1987 New York Giants season

1987 New York Giants season
Owner	Wellington Mara
General manager	George Young
Head coach	Bill Parcells
Offensive coordinator	Ron Erhardt
Defensive coordinator	Bill Belichick
Home field	Giants Stadium
Results
Record	6–9
Division place	5th NFC East
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	LB Lawrence Taylor

The 1987 season was the New York Giants' 63rd in the National Football League (NFL) and their fifth under head coach Bill Parcells. The Giants entered the season as the defending Super Bowl champion but failed to qualify for the playoffs. They were the sixth team in NFL history to enter a season as the defending Super Bowl champion and miss the playoffs. The Giants started the season 0–5, becoming the first defending Super Bowl champion to lose their first 5 games. Ultimately, the Giants never recovered from their 0–5 start and failed to improve on their 14–2 record from 1986 and finished at 6–9. Despite having a talented roster, they were unable to put together a winning streak and ultimately missed the playoffs. It was a stark contrast to their dominance in 1986, leaving fans disheartened by the sudden downturn.

Offseason

NFL Draft

Main article: 1987 NFL draft

1987 New York Giants draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	28	Mark Ingram	WR	Michigan State
2	55	Adrian White	DB	Florida
3	83	Stephen Baker	WR	Fresno State
4	112	Odessa Turner	WR	Northwestern State
5	140	Paul O'Connor	G	Miami (FL)
6	160	Tim Richardson	RB	Pacific
6	168	Doug Riesenberg	OT	California
8	223	Rod Jones	TE	Washington
9	225	Stan Parker	G	Nebraska
9	251	Dana Wright	RB	Findlay
10	279	Chuck Faucette	LB	Maryland
11	307	Dave Walter	QB	Michigan Tech
12	321	Bill Berthusen	DT	Iowa State
12	329	Chad Stark	RB	North Dakota State
Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

1987 New York Giants staff

Front office President – Wellington Mara General manager – George Young Director of pro personnel – Tim Rooney Head coaches Head coach – Bill Parcells Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Ron Erhardt Offensive backfield – Ray Handley Receivers – Pat Hodgson Tight ends – Mike Pope Offensive line – Fred Hoaglin

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Bill Belichick Defensive line – Lamar Leachman Defensive backfield – Len Fontes Defensive assistant – Mike Sweatman Special teams coaches Special teams – Romeo Crennel Assistant special teams – Mike Sweatman Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Johnny Parker

NFL replacement players

After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:

1987 New York Giants replacement roster
Quarterbacks  8 Mike Busch  9 Jim Crocicchia 15 Paul Kelly Running backs 26 Earl Beecham 29 Jaime Covington 36 Robert DiRico 41 Kaulana Park Wide receivers 10 Beau Almodobar 87 Lewis Bennett 19 Mack Cummings 88 Edwin Lovelady 18 Reggie McGowan 84 Warren Seitz Tight ends 83 Charles Coleman 85 Jeff Smith		Offensive linemen 64 Mike Black 72 Kelvin Davis 68 Bill Dugan 78 Kevin Meuth 74 Russell Mitchell 61 Dan Morgan 76 Frank Sutton 59 Gregg Swartwoudt 73 Scott Urch Defensive linemen 77 Dennis Borcky 99 Reggie Carr 94 Curtis Garrett 71 Anthony Howard 93 Brian Sisley 98 Bini Scott		Linebackers 91 Charlie Burgess 95 Chris Davis 59 Dan DeRose 65 Jerry Kimmel 96 Frank Nicholson 97 Warren Thompson 92 Jeff Tootle Defensive backs 21 Boris Byrd 49 Jimmy Norris 28 Rob Porter 31 Steve Rehage 38 Doug Smith 45 Jim Yarbrough Special teams  3 George Benyola K  6 Dana Moore P

Roster

1987 New York Giants roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 15 Jeff Hostetler 17 Jeff Rutledge 11 Phil Simms Running backs (RB) 33 George Adams 24 Ottis Anderson 44 Maurice Carthon 30 Tony Galbreath 20 Joe Morris 22 Lee Rouson Wide receivers (WR) 85 Stephen Baker 82 Mark Ingram Sr. 86 Lionel Manuel 80 Phil McConkey 83 Odessa Turner Tight ends (TE) 89 Mark Bavaro 84 Zeke Mowatt

