The optimism enveloping Big Blue for much of the season had suddenly evaporated. Without Phil Simms, pundits, if not Giants Nation, turned skeptical about the team’s postseason chances. The offense had been middle-of-the-pack even with the MVP quarterback of Super Bowl XXI seemingly headed for one of his best seasons. How could Big Blue go any farther with a backup quarterback who had caught his first pass before attempting one?
Hostetler looked solid in two tight victories against Phoenix and New England to end the regular season, but those nail-biters came against two of the league’s worst teams. The Giants were further hamstrung by the loss of Raul Allegre, who had suffered a season-ending groin injury early in the season. In his place was backup kicker Matt Bahr. At 13-3 the Giants had produced one of their best records in franchise history, but unlike the 1986 club that delivered a white-hot finish, Parcells’s 1990 team had cooled down the stretch.
Hostetler, twenty-nine, and Simms, thirty-six, were polar opposites at quarterback. Simms was a pure drop-back passer who relied on his powerful arm. Hostetler exploited his mobility, escaping pocket pressure to unleash accurate passes or run for significant yardage. Despite the stark contrast, Parcells believed that revamping the offense just before entering the playoffs would be counterproductive. Instead Parcells inserted bootlegs into the playbook to take advantage of Hostetler’s improvisational skills. Suddenly feeling like an outsider because of his injury, Simms failed to offer his replacement any support. Instead the veteran quarterback went incommunicado, leaving the role to third-string quarterback Matt Cavanaugh.
• • •
After going another month without finding a replacement head coach, Boston College renewed its attention to Tom Coughlin. Parcells asked George Young whether he should urge his talented assistant to decline the school’s courtship by hinting that Big Blue’s head-coaching job would inevitably open up, but the GM said no. In late December, Coughlin accepted Boston College’s offer after arranging to stay with the Giants through the postseason.
Despite the fact that a backup quarterback had never won a Super Bowl, Coughlin planned on the Giants having an extended postseason run. He knew that the best defense in the NFL, which had given up an average of only 13.2 points per game, remained intact. And since joining Big Blue in 1988, Coughlin had marveled at Parcells’s gift for maximizing his team’s chances, despite long odds.
13
Against Mike Ditka’s Bears at Giants Stadium, Bill Parcells approved Bill Belichick’s plan to mostly use a four-man defensive line instead of a 3-4 alignment. Surprised by the switcheroo, Chicago’s offense sputtered as blockers struggled to make their assignments. Big Blue set the game’s tone in the second quarter by halting Chicago on the goal line, despite a fourth-down effort. The Giants continued stuffing the Bears, particularly tailback Neal Anderson, who was held to 19 yards on 12 carries.
Jeff Hostetler threw two touchdowns passes against Chicago’s renowned defense, while directing a sturdy if unspectacular running game. Rodney Hampton broke his leg in the first half, ending his postseason, so after being displaced late in the season, O. J. Anderson reclaimed his role as New York’s featured back. Pounding the Bears with vigor, Anderson accumulated 80 yards on 21 carries, and helped New York dominate time of possession. Hostetler also showcased his running ability, juking defenders near the goal line to score.
During the waning moments of Big Blue’s dominant 31–3 victory, Lawrence Taylor and Carl Banks sat next to each other on a sideline bench. With his left arm around his teammate, Taylor remarked, “They said the Giants were dead.”
Banks responded, “They stuck a fork in us and said we were done.”
Taylor said, “Hey, San Francisco, we’re back.”
Banks agreed, “We’re baaaaack.”
The outcome meant a trip to Candlestick for a rematch, this time with a Super Bowl appearance on the line. Since midseason, when both teams were asserting themselves as the NFC’s elite, a championship clash had been viewed as inevitable. But with the characteristically cocksure Giants stumbling late in the season, the 49ers seemed destined to make history after losing only two games by a combined 10 points. Its high-powered offense, starring Montana, tailback Roger Craig, and wideouts Jerry Rice and John Taylor, had received much of the spotlight. Nonetheless, San Francisco’s hard-hitting defense, sparked by Pro Bowl linebacker Charles Haley and star safety Ronnie Lott, ranked second only to New York’s. The 49ers were to be reckoned with on both sides of the ball.
