From the archives: Giants enter playoffs on a roll

This story was originally published in Newsday on Dec. 23, 1997

Nothing came easily for the Giants most of the season. Entering a pivotal game against the Eagles Dec. 7, they led the NFC East at 7-5-1 despite having been outscored 227-226. They were in first place, and in dire need of a boost.

That week, after a 20-8 loss at home to the Buccaneers, Jim Fassel threatened quarterback Danny Kanell's job, and the rest of the offense rallied around Kanell. So did the defense. The result is a three-game winning streak in which the Giants have outscored opponents 81-38, hitting stride just in time for their playoff opener Saturday against the Vikings.

The Giants have gone from a worst-to-first quirk atop a weak division to a legitimate playoff team, and players are talking about the Super Bowl - with a straight face.

"Why not?" cornerback Jason Sehorn said. "I think we have just as good a chance as anybody. I don't see anybody out there that's so dominating. When you see Green Bay get beaten by Indianapolis, that gives everybody hope."

The turnaround, fullback Charles Way said, "all started with Tampa Bay. We gathered around and said, 'Hey, we need to step it up. Defense can't do it by themselves.' I think that's what we've done, and we've improved week by week."

Kanell is 35-for-68 for 407 yards, 6 touchdowns and 3 interceptions since the Bucs game. "That was definitely a down point in the season, but I don't think my confidence was ever shot," he said. "It was just a rough time for me. I was making poor decisions. Now I'm back on the right track."

The entire team seems to be. With New York's two biggest sports stars - Bill Parcells and Patrick Ewing - leaving the scene Sunday, all eyes will be on the Giants now. They say they are ready.

"God, I hope we're peaking, because we need it right now, more than we ever have, and I think maybe we are," Fassel said. "We may have put our three best games back-to-back. We're playing right now with a lot of confidence and aggressiveness."

The Vikings (9-7) could pose a stern test, even though they finished with a 1-5 slide. The Giants will leave the cozy confines of the NFC East, outside of which they are 3-5. And Minnesota, with four playoff games (all losses) in the previous five years under Dennis Green, has more experience. There are serious weapons in receivers Jake Reed and Cris Carter and tailback Robert Smith, and a wild-card quarterback in Randall Cunningham. "They can strike fear in your heart," Fassel said of the offense. A small, quick defense starts four rookies and is led by end John Randle, who topped the NFC with 15 1/2 sacks.

The Giants have 20 players with playoff experience, but many had only bit parts on the 1993 Giants or with other teams. Sehorn said he doesn't expect to be intimidated. "I am not going to psych myself out into believing I've got to be so geeked up I can't feel my fingers," he said.

The Giants learned they would play Minnesota while on a charter flight home after Sunday's win over Dallas. The pilot put a radio broadcast of the Jets-Lions on the p.a. system; the loss by the Jets meant a date with the Vikings rather than the Redskins. By 5:40 a.m., Fassel was in his office; by 6, he was studying tapes. The players had the day off.

The main concern entering the week is the health of cornerback Phillippi Sparks, who has a sprained left knee. Fassel said Thomas Randolph played well in Sparks' absence Sunday, but the team needs all the help it can get against Reed and Carter. Sehorn has shadowed the opponent's top receiver of late, but the Giants cannot afford to ignore either Vikings wideout. Sehorn said Sparks told him he will play. Fassel expressed cautious optimism after Sparks worked out yesterday.

"It's tough; so many weeks we've played one good receiver and another one that's OK, but there was obviously one that stood out," Sehorn said. "This is a different challenge."