It’s the Giants’ Mt. Rushmore

Earlier today, we unveiled during Pro Football Talk on NBCSN the Mt. Rushmore for the New York Giants.

The segment appears below, if you choose to watch it.  But we won’t make you wait until tomorrow to read the results, like we did with the Cowboys and Redskins.  (It’s a work in progress.)

As the picture below illustrates, my own final four consisted of Bill Parcells, Eli Manning, Sam Huff, and Lawrence Taylor.

PFT Planet agreed with me on three of them, with Michael Strahan replacing Huff.

Taylor showed up on a whopping 96 percent of the ballots, which makes me wonder what the other four percent were smoking.  Eli appeared on 53 percent of the ballots, Parcells on 48 percent, and Strahan on 44 percent.

Wellington Mara, for whom Erik Kuselias and Ross Tucker made a strong (but ultimately futile) case during the show, got 36 percent of the vote.  Frank Gifford appeared on 28 percent of the ballots.  Phil Simms was on 24 percent, and Tom Coughlin showed up a lot less than five minutes early, with only 20 percent.

61 responses to “It’s the Giants’ Mt. Rushmore

  1. Eli absolutely should be on there over Simms. Both are great but Eli clearly better. Hard to argue over this list but I do think Wellington should be there over Parcells.

  2. Emlen Tunnel not on the list? Is everyone under 50 years old? At least your father should have told you about him.

  3. Lily Manning?? Really? At least they should be HOFamers.

    Parcells and Belichick look like buffoons in that pic.

  4. Man that graphic looks odd. Three legends of the NFL and… Eli.

    I realize Eli has had some post-season theatrics mixed in with his erratic regular season play but the Giants have so many legendary players, coaches and front office people in their history. The franchise could fill it’s own wing of the Hall of Fame.

    Most folks would say Eli is great, some would call him elite but no one who watched football before 2000 would call him legendary.

  5. That anchor in the video, I don’t even know what his name is. The one who was disrespecting Eli Manning? That act is so “tired”. I’m sick of these jokers who grit their teeth anytime Eli shoves massive chunks of crow down their throats.

    Eli is the Giants’ 2xSBMVP. Think about that for a second. TWOx SBMVP. He brought TWO more SB trophies to the Giants in only five years. Does Mr. Anchorman get that? Or is he too clueless to appreciate what Eli has done? And he’s not even finished yet. These people better wise up cause this little whiny schtick has gotten so old.

  6. Using the G word as a team mascot is offensive to people that suffer from the physical disability of gigantism.

  7. vikes69 says:
    Jun 4, 2013 8:25 PM
    david tyree, mario manningham, and the defense won him those superbowls
    ————————————————————
    Just curious there vikes69…but who exactly threw Manningham and Tyree the football?

    Oh yeah, that guy!!!

    Case closed, your welcome.

  8. Please explain to me how Wellington Mara is left off ?!? (Yes, it’s his nickname, “The Duke
    , that you see on EVERY nfl football.)

  9. Eli Manning combined playoff stats 2007 and 2011

    63% completion

    15 TDs 2 INT (one was tipped up by Steve Smith)

    100.7 QB rating

    Go ahead and keep making “lucky” and “defense won” Excuses. (Giants 2011 Defense was rated in the high 20s by the way. Inconsistent AT BEST. I don’t care if they stepped it up in the playoffs, Eli carried them that entire season)

  10. vikes69 says:
    Jun 4, 2013 8:25 PM
    david tyree, mario manningham, and the defense won him those superbowls
    ———————————————————
    Exactly! Did you see the way both Tyree AND Manningham moved around in the pocket before throwing the ball to themselves? It was uncanny…

  11. “Taylor showed up on a whopping 96 percent of the ballots, which makes me wonder what the other four percent were smoking.”

    Proof positive that 4% of PFT readership is from Colorado and Washington!

  12. I’m not going to slight any of the other players you guys are naming or say why they shouldn’t be included in this because there are perfectly valid arguments for why they should be, even over Eli. But I’m so sick of all the Eli hatred.

    He’s a 2x Super Bowl MVP/champion and one of the best 4th quarter QBs of all time.