So San Francisco, on a seven-game winning streak in the playoffs, was a heavy favorite against a team using a backup quarterback, the NFL’s oldest starting tailback, and a replacement kicker released by one of the league’s worst teams. Nevertheless, the Giants, taking cues from their head coach, remained confident, if not defiant. At a team meeting before the club departed for San Francisco, Parcells told the players to consider their travel options: they could plan for two days or seven. Since teams received only one week off before Super Bowl XXV, the NFC champion would fly from San Francisco to the game site in Tampa. At the end of his pep talk, Parcells leaned over and unveiled an oversized suitcase. “I guess you know which one I’m packing for.”
Before arriving at Candlestick Park, many Giants players watched the AFC Championship on television early in the afternoon. They marveled as the Bills used their sleek, no-huddle offense to trounce the Los Angeles Raiders, 51–3. With that outcome, the most lopsided AFC Championship ever, the Bills would be playing in their first Super Bowl. Suddenly San Francisco no longer looked like a shoo-in. Whoever captured the NFC Championship would face a formidable opponent capable of racking up big points with fast-break flair.
By contrast the 49ers versus the Giants looked more like a heavyweight boxing championship as the NFC Championship kicked off at 1:06 p.m. local time. During a cool, clear afternoon at Candlestick Park on January 20, the stadium’s second-largest crowd ever—65,750—watched muscular, stingy defenses repeatedly deliver body blows to the opposing offense. Wearing Big Blue’s all-white uniforms, linebackers Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks, and Pepper Johnson often blitzed up the middle while San Francisco’s wideouts were covered as if by paperhangers. The NFL’s second-ranked offense struggled as Joe Montana, league MVP for the second straight year, faced relentless pressure.
As the slugfest continued, the two teams alternated field goals in the first and second quarters to enter halftime tied at 6. The game’s only touchdown occurred less than five minutes into the third quarter. After zipping short passes most of the afternoon for small gains, Joe Montana completed a 61-yard touchdown to wideout John Taylor as cornerback Everson Walls gambled and lost, making the score 13–6. Late in the period, Jeff Hostetler guided Big Blue close enough for Matt Bahr’s 46-yard field goal, which trimmed the lead to 13–9.
The physical game only intensified in the fourth quarter. Hostetler completed a pass just as 49ers nose tackle Jim Burt plowed headfirst into the quarterback’s left knee. The ex-Giant yanked Hostetler’s knee, causing it to pop and collapse, sending Big Blue’s quarterback to the ground. When the trainers arrived, Hostetler was lying flat on his back, unable to speak as he writhed in pain. Big Blue feared the worst: Hostetler out for good, leaving the offense with a third-string quarterback, trailing in the final period of the conference championship.
Heading into Big Blue’s training camp in 1988, Jim Burt had failed the team’s physical after signing a two-year contract. Because of Burt’s history of back trouble, including multiple surgeries, George Young and Bill Parcells pressed the twenty-nine-year-old to retire. But Burt, who had gone from an undrafted rookie in 1981 to a Pro Bowler in 1986 through toughness and determination, decided instead on a 1989 football return. He signed with the franchise whose star quarterback he had sent to the hospital in the 1986 NFC Championship. Then Burt helped San Francisco capture its second consecutive Super Bowl. In the NFC Championship one year later, the nose tackle appeared to have dived at Hostetler’s knees. But Burt would
claim that he had been thrown off balance on the play.
Some Giants on the visitors’ sideline, including Parcells, blasted Burt. They considered the below-the-knee hit, a personal foul in today’s game, a cheap shot, particularly coming from an ex-teammate. Lawrence Taylor, known for his ferocious yet clean play, screamed at the 49ers on the field, “If that’s the way you want to play, somebody else is going to lose a quarterback.”
Carl Banks turned to his defensive teammates and said, “Okay, Burt took his shot. If one of us gets a shot at Montana, we’ve got to end this. It’s got to be ‘Lights out, Irene.’ ”
After a few minutes Hostetler’s numbness gave way to tingling, and his pain subsided enough for him to rise. To Big Blue’s relief, their quarterback limped off the field with only a hyperextended knee, as Matt Cavanaugh, seeing his first action all season, took over.
