2000 New York Giants season
| 2000 New York Giants season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Jim Fassel |
| General manager | Ernie Accorsi |
| Home field | Giants Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Division place | 1st NFC East |
| Playoff finish |
Won Divisional Playoffs (Eagles) 20–10 Won NFC Championship (Vikings) 41–0 Lost Super Bowl XXXV (Ravens) 34–7 |
| Pro Bowlers | 2 |
The 2000 New York Giants season was the 76th season the Giants have played football as a professional ball club in the National Football League (NFL). The team started the new millennium very impressively. The team finished 12-4 and played great football throughout the playoffs until the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens.
Offseason
NFL Draft
| 2000 New York Giants draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Ron Dayne | RB | Wisconsin | |
| 2 | 42 | Cornelius Griffin | DT | Alabama | |
| 3 | 73 | Ron Dixon | WR | Lambuth | |
| 4 | 105 | Brandon Short | LB | Penn State | |
| 5 | 140 | Ralph Brown | DB | Nebraska | |
| 6 | 177 | Dhani Jones | LB | Michigan | |
| 7 | 217 | Jeremiah Parker | DE | California | |
| Made roster | |||||
Personnel
Roster
| 2000 New York Giants final roster | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
| ||||||
Preseason
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Giants points | Opponents | Record |
| 1 | August 5 | Chicago Bears | Loss | 8 | 20 | 0–1 |
| 2 | August 11 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | Loss | 13 | 16 | 0–2 |
| 3 | August 18 | at New York Jets | Loss | 24 | 27 | 0–3 |
| 4 | August 25 | Baltimore Ravens | Loss | 17 | 24 | 0–4 |
Regular season
The Giants began the 2000 season hoping to get over the hump of coming short during their past two seasons. They would go on to finish the year with a 12–4 record and represented the NFC in Super Bowl XXXV.
With revived quarterback Kerry Collins the passing game improved from a previously mediocre attack. The running game averaged 256.5 yards per game and became known as the “thunder and lightning" backfield with Ron Dayne and Tiki Barber. The defense allowed just 246 points, with its greatest strength being against the run allowing a second best 3.2 yards per carry.
Early in the season the Giants’ record stood at 7–2 and coming off two double digit wins, before they lost two straight home games to decline to 7–4. That was when Head Coach Jim Fassel made a bold move and publicly stated in the postgame press conference: "This team is going to the playoffs". This became the defining moment of the season, and the Giants won their next five games to become the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Channel | Attendance | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 3, 2000 | Arizona Cardinals | W 21–16 | FOX 4:15 | |
1-0 |
| 2 | September 10, 2000 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 33–18 | FOX 4:15 | |
2-0 |
| 3 | September 17, 2000 | at Chicago Bears | W 14–7 | FOX 1:00 | |
3-0 |
| 4 | September 24, 2000 | Washington Redskins | L 6–16 | FOX 4:15 | |
3-1 |
| 5 | October 1, 2000 | at Tennessee Titans | L 14–28 | FOX 1:00 | |
3-2 |
| 6 | October 8, 2000 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 13–6 | FOX 1:00 | |
4-2 |
| 7 | October 15, 2000 | Dallas Cowboys | W 19–14 | FOX 1:00 | |
5-2 |
| 8 | Bye | |||||
| 9 | October 29, 2000 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 24–7 | FOX 4:05 | |
6-2 |
| 10 | November 5, 2000 | at Cleveland Browns | W 24–3 | FOX 1:00 | |
7-2 |
| 11 | November 12, 2000 | St. Louis Rams | L 24–38 | FOX 1:00 | |
7-3 |
| 12 | November 19, 2000 | Detroit Lions | L 21–31 | FOX 1:00 | |
7-4 |
| 13 | November 26, 2000 | at Arizona Cardinals | W 31–7 | ESPN 8:30 | |
8-4 |
| 14 | December 3, 2000 | at Washington Redskins | W 9–7 | FOX 1:00 | |
9-4 |
| 15 | December 10, 2000 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 30–10 | CBS 1:00 | |
10-4 |
| 16 | December 17, 2000 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 17–13 | ESPN 8:30 | |
11-4 |
| 17 | December 23, 2000 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 28–25 | CBS 1:00 | |
12-4 |
Standings
| NFC East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| (1) New York Giants | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 328 | 246 | W5 |
| (4) Philadelphia Eagles | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 351 | 245 | W2 |
| Washington Redskins | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 281 | 269 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 294 | 361 | L2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 210 | 443 | L7 |
Postseason
In the divisional playoffs, the Giants defeated MVP runner-up Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles 20–10, in which rookie WR Ron Dixon returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and Jason Sehorn intercepted a McNabb pass for a touchdown. The win was the third by the Giants over the Eagles for the season.
In the NFC Championship against the favored Minnesota Vikings, Kerry Collins threw five TDs (including two to Ike Hilliard) as they progressed to the franchise's 3rd Super Bowl by demolishing Minnesota 41–0. Combined with the Giants only other NFC championship game played at home (1986), the Giants have outscored their two opponents 58–0 in home NFC championship games.
In the Super Bowl, playing against arguably the greatest defense in history, the Giants were dominated and lost Super Bowl XXXV 34-7 against the Baltimore Ravens. Kerry Collins threw four interceptions, including one that was returned for a TD; the Giants scored their only touchdown with a Ron Dixon 97-yd second-half kickoff return. It was the Giants' only Super Bowl loss.
Awards and honors
- Ron Stone, NFC Pro Bowl Selection [3]
- Jessie Armstead NFC Pro Bowl selection
See also
References
- ↑ "2000 New York Giants Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 295
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 362