Signing with the Giants and playing two seasons

Ewbank is the first and only head coach to win championships in both the NFL and the AFL. The NFL title came as head of the Baltimore Colts, who defeated the Giants, 23-17, in overtime in "The Greatest Game Ever Played" in 1958. The AFL crown was bestowed on Dec. 29, 1968 when Ewbank's Jets topped the Raiders, 27-23, before shocking the Colts and the football world two weeks later in Super Bowl III. Ewbank was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978.


Hill had a storied 14-year Jets career from 1963-76, with the first half of it spent at left tackle as Joe Namath's "personal protector" and the second half as the right tackle starter. "Winnie" is the most decorated player in franchise history, having played in four AFL All-Star Games from 1964-69 and then four NFL Pro Bowls from 1970-73. Wearing No. 75 his entire career, Hill holds the franchise mark for offensive linemen with 195 consecutive games played.


Klecko is the rough, tough right end anchor of the New York Sack Exchange defensive line of the early Eighties. His 20.5 sacks in 1981 set the franchise record (broken three seasons later by Mark Gastineau) and his 77.5 career sacks are second in franchise annals. Klecko earned Pro Bowl recognition four times from 1981-85 at three different positions (DE, DT and NT), and his uniform number 73 was retired by the team on the last day of the 2004 regular season.

Martin arrived in 1998 and ran his way into the hearts of Green & White fans before his last carry in 2005. Wearing No. 28, he equaled the NFL mark for most 1,000-yard seasons from the start of a career (10), set franchise rushing marks for yards (10,302) and TDs (58), and won the league rushing title with 1,697 yards in 2004. In 2007 the team's MVP award was renamed the Curtis Martin Team MVP Award after the man who received the honor from his teammates a record four times.


Maynard was the first player to sign with the New York Titans in 1960. And after 13 seasons with the Titans and Jets, most in exquisite collaboration with Joe Namath, No. 13 finished with career receiving records that still lead the franchise: receptions (627), yardage (11,732) and touchdowns (88). Maynard was voted team MVP in 1967 after posting a franchise-record 1,434 yards, played in four AFL All-Star Games, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.

Trocolor played college football for the Long Island Blackbirds before transferring to Alabama to play for the Crimson Tide.

Although he went undrafted in 1942, he had what's commonly known as a "cup of coffee" with the major league, signing with the Giants and playing two seasons as a backup quarterback, halfback and punt returner, with very little action.

He was then traded to the Brooklyn Tigers and played in only two games before he become a movie actor. He died in 1984.

Robert G. Trocolor, 64, tried to cover up his theft during a civil trial earlier this year by producing a bogus letter he claimed was written and signed by his then-late mother, Mildred, authorities said. A handwriting expert quickly shot it down, though.

Superior Court Judge Robert Contillo ordered Trocolor to repay the money to his sister and co-executor of his mother's estate, but he never did, said Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli, whose detectives arrested Trocolor this morning.

Over the course of three years, the prosecutor said, Trocolor "took out three reverse mortgages on his mother's home and withdrew about $248,676 of which he used to pay off credit card debt, make home improvements on his home and [pay] for his children's college tuition."

The offense wasn't a juggernaut then. Now, it isn't nearly as talented. The team ranked 12th in Football Outsiders' rankings in 2009, and it's hard to imagine the team improving much.

Their offensive line was another strong point on the 2007 team, and two years ago, the running back trio did have a great regular season. Still, this is not an elite group. According to Scouts Inc., only Chris Snee is a Top 10 player at his position. Shaun O'Hara may be a Pro Bowler, but the linemen that generally get that honor depends on the market they play in and the number of times they are on national television. Few fans actually know any better. At left guard, Richie Seubert is a liability and the unit as a whole is generally a little over the hill.

What about pass-blocking contributions from the running game? That's not really Brandon Jacobs' forte, despite his size. Ahmad Bradshaw is too small to provide protection for quarterback Eli Manning. Kevin Boss, likewise, is more of a pass-catching tight end.

In terms of moving the ball on the ground, Jacobs took a big downturn in 2009, averaging 3.9 yards per carry after two years at 5.0. Generally, veteran running backs don't have second winds in their careers. Bradshaw is a good change of pace back, but his productivity per carry too has declined each year since he entered the league.

As for Eli's weapons, Boss had a breakout year in 2009, except for the fact that he actually was just Football Outsiders' 17th best tight end for the season. Steve Smith looks like a legitimate NFL receiver, but he's probably not a No. 1 guy on a great offense. Youngsters Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham aren't NFL starters just yet.

And then there is the issue of Manning himself.

While often hyped as an elite quarterback, that's a tough claim to back up. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, Philip Rivers, Matt Schaub -- all are statistically superior, and one could easily argue that Tony Romo, Matt Ryan, Donovan McNabb, Carson Palmer, and Joe Flacco are better too. Is the 14th best quarterback in the league "elite?"

He's certainly not the kind of guy who can turn Smith and Nicks into superstars.

The Giants' offense may be pretty good, but that's not going to be enough.

Their defense is going to be bad enough to make sure of that. Football Outsiders ranked the unit 21st overall in 2009, and that was with their best linebacker Antonio Pierce. They've done very little to upgrade. They brought in Antrel Rolle at safety and drafted the raw but explosive edge rusher Jason Pierre-Paul, but they needed linebackers. Michael Boley is their only proven starter, and he's not exactly a world-beater. Terrell Thomas had a good year last season with five picks, but Corey Webster and Kenny Phillips are borderline starters at best.

The defensive line, featuring Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, Osi Umenyiora, Pierre-Paul, Chris Canty and Barry  Eli Manning  Cofield is great, but it is so stacked when compared to the rest of the team that one can't help but wonder why the Giants football jerseys haven't made trades.