A few minutes after Hostetler left to have his knee examined, the 49ers took possession. On a pass play from San Francisco’s 23, Montana rolled to his right as defensive end Leonard Marshall sprinted past left tackle Bubba Paris, but Marshall slipped while behind Montana, and fullback Tom Rathman shoved him to the ground. Moments later, Marshall rose to resume pursuit of San Francisco’s unsuspecting quarterback. Sprinting to his right, Montana stopped to sidestep Lawrence Taylor and wound up to pass just as Marshall launched his six-three, 290-pound frame into Montana’s back.
The bone-crunching blow sent Montana flopping to the ground as the ball shook loose. “We thought he’d killed him,” Carl Banks recalls. San Francisco recovered the fumble with less than 10 minutes to play, but the damage was done. Montana had broken the pinky on his throwing hand, fractured a rib, and bruised his sternum. The sack was so violent that Montana, struggling to breathe, wondered if he was going to die on the field. The play all but ended Montana’s 49ers career. He wouldn’t appear in another game for almost two full seasons. In April 1993, with Steve Young established as an elite quarterback, San Francisco traded Joe Montana to Kansas City.
Although the 1990 NFC Championship seemed to be a battle of attrition, Parcells introduced some sleight of hand at a key moment. After Montana’s injury, the Giants got to their 46-yard line for a fourth-and-2. Big Blue set up in punt formation, but the 49ers had only ten players on the field, and their call for a timeout to address the oversight came too late. Seeing a sizable opening in the middle of San Francisco’s line, Gary Reasons called for a run, having been empowered by Parcells to do so. Stepping in front of punter Sean Landeta to catch the snap, Reasons veered right, darting through a gaping hole that the eleventh man would have filled, and into open space. He sprinted 30 yards before being tackled by punt returner John Taylor. And four plays later Matt Bahr booted a 38-yard field goal, slicing San Francisco’s lead to 13–12.
With less than six minutes left, though, San Francisco could virtually seal the outcome with a sustained drive, or a touchdown. Steve Young, in for the injured Montana, threw a 25-yard completion to tight end Brent Jones. But Young, who had excelled in previous seasons as Montana’s backup, didn’t attempt another pass. Offensive coordinator Mike Holmgren decided to eat as much time off the clock as possible. So the 49ers turned run-heavy for the first time all game.
The decision looked prudent as Roger Craig slashed through punishing tackles to help San Francisco reach New York’s 30-yard line. Now, with less than three minutes left, the Giants’ situation was dire. The 49ers needed only a couple of first downs to guarantee a victory. Watching on New York’s sideline, wideout Mark Ingram got on his knees, placed his helmet between his legs, and clasped his hands. Praying for a miracle, he made the sign of the cross.
On yet another run play, Craig darted up the gut just as Giants nose tackle Erik Howard split a double-team, and dived into the tailback’s mid-section. To San Francisco’s horror and New York’s glee, Howard’s helmet jarred the ball loose. Lawrence Taylor snagged it in midair, giving the Giants possession at their own 43-yard line.
With 2:36 left, the backup quarterback who had started only six NFL games, including the postseason, focused on taking his team into field-goal territory. On consecutive plays Jeff Hostetler rolled to his right under pressure before completing sharp passes to Mark Bavaro and Stephen Baker. Hostetler’s clutch throws and nimbleness helped move the Giants to San Francisco’s 24. Instead of risking a turnover, Big Blue bled the clock on some don’t-you-dare-fumble running plays. The sequence left Matt Bahr lining up to attempt a 42-yard field goal with four seconds left.
On the sideline the Giants huddled together, many holding hands, others praying. But some refused to watch. Parcells crouched, hands on both knees, watching the action. Matt Bahr, who had missed a 37-yarder early in the fourth quarter, was nervous but confident. Catching the snap cleanly, Hostetler placed the ball down and Bahr boomed a kick that started out straight, increasing confidence. But suddenly the pigskin drifted left, just as it had in his only miss. As Parcells scrutinized the ball’s flight, it never quite hooked, sailing a few feet inside the left upright just as time expired. The 15–13 shocker sent the Giants to Super Bowl XXV, as CBS play-by-play announcer Pat Summerall intoned to a national TV audience, “There will be no three-peat!”
