1996 New York Giants season

The 1996 New York Giants season was the franchise's 72nd season in the National Football League (NFL).[1] With a 6–10 record, the Giants finished in last place in the National Football Conference East Division.[2]

1996 New York Giants season
Head coach	Dan Reeves
Home field	Giants Stadium
Results
Record	6–10
Division place	5th NFC East
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	2 DE Michael Strahan LB Jessie Armstead

In the 1996 NFL Draft, the Giants selected defensive end Cedric Jones with the fifth overall pick.[3] The Giants' first game of the season was at home against the Buffalo Bills, and resulted in a 23–20 loss in overtime. After being shut out by the Dallas Cowboys, New York fell to 0–3 with a 31–10 defeat to the Washington Redskins.[2] Against the New York Jets, the Giants earned their first victory of the season; a 15–10 win over the Minnesota Vikings left them with a 2–3 record heading into their bye week. The team then lost four of its next six games.[2] After defeating the Cowboys, the Giants' record entering December stood at 5–7.[4] They ended the season by losing three of their last four games.[2] The Giants fired head coach Dan Reeves after the season, and hired Jim Fassel as his replacement.[5]

Quarterback Dave Brown started all 16 games for the Giants in 1996, throwing for 12 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. New York's leading running back was Rodney Hampton, who had 254 carries for 827 yards. Wide receivers Chris Calloway and Thomas Lewis led the Giants with four touchdowns and 53 receptions each; Calloway had a team-high 739 receiving yards.[2] Defensively, Chad Bratzke and Michael Strahan had the most sacks among Giants players with five apiece, while Jason Sehorn had five interceptions to lead the team.[2]

Offseason

NFL Draft

1996 New York Giants Draft Selections

Draft order		Player name	Position	College
Round	Choice
1	5	Cedric Jones	DE	Oklahoma
2	34	Amani Toomer	WR	Michigan
3	66	Roman Oben	T	Louisville
4	130	Danny Kanell	QB	Florida State
6	171	Doug Colman	LB	Nebraska
6	182	Scott Galyon	LB	Tennessee
7	214	Conrad Hamilton	CB	Eastern New Mexico

[6]

Personnel

Staff

1996 New York Giants staff
Head Coaches Head Coach – Dan Reeves Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator – George Henshaw Quarterbacks – Steve DeBerg Running Backs – George Sefcik Wide Receivers – Dick Rehbein Tight Ends – James Daniel Offensive Line – Pete Mangurian			Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator – Mike Nolan Defensive Line – Earl Leggett Linebackers – Don Blackmon Defensive Backs – Zaven Yaralian Special Teams Coaches Special Teams – Joe DeCamillis Strength and Conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Al Miller

Roster

1996 New York Giants final roster

	Quarterbacks 17 Dave Brown 13 Danny Kanell  8 Stan White Running backs 20 Keith Elias 27 Rodney Hampton 33 Robert Walker 30 Charlie Way 28 Tyrone Wheatley Wide receivers 86 Kevin Alexander 80 Chris Calloway 88 Lawrence Dawsey 81 Thomas Lewis 12 Arthur Marshall Tight ends 87 Howard Cross 85 Brian Kozlowski 84 Aaron Pierce 83 Brian Saxton		Offensive linemen 78 Greg Bishop G 74 Scott Gragg T 70 Roman Oben T 67 Adam Schreiber G 61 Lance Smith G 65 Ron Stone G 59 Brian Williams C 73 Rob Zatechka G Defensive linemen 93 Ray Agnew DT 77 Chad Bratzke DE 75 Keith Hamilton DT 97 Robert Harris DE 79 Bernard Holsey DT 94 Cedric Jones DE 92 Michael Strahan DE		Linebackers 98 Jessie Armstead 55 Marcus Buckley 58 Doug Colman 52 Scott Galyon 57 Corey Miller 90 Corey Widmer Defensive backs 21 Willie Beamon 37 Jesse Campbell SS 24 Maurice Douglass FS 43 Percy Ellsworth FS 41 Conrad Hamilton CB 23 Thomas Randolph CB 31 Jason Sehorn CB 22 Phillippi Sparks CB Special teams  3 Brad Daluiso K  2 Mike Horan P		Reserve lists 89 Amani Toomer WR/PR (IR) Practice squad – Olindo Mare K Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 1, 1996	Buffalo Bills	L 23–20	74,218
2	September 8, 1996	at Dallas Cowboys	L 27–0	63,069
3	September 15, 1996	Washington Redskins	L 31–10	71,693
4	September 22, 1996	at New York Jets	W 13–6	58,339
5	September 29, 1996	Minnesota Vikings	W 15–10	70,970
6	Bye
7	October 13, 1996	Philadelphia Eagles	L 19–10	72,729
8	October 20, 1996	at Washington Redskins	L 31–21	52,684
9	October 27, 1996	at Detroit Lions	W 35–7	63,501
10	November 3, 1996	Arizona Cardinals	W 16–8	68,262
11	November 10, 1996	at Carolina Panthers	L 27–17	70,298
12	November 17, 1996	at Arizona Cardinals	L 31–23	34,924
13	November 24, 1996	Dallas Cowboys	W 20–6	77,081
14	December 1, 1996	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 24–0	51,468
15	December 8, 1996	at Miami Dolphins	W 17–7	63,889
16	December 15, 1996	New Orleans Saints	L 17–3	52,530
17	December 21, 1996	New England Patriots	L 23–22	65,387

Standings

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
^(3) Dallas Cowboys	10	6	0	.625	286	250	L1
^(5) Philadelphia Eagles	10	6	0	.625	363	341	W2
Washington Redskins	9	7	0	.563	364	312	W1
Arizona Cardinals	7	9	0	.438	300	397	L1
New York Giants	6	10	0	.375	242	297	L2

See also

• List of New York Giants seasons

References

1. "New York Giants Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
2. "1996 New York Giants". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 23, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
3. "1996 NFL Draft". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
4. Whittingham, Richard (2005). Illustrated History of the New York Giants. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. 277. ISBN 1-57243-641-7.
5. Whittingham, pp. 277–278.
6. "New York Giants NFL Draft History". National Football League. Retrieved April 4, 2010.