3. ANTONIO PIERCE

The Las Vegas Raiders coach first made his mark in the NFL as a rugged linebacker and defensive leader, and he was a key part of the Super Bowl XLII title team for the Giants. He signed a six-year, $26 million contract with Big Blue in 2005 and played five seasons for the team, amassing 491 tackles, seven sacks, four interceptions, six forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries, according to Pro Football Reference.

Pierce, who was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 2006 season, made a tackle for the ages in the NFC Championship Game against the Packers during the 2007 season. With Green Bay driving, he wrecked a screen pass that seemed destined for a long gain by tackling Brandon Jackson even as a Packers blocker was trying to shove Pierce away. The play would've been a certain first down and perhaps even a touchdown without Pierce, and it’s become an indelible moment in Pierce’s career, as well as team lore, as the Giants won a squeaker in Green Bay en route to the Super Bowl.

Oh, and Pierce made 11 tackles in the Giants’ 17-14 victory over the previously undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl.

2. KERRY COLLINS

Quarterback is the most important single position in all of sports and when a team signs a QB who then takes them to the Super Bowl, that QB gets on this list. Up high, too.

Collins began his Giants career as a backup, but soon supplanted Kent Graham and ended an era of signal-caller instability in blue. Collins took over in 1999 and then led the Giants to a 12-4 record and Super Bowl XXXV the next season, where they lost to the Ravens. Collins sparkled in the NFC Championship Game to get there, though, throwing five TD passes in a 41-0 demolition of Minnesota.

Collins is fourth on the Giants’ career list for passing yards and sixth in career TD passes. The team has nine seasons in which a QB has thrown for 4,000-plus yards – eight by Eli Manning and one by Collins. Collins led the Giants to the playoffs in 2002 when he threw for 4,073 yards, which was the Giants’ record until Manning broke it.

1. PLAXICO BURRESS

With 35 seconds left in Super Bowl XLII, Burress caught a 13-yard TD pass from Manning to beat the previously perfect Patriots and etch himself into Giants lore for all time. That signature moment is why he tops our list of best free agent signings by Big Blue, but Burress has plenty of other reasons, too.

He was a dynamic play-maker for a team and a QB who needed one and, at 6-5, he was difficult to cover on routes where he could go up and get the ball. He spent four seasons with the Giants, totaling 244 catches, 3,681 yards and 33 touchdowns. He’s fourth in catches per game in team history and ninth in TD receptions.

In 2005, Burress had 1,214 yards receiving. In 2007, he had 1,025 yards and 12 TD catches. The 12 touchdown receptions are tied for second-most in a single season in Giants history.

His TD catch in the Super Bowl was not his only heroics in that title run. He had 11 receptions for 151 yards in the NFC Championship Game victory over Green Bay. His Giants career could’ve been greater, too, but he accidentally shot himself in the leg at a nightclub in 2008, leading to a suspension by the league and, later, his release and prison. He didn’t play again until 2011 with the Jets.

Popular in the Community