    He consistently makes every player around him better (as evidence by how most offensive skill position players have done after leaving the Giants compared to their numbers w/ the team).

    He holds 12 Giants passing records and 5 NFL passing records.

    The guy could retire now and it could be argued he belongs in the HOF, and he’s still in his prime. I don’t know what else he has to do to get the respect he deserves…

  13. Loved Frank Gifford and prefer him over Huff and certainly Mara over Parcells. I don’t see Eli but don’t object much.

  14. Also for the “lucky” and “the defense won the game” in the 2011 Super Bowl arguers. The Giants were dead last in rushing that year and were 25th in total points allowed. I’d say with those numbers you’d need a pretty damn good quarterback to win a Super Bowl…

  15. Kick out Bill and put Wellington in there he did more for the game then any man alive all you folks in the fly over states would not even have teams if he did not make sure the TV money was split up evenly between all teams.

    And that was money that he took out of his own pocket. Wellington Mara should be on the all NFL Mount

    Now for all of you who like to hate on Eli its all good we will be happy to keep him right where he is with one or two more MVP game to come.

    If you think Eli is so bad how bad is Rivers and the rest of the players the Giants gave up to get Eli.
    Eli two SB MVP the Sad chargers ZERO

  16. heynardo, I respect your opinion, but I disagree with it. No current player should ever be considered for a franchise’s Mt Rushmore, unless they are for a franchise like the Texans, who don’t have a long enough history. It should be reserved for guys who were the foundation of a franchise’s history. 20 years from now, maybe I’d consider Eli. But not now. I may even find it difficult to vote for Peyton for the Colts’ Rushmore. But, he will get strong consideration because he was a transcendant figure. Eli is not, and probably won’t ever be. He’s good, but he doesn’t define the franchise, like Parcells and LT…or even Sam Huff or Wellington Mara.

  17. This list is meaningless without Scott Norwood (aka Ray Finkle). Please thumbs down this post if you live in your Mom’s basement and have no clue about the reference.

  18. How do you include Eli when he is still playing?

    I love Eli. Own his SB42 Jersey. but for a Mt Rushmore you should be retired for a long time.

    Frank Gifford was the first NFL Star. Ever.

    LT, well he’s on the NFL Mt Rushmore. LT pretty much invented a position. Sorry Mr Deacon Jones, but LT was a different animal (you were still great too, just before my time).

    Parcells turned the whole franchise around 180 degrees. Every single team he went to he did that.

    Wellington made the decision that made the NFL the powerhouse it is today. There wouldn’t be a Green Bay Packers or even the Dallas Cowboys without Wellington Mara.

  19. Look, I love Eli – but he is not one of the 4 top Giants of all time – at this point in his career.

    Giants have too much history. Eli may be the best QB in Giants history – (at least in the conversation), but
    Mel Hein, Emlen Tunnell, Wellington Mara, LT, Sam Huff, Frank Gifford, Rosey Brown, and Steve Owen are certainly more deserving than Eli.

    Nice to have so much talent to choose from.

  20. Parcells legs look straight out of a Lane Bryant catalog! The ’80s were fashion awful.

  21. Frank Gifford was doing Colgate toothpaste commercials in his Giants jersey before anybody ever heard of Johnny Unitas.

    We are talking the hall of the hall of fame here.

    Gifford belongs there.

  22. People may scoff at Eli’s inclusion, but he’s easily the best QB in Giants history. Let’s face it, almost every team’s best QB is going to make it on the Mt. Rushmore.

    I’m an Eagles fan and even I think Eli should be on there.

  23. Frank Gifford should have been a lock.

    So many accolades (Won an NFL title, league MVP,HOF, Giants retired his number, etc… ), but to learn that he made the Pro Bowl in the different positions, RB, WR and DB, very impressive.

    Tuna is a legendary coach/football guy, but he made a mark in every stop he went. He even was in charge when the Dolphins won the AFC East. He did great things for the Giants but not a face of the organization.

