2023 Pre-Season Rank #122, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #132 2021 Pre-Season Rank #101, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #100.  2018-19/2021-23

Barkley was the stud that we expected him to be as a rookie, earning a Pro Bowl and leading the NFL in Yards From Scrimmage.  His output dropped as a sophomore but was still strong, and there was no reason to think he couldn’t dominate in 2020, but a torn ACL early took that away.  Barkley started 2021 on the IR, and when Running Backs get hurt, they struggle to regain top form more than other position players.  Barkley had that return he needed in 2022 with a career-high in Rushing Yards (1,312), a second Pro Bowl, and another decent year in 2023 (962 RY), and he is now a Philadelphia Eagle.

Barkley has a lot of catch-up to do regarding his initial Hall of Fame promise.  A player injured that badly and early always struggles, and Barkley is no different.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is news to us that New York Giants co-owner, John Mara, stated in a recent interview that Eli Manning and Michael Strahan will have their numbers retired.

Sort of.

This is what he said about Eli’s number:

“It’s retired.”

When asked to clarify, Mara responded:

“Not yet.  We’ll do Michael’s (Strahan) announcement another day, but Eli’s will be retired.”

As for when that will happen is anyone’s guess.  

Wearing #10, Manning announced his retirement this past Friday.  Playing at Quarterback, Manning threw for 57,034 Yards and 366 Touchdowns, and led the Giants to two Super Bowl Championships, both over the New England Patriots.  He was named the MVP in both of those games, and he is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025.

As for Strahan, he has already been inducted into Canton, which occurred in 2014.  Like Manning, Strahan played his entire career with the Giants and he was the 2001 Defensive Player of the Year.  The seven-time Pro Bowl won a Super Bowl in his last game in the league.  He wore #92, which has never been issued since his retirement.

At present, the Giants have retired the numbers of Ray Flaherty (#1), Tuffy Leemans (#4), Mel Hein (#7), Phil Simms (#11), Y.A. Tittle (#14), Frank Gifford (#16), Al Blozis (#32), Joe Morrison (#40), Charlie Conerly (#42), Ken Strong (#50) and Lawrence Taylor (#56).

We here at Notinhalloffame.com are looking forward to these events in the future and are hopeful that the Giants will move on this action soon.

In terms of Centers, there are few Professional Football players who can say that they are as successful as Bart Oates.

After being undrafted at BYU in 1983, Oates would join the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL, and he would win championships with them in 1984 and 1985.  When the USFL folded, he signed with the New York Giants, where he would become their starting Center, and was named an All-Rookie.  The following season would see Oates win another title, this time a Super Bowl Ring when the Giants won Super Bowl XXI.  In 1990, Oates and the Giants won another Super Bowl (XXV), but for the first time, he was named to the Pro Bowl.

Drafted 3^rd Overall in 1984 from Michigan State, the New York Giants would have a longtime fixture in their Linebacking corps in Carl Banks.  Banks was an All-Rookie Selection, and he would later be named to the Pro Bowl and was a First Team All-Pro in 1987, the year after he was a large part of their Super Bowl XXI win.  Banks would again hoist the Lombardi Trophy high four years later in Super Bowl XXV.

Jessie Armstead played for the University of Miami, where the Linebacker was a key force in the Hurricanes NCAA Championship in 1989 and 1991.  A torn ACL saw Armstead tumble in the 1993 Draft, but the New York Giants took him in the 8^th Round, and a couple of years later, he was a starter for the G-Men.  

Ed Danowski would join the New York Giants after a successful college career at Fordham, and it was in New York where he would play his entire professional career.  Danowski was a top Back in the last half of the 1930s, and he would earn a pair of First Team All-Pro Selections in 1935 and 1938.  He was the primary Back for Danowski's NFL Championship wins in 1934 and 1938,  and he would twice lead the league in Completion Percentage (1937 & 1938). 

Ray Wietecha played his entire 10-year NFL career with the New York Giants, where he was the literal centerpiece (he played Center) of a robust Offensive Line.  Helping the G-Men to an NFL Championship in 1956, Wietecha would have better individual seasons after going to four Pro Bowls and earning a First Team All-Pro nod.  In his last season (1962), he was named a Second Team All-Pro and arguably could have continued his playing career, but he elected to become a coach instead.

One of the longest tenured players in NFL history (22 seasons), his career in that league began after going undrafted in 1983 and playing all three seasons of the USFL.  Landeta was chosen for the All-USFL Team, and he would join the New York Giants in 1985, where he would win two Super Bowls, and was named to two Pro Bowls, and three First Team All-Pro rosters.  After the Giants, he would play for the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles, and is one of the few players to be named to two All-Decade Teams (80s & 90s).

Len Younce would miss 1942 and 1945 (as many would then), but the 1941 pick from Oregon State would be one of the most versatile players even for an era where that skill was widely coveted.  Younce excelled as a Guard, Linebacker, and a Punter and was an unsung hero for the Giants, who was incredibly versatile even in an age where that was expected.  He was rewarded with a selection to the 1940’s All-Decade Team.

With an (unofficial) total of 96.5 Quarterback Sacks, Jim Katcavage would play his entire pro career with the New York Giants after a nice career at the University of Dayton. 

