A closer look at 90-81

Ol’ number 88 was acquired from San Francisco in a trade in 1962 and went on to become one of the most productive and reliable receivers the Giants have ever had after switching to tight end from wide receiver. Aaron Thomas missed just seven games in his 11-year NFL career, the last nine of which were spent with the Giants. He became a favorite target of two Hall of Fame quarterbacks — first Y.A. Tittle and then Fran Tarkenton. Thomas was a Pro Bowler in 1964 and his 17.2 yards per reception average is the third-highest in team history behind Homer Jones and Del Shofner. Only one tight end (Howard Cross, 217) has played more games at tight end for the Giants than Thomas (117).

Jason Sehorn, an immensely talented athlete the Giants chose in the second round of the 1994 NFL draft out of USC, got off to a slow start with Big Blue and did not become a starter until Year 3 of his career. After that, he finally found his place at cornerback, where he was able to put his talents to work. Sehorn missed the 1998 season with a knee injury he suffered returning a kick in the preseason, which has become the test case for sitting starters in those contests. He ended up playing eight seasons for the Giants and recorded four interceptions returned for touchdowns, tying the franchise record shared by Emlen Tunnell and Dick Lynch. Sehorn also holds the Giants’ all-time postseason record for picks with four.

Howard Cross has been a fixture with the Giants since the late 1980s, first as a steady blocking tight end and afterward as a broadcaster, where he remains employed to this day. Cross played his entire 13-year NFL career with Big Blue — a total of 207 games, which is third on the Giants’ all-time list of games played behind only Eli Manning and Michael Strahan. Cross was a member of the Giants’ Super Bowl XXV championship team and played so long, he was still on the roster when they reached the big game 10 years later.

Corey Webster, a cornerback, was a second-round pick out of LSU by the Giants in 2005. He played his entire nine-year career for Big Blue appearing in 121 games, starting 93. Webster was a member of two Super Bowl championship teams and his interception of Brett Favre in the 2007 NFC Championship Game in overtime at chilly Lambeau Field helped the Giants on their way to Super Bowl XLII.

The Giants obtained the talented defensive back from the Chicago Bears via a trade in 1961. For the next four seasons, Erich Barnes, a former two-way star out of Purdue, would play in three NFL Championship Games for Big Blue, was named to the Pro Bowl four times, and garnered two All-Pro nods. Barnes was traded to Cleveland in 1965, where he played until his retirement in 1971.

The electric 5-foot-7 David Meggett was a fifth-round pick out of Towson by the Giants in 1989 and immediately became a favorite of head coach Bill Parcells. A running back by trade, Meggett made his mark on special teams as a returner where he was a two-time Second-Team All-Pro. He remains the record holder in punt-return yards (2,230), punt-return average (11.0 yards), punt-return touchdowns (six), and kick returns (146) and is second in team history with 2,989 kick return yards. Meggett was a member of the Giants’ Super Bowl XXV championship team.

The 2007 seventh-round pick out of Marshall turned out to be one of the most prolific running backs in the team’s history. According to the Giants, Ahmad Bradshaw amassed 4,232 rushing yards, which is seventh all-time in franchise history. He is also eighth in carries (921), and ninth in rushing touchdowns (32), not to mention his 1,788 kickoff-return yards, which are the fourth most in franchise history. Bradshaw was part of the Giants’ “Earth, Wind and Fire” backfield that helped the Giants win two championships under head coach Tom Coughlin.

The Giants took a gamble on the troubled, strong-armed free agent Kerry Collins in 1999 and won. He played five seasons for Big Blue, taking them to the Super Bowl in 2000 and breaking records along the way. Collins, in his short tenure with the Giants, racked up big numbers. He is currently third all-time in Giants’ franchise history in completions (1,447), fourth in yards (16,875), and sixth in touchdown passes (81).

Kareem McKenzie came to the Giants as a free agent in 2005 after four seasons with the Jets. He would end up playing the rest of his career with Big Blue — making 105 regular season and 11 postseason starts at right tackle over seven seasons and was as reliable a lineman as the team has ever had. McKenzie was part of the offensive line that started 38 consecutive games as a unit, the longest such run by an offensive line since the 1970 AFL–NFL merger. He was also a member of two Giants’ Super Bowl teams.

Frank Cope joined the Giants an undrafted free agent tackle from Santa Clara in 1937. He played 98 games over 10 seasons for the Giants and appeared in six playoff games. Cope was a member of the Giants’ 1938 NFL Championship Team and was named to the 1930s NFL All-Decade team.