"The Fumble" ... a look back

by Jim Schmiedeberg on Nov 19, 2008 1:00 PM EST in News Comment 15 comments

I've always maintained that "The Fumble" may have been one of the best things to ever happen to the Giants as a franchise. It helped the organization realize that it was time to change the way the team was run. Now 30 years later, Bob Glauber of Newsday takes a look back at that infamous moment in Giants history and how the organization turned it into a positive when you look back on it.

It's kind of funny how "The Fumble" over the years became the "November 22^nd" of sorts for Giants fans. Everyone remembers where they were when it happened. I was only 8 at the time, but my father has recounted the story many times of where we were when that ball hit the ground.

Giants have recovered after "the fumble" by Joe Pisarcik and Larry Csonka -- Newsday.com

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I feel deprived

I’ve never heard of ‘the fumble’ before.

My dad’s never mentioned it and never watched football with my grandfather.

I’ll have to read the article later.

by Woogie526 on Nov 19, 2008 1:32 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I hear it called by a different name where I live

“The Miracle at The Meadowlands”
i cringe whenever i hear it

by Hoyadestroya85 on Nov 19, 2008 1:34 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Ugh!!

Jim, did you really have to bring this up? Argh! *@%$#$@#!!!!!!!!

by Ed Valentine on Nov 19, 2008 1:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

That's what I thought right away

by potroast on Nov 19, 2008 3:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It's actually a good article

less about “the fumble” and more about how good of a franchise the Giants have been since then.

It pointed out something that I hadn’t really thought of before: everyone praises the Steelers b/c they’ve only had 3 head coaches in over 35 years, but nobody really mentions that we’ve only had 3 GMs over a similar period of time. And like the Steelers, none of them were fired, both Young and Accorsi left on their own terms. And in a weird parallel, Reese and Tomlin are both African American and took over the same season. Strange…

by cjmulrain on Nov 19, 2008 2:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

George Young

He would have been fired had he not resigned.. he was not into the whole idea of free agency

by Hoyadestroya85 on Nov 19, 2008 2:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Damn!

I just flipped on ESPN and they are running a freakin’ special on ‘The Fumble.’ Ugh!

by Ed Valentine on Nov 19, 2008 4:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

The cause of the fumble was that the players wanted

Zonk to get a TD. Jersey Joe Pisarcik never lived it down.

by george cronin on Nov 19, 2008 4:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I hear

that’s how the QB knee was created. Embarrassing.

by ProudYankee on Nov 19, 2008 4:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The fumble

occured in Giants territory if I remember it right so I don’t think that was the reason. At the time somebody said that they wanted to run more time off the clock than just by taking a knee. It was awful!
I was in a funk for a long time after that play.

by giant fan since 57 on Nov 19, 2008 5:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Damn, there goes my aging brain again.

The worst of it was that it was shaping up to be a decent season until that disaster.

by george cronin on Nov 19, 2008 5:32 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I guess for us, George,

having lived through that horror, our team’s resurgence is just that much sweeter.

by giant fan since 57 on Nov 19, 2008 5:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

In hindsight, a blessing.

The team was owned 50-50 by Wellington Mara and his nephew Tim at the time. After The Fumble, both wanted to make changes but disagreed on the details. Pete Rozelle stepped in and suggested Young as GM. The rest, as they say, is history.

by django48 on Nov 19, 2008 10:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I was there !!!

I hit rock bottom as a Giant fan that day. We had seen some terrible seasons since I was
first brought to Yankee Stadium by my dad at the age of 2, but that was the worst. It all came
full circle in January of 1987 when I was at the Rose Bowl for the first SB Championship. It seems to get better all the time !!! Going to bring my 3 kids to AZ for the game this weekend.

by landwheel on Nov 20, 2008 12:29 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I didn't watch football in 79

sure I just turned legal age and had some new “interests” but “the fumble” almost ruined football for me. If it weren’t for a resurgent D and I guess Rob Carpenter I might never have made it back.

We're only gonna score 17 points?

by big blue wrecking crew on Nov 20, 2008 8:58 AM EST reply actions 0 recs