18
Sep
2009
Memorable moments from the Giants-Cowboys blood-fued
By TheDarkHorse
The New York Football Giants and Dallas Cowboys meet this Sunday. It is a rivalry that stands among the league’s finest, as both teams have remained competitive in a bruising, unforgiving NFC East.
Surprisingly, there isn’t a lot of video on the rivalry on Web (at least in the 20 minutes I spent searching). Two highlights stood out:
(1) The Giants 2007 Super Bowl run included the first-ever Giants-Cowboys playoff battle. Before the game, the always-overconfident Jerry Jones placed NFC Championship tickets in the locker of every Cowboys player–when this news got back to the Giants and their head coach, Tom Coughlin, it served as immediate bulletin board material, and a symbol of the Cowboys hubris. (This clips starts with New York’s Wildcard victory over Tampa Bay… endure it.)
(2) Then, of course, there’s Emmitt Smith’s courageous performance in the 1993 season finale at Giants Stadium:
I was at that ’93 Cowboys/Giants game … I’ll never forget it. Smith ran wild with 32 carries for 170 yards, and did it with one arm. It was unreal.
After that, no matter how much I hated the Cowboys, I always had to admire & respect Smith. What a warrior.
From the 2007 game, this is one of my favorite images of all time:
Cannot wait for this game!
I watched that ’93 game at C-O-U-R-T-N-E-Y’s house, in his living room. His dad watched it with us–his dad was hilarious… he was in a bathrobe, on the couch, providing a running commentary about every play and player… unforgettable game. It wasn’t so much the Giants inability… but Emmitt’s firepower.
That’s the last time the Cowboys have been dominant. I know that they won the Super Bowl in 1995, but the Jimmy Johnson Cowboys owned their opponents. JJ did it in college and in the pros. Emmitt Smith played hurt for JJ because he could get that kind of dedication from his players. Smith is a preliminary finalist for next year’s Hall of Fame induction, and he’s most likely a first ballot guy, too. I hope another JJ guy, Big Ol’ Cortez Kennedy, gets in the Hall this year.