1992 New York Giants season

1992 New York Giants season
Head coachRay Handley
Home fieldGiants Stadium
Results
Record6–10
Division place4th in NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersRB Rodney Hampton

The 1992 New York Giants season was the franchise's 68th season in the National Football League. The Giants finished in fourth place in the National Football Conference East Division with a 6–10 record.[1] Head coach Ray Handley was fired after this season,[2] when the Giants lost six of seven games, after starting the season at 5–4.[1]

Injuries marred the Giants' season, especially at quarterback. Phil Simms, once again the team's starting quarterback, suffered a season-ending elbow injury in Week 4. With Simms out the team once again turned to Jeff Hostetler, the Giants' original 1991 starter and winner of Super Bowl XXV, to take his place. Hostetler, who had his own troubles with injuries including a broken back that ended his 1991 season, soon found himself out of the lineup after suffering a concussion in Week 12.[3][4] The Giants were then forced to turn to a pair of rookies, Kent Graham and Dave Brown, but Graham suffered from elbow and shoulder problems, and Brown suffered a broken right thumb.[5][6] Hostetler returned for the final two games of the season, a win over the Kansas City Chiefs and a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.[4][7]

Perhaps the most catastrophic injury was the torn Achilles' tendon suffered by future Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor in Week 10,[8] as the Giants only won once more after the injury.[1] It was the second consecutive year that an injury to Taylor ended his season prematurely (a sprained knee in Week 13 of the 1991 season forced Taylor to miss the final game of the regular season and a previous game against the Cincinnati Bengals).[9][10][11]

  1. ^ a b c "1992 New York Giants". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  2. ^ Litsky, Frank (December 31, 1992). "Pro Football; Handley's Unhappy Reign Is Brought to an End". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  3. ^ Whittingham, Richard (2005). Illustrated History of the New York Giants. Chicago: Triumph Books. pp. 269–270. ISBN 1-57243-641-7.
  4. ^ a b Litsky, Frank (December 20, 1992). "Pro Football; Hostetler Does His Part, and More". The New York Times. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  5. ^ Litsky, Frank (December 16, 1992). "Pro Football; Optimistic Hostetler Returns to Practice". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  6. ^ Litsky, Frank (October 17, 1992). "Pro Football: Giants Notebook; For Simms, Next Year Is Too Far Downfield". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  7. ^ Litsky, Frank (December 28, 1992). "Pro Football; Exit Losing". The New York Times. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  8. ^ Litsky, Frank (November 10, 1992). "Pro Football; Successors Are Sought to an Irreplaceable Giant". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  9. ^ "Bored Taylor practices again". Hudson Valley News. Associated Press. December 4, 1991. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  10. ^ Litsky, Frank (December 21, 1991). "Football; Today, the Motivated vs. the Moribund". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  11. ^ "Oilers–Giants notes". The Victoria Advocate. Associated Press. December 22, 1991. Retrieved May 1, 2011.