  24. Eli is a few playoff wins from cementing his hof statis. Makes all his offensive players better. Since his first sb win only got better every single year. Earned his cities respect on his way to sb numero dos. Mvps of both. More sbs then anyone in the nfl u say is better than eli minus brady(lolll). So yeah keep hating and running your moths while eli goes for the hattrick

  25. I wouldn’t have put Strahan on there but I don’t have a huge problem with it either. It’s clear it’s going to be tough for guys before the 1st SB team to make a list like this.

  26. To all the Eli haters YES he is a hall of famer!! Enough said!! No 2 time sb MVP never didn’t make the hall of fame, he will be top 10 of all time in passing yards and touchdowns not to mention he will prob come close to breaking Brett Farves consecutive game streak. To think about it Eli’s career is a better version of Farves and overall stats and rings prove that.

    Now back to the list. I think caughlin should move ahead of parcells. Tom is all time winnest coach in team history and is still coaching. If he has one more big run left its actually not even close.

    LT is the best football player of all time how did anyone not put him in there

  27. The reason I picked Phil Simms over Eli Manning is career value. Simms had 3 dominant regular seasons (1986, 1989, 1990) to Eli’s one (2008). Simms threw the closest thing to a perfect game in Super Bowl 21. And he did all that with essentially one All-Pro caliber receiver in TE Bavaro, which means he made his receivers just as effective as Manning makes his.

    Only if Eli wins a 3rd SB will I put him ahead of Phil.

  28. I love me some Eli but he misses my cut for m.r. Mt Rushmore isn’t just about the best 4 people on the team but mix skill with what epitomizes the franchise. The giants are a flagship old time team built on rugged defense with a bit of broadway flair and “wow”. With that, I go Mara, Gifford, tuna and Taylor. In 20 years, Eli replaces Gifford. Too soon now though.

  29. Eli and Strahan ahead of Gifford, Huff and Wellington Mara? This list is a joke! Giants fans should be ashamed about this insult to the history of the game and their own franchise’s long tradition. Seriously, Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry as assistant coaches would be better than Strahan.

  30. I agree with every one there but like every one said we need another spot and that should go to Mr Mara, also Huff went to play for our dreaded enemies the hated deadskins. one more thing why don’t we block the logical guy as he is not very well informed about any football fact at all. one more fact for the logical guy we are the class of the NFL not the DeadSkins!!!!!!

  31. I couldn’t stomach picking Parcells. Yes he won two rings for us but so did Coughlin. Did we all forget he also went and coached the Cowboys!

  32. Leaving off Sam Huff is insane. A HOFer, the first 4-3 middle linebacker(and coached by Lombardi), and a man who singlehandedly brought more attention to the NFL than it had ever had before.

  33. I love these Eli haters. The guy won 2 Superbowls and 2 superbowl MVPs. Keep laughing, you know New England isn’t. I think it is great when I see Bills, Vikings, Eagles fans etc laughing at our QB. What has your QB done? Or how many Sperbowls have you won. Eli belongs there. As for someone asking about the Maras not up there I think players and owners/executives should have their seperate Mount Rushmores. You can have the same issue with the Steeler players and The Rooneys

  34. It’s like trying to pick 4 guys to put on the Yankees’ Mt. Rushmore. No matter what, somebody deserving will be left off.

    FWIW: Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Rivera

  35. This franchise has fallen off so quickly. Just remember before 86 they didn’t win any SBs, they didn’t start winning till the nfl stepped in and gave them a gm

  36. unreal. mel hein was only voted the greatest center and offensive lineman of the first half of the century (only consensus player, by the way – quick, all you under 30 – go look up the word ‘consensus’) in ADDITION to playing defense.

    but not a mention of him. sad.

    and i’m only in my 40’s!

  37. The franchise is a joke at this point, thus who cares. The current Giants owner John Mara has undone all the good his father did for the league

  38. I don’t want to see it without Wellington Mara on it. Wellington was one of the most important, influential and respected owners in making the NFL what it is today.

    You know Vince Lombardi? Wellington let him take the Packers job when he didn’t have to. Tom Landry? Same thing with the Cowboys.

    Revenue sharing among teams? Wellington Mara’s idea.

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