor) to win 49–3 in the divisional round and shut out a powerful Washington Redskins offense that averaged 23 points per game during the regular season in the NFC Championship 17–0. Although the Redskins posted a 12–4 record of their own in 1986 and made it to the NFC championship game the Giants still beat them 3 times in that season accounting for 3 of their 5 losses.