Offensive linemen (OL) 67 Billy Ard G 60 Brad Benson T 61 Chris Godfrey G 68 Damian Johnson G 59 Brian Johnston C 65 Bart Oates C 72 Doug Riesenberg T 66 William Roberts T Defensive linemen (DL) 79 Bill Berthusen DT 77 Eric Dorsey DE 74 Erik Howard NT 70 Leonard Marshall DE 75 George Martin DE 73 John Washington DE

Linebackers (LB) 58 Carl Banks OLB 53 Harry Carson ILB 54 Andy Headen OLB 57 Byron Hunt OLB 52 Pepper Johnson ILB 51 Robbie Jones ILB 55 Gary Reasons ILB 56 Lawrence Taylor OLB Defensive backs (DB) 47 Donald Brown CB 25 Mark Collins CB 28 Tom Flynn FS 48 Kenny Hill SS 43 Terry Kinard FS 46 Greg Lasker SS 27 Herb Welch FS 36 Adrian White 23 Perry Williams CB Special teams  2 Raúl Allegre K  5 Sean Landeta P

Reserve 64 Jim Burt NT (IR) 21 Harvey Clayton CB (IR) 19 Mack Cummings WR (IR) 63 Karl Nelson T (IR) 81 Stacy Robinson WR (IR) Rookies in italics

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue
1	August 15	at New England Patriots	W 19–17	1–0	Foxboro Stadium
2	August 22	Cleveland Browns	W 24–10	2–0	Giants Stadium
3	August 29	New York Jets	L 23–30	3–0	Giants Stadium
4	September 5	at Pittsburgh Steelers	W 26–20	3–1	Three Rivers Stadium

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	September 14	at Chicago Bears	L 19–34	0–1	Soldier Field	Recap
2	September 20	Dallas Cowboys	L 14–16	0–2	Giants Stadium	Recap
3	—	at Miami Dolphins	Cancelled due to the 1987 NFL strike
4	October 5	San Francisco 49ers	L 21–41	0–3	Giants Stadium	Recap
5	October 11	Washington Redskins	L 12–38	0–4	Giants Stadium	Recap
6	October 18	at Buffalo Bills	L 3–6 (OT)	0–5	Rich Stadium	Recap
7	October 25	St. Louis Cardinals	W 30–7	1–5	Giants Stadium	Recap
8	November 2	at Dallas Cowboys	L 24–33	1–6	Texas Stadium	Recap
9	November 8	New England Patriots	W 17–10	2–6	Giants Stadium	Recap
10	November 15	at Philadelphia Eagles	W 20–17	3–6	Veterans Stadium	Recap
11	November 22	at New Orleans Saints	L 14–23	3–7	Louisiana Superdome	Recap
12	November 29	at Washington Redskins	L 19–23	3–8	RFK Stadium	Recap
13	December 6	Philadelphia Eagles	W 23–20 (OT)	4–8	Giants Stadium	Recap
14	December 13	at St. Louis Cardinals	L 24–27	4–9	Busch Stadium	Recap
15	December 19	Green Bay Packers	W 20–10	5–9	Giants Stadium	Recap
16	December 27	New York Jets	W 20–7	6–9	Giants Stadium	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1

1 2 3 4 Total Giants 7 0 6 6 19 • Bears 3 7 14 10 34 Date: September 14 Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois Game start: 8:00 p.m. Game weather: 62 °F (16.7 °C), wind 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn) Referee: Jim Tunney Television network: ABC

Week 2

1 2 3 4 Total • Cowboys 3 7 3 3 16 Giants 7 0 7 0 14 Date: September 20 Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Game start: 4:00 p.m. Game weather: 60 °F (15.6 °C), wind 16 miles per hour (26 km/h; 14 kn) Referee: Jerry Markbreit

Week 3

1 2 3 4 Total • 49ers 3 14 10 14 41 Giants 0 7 0 14 21 Date: October 5 Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Game start: 9:00 p.m. Game weather: 56 °F (13.3 °C), wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn) Referee: Gene Barth Television network: ABC

Week 4

1 2 3 4 Total • Redskins 3 21 7 7 38 Giants 3 0 9 0 12 Date: October 11 Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Game start: 4:00 p.m. Game weather: 52 °F (11.1 °C), wind 13 miles per hour (21 km/h; 11 kn) Referee: Tom Dooley