Out of SMU, Kyle Rote was the first overall Draft Pick in 1951, and the New York Giants had a lot of hope for their new Back.  Rote was off to a good start, but knee issues necessitated a change in position where he moved to End, and he would become the top Receiver for the Giants in the 1950s.  This a statement that means a lot as in the last half of the decade, New York was a perennial contender for the NFL Championship, winning it all in 1956.  Rote became a four-time Pro Bowler and would catch 300 passes for 4,797 Yards and 48 Touchdowns and added another 871 Yards on the ground.

Frank Cope was a member of the 1930's All-Decade Team, although most of his career took place in the 1940s.

Erich Barnes came out of Purdue when the Chicago Bears drafted him in 1958.  The Cornerback played there for three seasons and went to the Pro Bowl in 1959.  After that, Barnes had the best run of his career where he played for the New York Giants for four years and was named a Pro Bowl in each of them while also making First Team All-Pro honors in 1961.  Barnes would later earn his sixth Pro Bowl with the Cleveland Browns.  Barnes would be known for his physical style of play, and ability to come back for run defence.

While Rosey Grier was better known for being one of the inaugural members of the Los Angeles Rams' "Fearsome Foursome," the defensive stalwart was a better player in the first two-thirds of his professional career when he was with the New York Giants.  Grier helped the New York win the 1956 NFL Championship, and the two Pro Bowls (1956 and 1960) he was named to was as a Giant.  He would also be selected as a First Team All-Pro in 1956 and was a two-time Second Team All-Pro.  

Del Shofner was a remarkable receiver who was part of the 1960s All-Decade Team. He achieved this status thanks to his outstanding performance during a six-year stretch from 1958 to 1963, where he was named a First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection in all those years except for 1960.

During his time with the Los Angeles Rams, Shofner topped the NFL in Receiving Yards in 1958 with 1,097, and finished second in the following year with 936. In 1960, he was relegated more to punting duties, but once he joined the New York Giants, he regained his place as an elite receiver. In his first three years with the Giants, Shofner had at least 1,100 Receiving Yards and finished in the top four in that metric. Although he never had a stretch close to that again, his reputation as one of the top offensive skill players and deep ball threats of his era earns him a high spot on this list.

2023 Pre-Season Rank #86, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #90, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #95, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #122.  Peak Period: 2011-15

We noted before that JPP hasn’t been to the Pro Bowl since 2012, and his best days seem like a generation ago.  Perhaps he aimed to prove us wrong as he was healthy in 2020, returned to the Pro Bowl (his third), and won his second Super Bowl, but he enters his year (again) as a Free Agent, and his career might be over.

2023 Pre-Season #77, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #77, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #71, Last Year’s Rank #62.  Peak Period: 2014-16/18-19.

OBJ’s three Pro Bowls were in his first three seasons, and while his last Pro Bowl was in 2016, Beckham Jr. did have 1,000-yard-plus campaigns in 2018 and 2019.  Since then, injuries have piled up, and he was not the same guy who made the most incredible regular season catch in history.  2021 was the agony and ecstasy for Beckham Jr, who seemed rejuvenated in a mid-season pickup by the Rams, where he helped them win the Super Bowl, though, in that game, he scored a Touchdown and tore his ACL.  

After sitting out the 2022 season to rehab, Beckham Jr. played a year in Baltimore with a respectable 565 Yards, and now he joins the potent Miami offense.

Often when I conduct an interview for Notinhalloffame.com, I have a fairly good idea where I want to take the interview.  With former New York Giant and current Hollywood actor, Jarrod Bunch, I was able to ask everything I wanted, but as it unfolded our conversation went to places I was not expecting and I received an education on an industry that I had never explored before.

Considering how Jarrod Bunch has been defying stereotypes for decades, I shouldn’t have been surprised.

Jarrod Bunch had a dream to play football for a storied Division One school and make the National Football League, and he did, playing Fullback for the University of Michigan and becoming a first round draft pick of the New York Giants.  That in itself is impressive, and makes him the envy of most armchair warriors, but if you have read other interviews that I have conducted there is far more to Bunch than what he accomplished on the gridiron. 

Oakland Raiders Defensive End, Justin Tuck has announced his retirement from the National Football League after an eleven year career.

Tuck was drafted in the third round by the New York Giants out of Notre Dame in 2005 and was a large part of the Giants Super Bowl wins in XLII and XLVI.  Tuck was a Pro Bowl selection in 2008 and 2010 and holds the distinction of being the only player to record multiple Quarterback Sacks in multiple Super Bowls. 

Tuck would sign with the Oakland Raiders in 2014, but would be forced to sit out 2015 due to injury.  He retires with 66.5 Quarterback Sacks, 510 Tackles and 22 Forced Fumbles.

While he is not likely to earn a place in Canton, he has solidified a strong place in the history of the New York Giants.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Justin Tuck the best in the next stage of his life and thank him for the memories on the field!

Another forgotten star in the pre Babe Ruth era was Larry Doyle who was easily amongst the most likable players of his era.  Not only was he a natural favorite, but he was also one of the most consistent players too.