2004 New York Giants season

The 2004 season was the New York Giants' 80th in the National Football League. After starting the season 5–2 the Giants lost eight games in a row before winning the final game of the season to finish 6–10, good enough for second place in the NFC East by tiebreaker.

2004 New York Giants season
OwnerWellington Mara
Robert Tisch
Head coachTom Coughlin
General managerErnie Accorsi
Home fieldGiants Stadium
Results
Record6–10
Division place2nd NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersRB Tiki Barber

Off-season

Former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin was hired to replace Jim Fassel, who was fired following the conclusion of the 2003 season. Departures: Kerry Collins, Brian Mitchell, Kenny Holmes, Brandon Short, Cornelius Griffin, Keith Hamilton, Michael Barrow, Matt Bryant.

NFL draft

The Giants' poor record for 2003 resulted in their being tied with the San Diego Chargers, the Oakland Raiders and the Arizona Cardinals for the worst record in the league. By virtue of a series of tiebreakers, the Giants landed at the fourth pick in the draft and were forecast to select Robert Gallery, an offensive tackle from Iowa, or Ben Roethlisberger, a quarterback from Miami of Ohio, with the pick. Another scenario was also listed as a possibility, and would prove to be the move the Giants would make.

Entering the draft, the consensus top pick was Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning. However, Manning had said prior to the draft that he did not want to play for the Chargers and would not sign with them if he was drafted. The Chargers would strike a deal with the Giants before the draft that would shape the future of both franchises. The Chargers would select Manning first overall, as they had intended to. The Giants would then draft quarterback Philip Rivers of North Carolina State, and then swap him and two 2005 draft picks for Manning.

The Giants also selected former Boston College offensive guard Chris Snee, Auburn linebacker Reggie Torbor, and strong safety Gibril Wilson.

2004 New York Giants draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 4 Philip Rivers *  QB NC State Traded to SD
2 34 Chris Snee  OG Boston College
4 97 Reggie Torbor  DE Auburn
5 136 Gibril Wilson  S Tennessee
6 168 Jamaar Taylor  WR Texas A&M
7 203 Drew Strojny  OT Duke
7 253 Isaac Hilton  DL Hampton
      Made roster       Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[1]

Undrafted free agents

2004 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Curtis Deloatch Cornerback North Carolina A&T
Keylon Kincade Running back SMU

Roster

2004 New York Giants final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists



Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Regular season

Although the Giants had traded for Eli Manning, the season began with veteran quarterback and former league MVP Kurt Warner as the starter. After a season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Warner and the Giants enjoyed surprising success, starting a four-game winning streak that included road victories over the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers. Following a Halloween rout of the Minnesota Vikings, 34–14, the Giants were 5–2, trailing the then-undefeated Philadelphia Eagles by just two games.

The high-water mark of the Giants season came on November 7, when the Giants led the Bears 14–0 at the end of the first quarter. Over the rest of the game, though, the Giants turned the ball over five times, allowed the Bears to score 28 unanswered points (20 in the second quarter) and lost by a score of 28–21. After another loss, this time on the road against the Arizona Cardinals, Giants coach Tom Coughlin decided to replace Warner with Manning. The decision did not show immediate success, as the Giants turned the ball over ten times in the next four games, scoring a total of 37 points.

Close losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Bengals followed, dropping the Giants to 5–10. The season did end with a slight possibility of succeeding, as the Giants rallied from a 16–7 fourth quarter deficit to end the season with a 28–24 victory over division rival Dallas Cowboys. Manning threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, and Tiki Barber scored the game winner.

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 12 at Philadelphia Eagles L 17–31 67,532
2 September 19 Washington Redskins W 20–14 78,767
3 September 26 Cleveland Browns W 27–10 78,521
4 October 3 at Green Bay Packers W 14–7 70,623
5 October 10 at Dallas Cowboys W 26–10 64,018
6 Bye
7 October 24 Detroit Lions L 13–28 78,841
8 October 31 at Minnesota Vikings W 34–13 64,012
9 November 7 Chicago Bears L 21–28 78,786
10 November 14 at Arizona Cardinals L 14–17 42,297
11 November 21 Atlanta Falcons L 10–14 78,793
12 November 28 Philadelphia Eagles L 6–27 78,830
13 December 5 at Washington Redskins L 7–31 87,872
14 December 12 at Baltimore Ravens L 14–37 69,856
15 December 18 Pittsburgh Steelers L 30–33 78,836
16 December 26 at Cincinnati Bengals L 22–23 64,606
17 January 2 Dallas Cowboys W 28–24 78,500

Week 1

1 234Total
Giants 7 307 17
Eagles 14 1070 31

[2]

Week 2

1 234Total
Redskins 7 007 14
Giants 0 2000 20

[3]

Standings

NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(1) Philadelphia Eagles 13 3 0 .813 6–0 11–1 386 260 L2
New York Giants 6 10 0 .375 3–3 5–7 303 347 W1
Dallas Cowboys 6 10 0 .375 2–4 5–7 293 405 L1
Washington Redskins 6 10 0 .375 1–5 6–6 240 265 W1

See also

Notes and references

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