Week 5

1 2 3 4 OT Total Giants 0 0 3 0 0 3 • Bills 0 0 0 3 3 6 Date: October 18 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game start: 4:00 p.m. Game weather: 53 °F (11.7 °C), wind 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn) Referee: Bob McElwee

Week 6

1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 0 0 0 7 7 • Giants 14 3 3 10 30 Date: October 25 Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Game start: 4:00 p.m. Game weather: 56 °F (13.3 °C), wind 19 miles per hour (31 km/h; 17 kn) Referee: Red Cashion

Week 7

1 2 3 4 Total Giants 0 10 7 7 24 • Cowboys 7 7 0 19 33 Date: November 2 Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas Game start: 8:00 p.m. Game weather: 69 °F (20.6 °C), wind 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn) Referee: Fred Wyant Television network: ABC

Week 8

1 2 3 4 Total Patriots 0 0 7 3 10 • Giants 0 14 3 0 17 Date: November 8 Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Game start: 8:00 p.m. Game weather: 55 °F (12.8 °C), wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn) Referee: Jerry Seeman

Week 9

1 2 3 4 Total • Giants 7 3 7 3 20 Eagles 10 0 7 0 17 Date: November 15 Location: Veterans Stadium • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C), wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn) Referee: Gordon McCarter

Scoring summary 1 PHI Randall Cunningham 4 yard run (Paul McFadden kick) Eagles 7–0 1 PHI Paul McFadden 25 yard field goal Eagles 10–0 1 NYG Lionel Manuel 36 yard pass from Jeff Rutledge (Raúl Allegre kick) Eagles 10–7 2 NYG Raúl Allegre 53 yard field goal Tie 10–10 3 PHI Keith Byars 8 yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Paul McFadden kick) Eagles 17–10 3 NYG George Adams 1 yard run (Raúl Allegre kick) Tie 17–17 4 NYG Raúl Allegre 52 yard field goal Giants 20–17

Week 10

1 2 3 4 Total Giants 0 7 7 0 14 • Saints 3 10 0 10 23 Date: November 22 Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana Game start: 3:00 p.m. Game weather: indoors (dome) Referee: Tom Dooley

Week 11

1 2 3 4 Total Giants 10 6 3 0 19 • Redskins 0 0 9 14 23 Date: November 29 Location: RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. Game start: 4:00 p.m. Game weather: 52 °F (11.1 °C), wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn) Referee: Pat Haggerty

Week 12

1 2 3 4 OT Total Eagles 0 6 0 14 0 20 • Giants 7 0 6 7 3 23 Date: December 6 Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 38 °F (3.3 °C), wind 22 miles per hour (35 km/h; 19 kn) Referee: Gene Barth

Week 13

1 2 3 4 Total Giants 7 3 7 7 24 • Cardinals 14 13 0 0 27 Date: December 13 Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri Game start: 3:00 p.m. Game weather: 34 °F (1.1 °C), wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn) Referee: Jerry Markbreit TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton & Terry Bradshaw

Week 14

1 2 3 4 Total Packers 0 0 3 7 10 • Giants 0 13 7 0 20 Date: December 19 Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Game start: 12:30 p.m. Game weather: 37 °F (2.8 °C), wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn) Referee: Jerry Seeman

Week 15

1 2 3 4 Total Jets 7 0 0 0 7 • Giants 0 17 3 0 20 Date: December 27 Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 35 °F (1.7 °C), wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn) Referee: Tom Dooley

Standings

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Washington Redskins(3)	11	4	0	.733	7–1	9–3	379	285	W1
Dallas Cowboys	7	8	0	.467	4–4	5–7	340	348	W2
St. Louis Cardinals	7	8	0	.467	3–5	7–7	362	368	L1
Philadelphia Eagles	7	8	0	.467	3–5	4–7	337	380	W2
New York Giants	6	9	0	.400	3–5	4–8	280	312	W2

Awards and honors

• Lawrence Taylor, NFC Pro Bowl selection
• Lawrence Taylor, Pro Football Weekly: 1st team all-conf.
• Lawrence Taylor, UPI: 2nd team all-conf.
• Lawrence Taylor, Associated Press: 2nd team all-NFL
• Lawrence Taylor, Pro Football Weekly: 1st team all-NFL

External links

• 1987 New York Giants at Pro-Football-Reference.com