Teammates engulfed Matt Bahr, who had briefly played for San Francisco in 1981, taking turns hugging the fourteen-year veteran. Jeff Hostetler knelt nearby. On the sideline Belichick and Parcells grinned and leaped like kids before hugging. The comeback and upset victory were especially improbable since Big Blue had failed to score a touchdown, but the Giants had controlled the ball for nearly two-thirds of the ball game, 38:59. The discrepancy contributed to San Francisco’s falling well short of its average of 22 points, on only 240 total yards. The great Joe Montana’s production (18 of 26 for 190 yards) was little better than the obscure Jeff Hostetler’s (15 of 27 for 176 yards). And Matt Bahr’s five field goals were enough to carry the day thanks to a hellacious, bullying defense.
“We hit them in the mouth,” recalls Leonard Marshall. “We knocked out quarterbacks, and we knocked out running backs. None of their guys intimidated us. Ronnie Lott tried to intimidate Simms in our first game, but we were the bullies in the championship. We beat up on everyone that moved.”
In the visitors’ locker room Parcells sat in the coaches’ corner, grinning as reporters crowded him for comment after the formal Q&A. Smiling, Parcells declared, “Winning is better than sex.” His remark would cause a minor stir the next day, his critics deeming it was inappropriate if not disrespectful to women, including his wife. But the head coach was unapologetic.
Because of New York’s long odds, Parcells considers the victory over San Francisco one of the greatest conference championships in NFL history, the favorite game of his career. That sentiment was reinforced years later when former NFL referee Jerry Markbreit told Parcells that it was the best game he had ever officiated. Markbreit, who retired in 1999 after twenty-three seasons that included four Super Bowls, noted the remarkable number of future Hall of Famers who played. The game also marked the end of an era. For a number of San Francisco’s stars throughout the eighties, Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Roger Craig, and cornerback Eric Wright, it was their last meaningful contest for the franchise.
Parcells had arranged for the pilot who had flown the Giants to and from Pasadena for Super Bowl XXI, four years before, to take them again. During the six-hour flight to Tampa, the team rules limiting alcohol loosened, while Giants players shouted over the blaring reggae. Lawrence Taylor, wagering on card games with David Meggett, yelled, “They were saying ‘three-peat, three-peat,’ but they forgot about the Giants!” The remark spurred laughter, followed by more hooting and hollering.
Parcells seldom ventured to the rear of the team plane, the section that players had dubbed “the projects,” but midway through the flight the head coach left his first-row seat and strolled to the back. As he walked down the aisle Parcells chatted and expressed pride in his players. He complimented Leonard Marshall, sitting next to cornerback
Perry Williams, for his pivotal sack.
Marshall recalls of Parcells, “He didn’t come to ‘the projects’ often. The little coaches would sometimes come to the back, but he sat up there in the big house.”
Parcells got so caught up in the merriment that he ignored his fear of flying. The celebration didn’t end until the plane landed in Tampa at 2:30 a.m. eastern standard time. “It was the best plane ride I was ever on,” Parcells says, “or ever will be on.”
On the 3 a.m. bus ride to the Hyatt Regency, however, Parcells turned his focus to the upcoming rematch with Marv Levy’s Buffalo Bills and their frenetic offense, which had averaged a league-leading 26.8 points. At least, Parcells thought, the real grass of Tampa Stadium would provide a slower surface for the Bills than their artificial turf. Parcells started to mentally organize the remaining days before the game. “By the time we got off the plane,” Parcells recalls, “my mind had done a 180.”
Parcells’s secretary, Kim Kolbe, who had arrived from New Jersey ahead of the team, was waiting in the hotel lobby at 3:30 a.m. to hand out room keys. Parcells believed that reaching Tampa as soon as possible, several hours ahead of the Bills, would give his team a slight edge in preparation. The first coaches’ meeting was scheduled for 7:30 a.m., only a few hours away. Despite fatigue, Parcells slept poorly, his mind racing with thoughts about the Bills.
This Super Bowl pitted the NFL’s most dynamic offense against its stingiest defense. For the second straight postseason game, Parcells’s Giants were heavy underdogs. Buffalo’s starting players included a daunting number of Pro Bowlers, nine, on a team with few weaknesses. Before routing the AFC West champions, the 12-4 Raiders, Buffalo had defeated Miami, 44–34, as Jim Kelly outgunned Dan Marino on a snowy afternoon. No team’s offense had ever been hotter going into a Super Bowl.
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