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Alfa 164 Rekindles Legendary Memories

Tuesday, November 24, 1992 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1C/5C QUICK WORDS: HANDLEY 





Handley more than just lost emember when Walter Cronkite spoke out against
the Vietnam War in the late &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 1960s? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; After hearing the influential CBS News anchorman come out against the war, &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 President Lyndon Johnson supposedly said, ``That's it, if I've lost
Cronkite, &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I've lost the American people.'' And he knew his cause was lost. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If New York Giants Coach Ray Handley hadn't already lost the area's sports
media prior to his team's embarrassing loss to Philadelphia on Sunday, he lost
it by the time the game was over. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Giants blew a 20-6 lead, lost by 13 points, and at times appeared to be
without any direction on the field. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Then, afterwards, Handley held a virtual non-press conference, a two-minute
recitation of injuries and one or two pat phrases that left those who attended
in no doubt that he'd lost control of the situation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Without question, Sunday was an ugly day for Handley. It began with his
being mocked by the fans in the Giants Stadium parking lot and ended with a
member of the media, a former NFL player, saying bluntly, "That's it. He's got
to go." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Even before Sunday's game, Handley was in trouble. During the week leading
up to the game, one New York radio announcer tried to ask him a question and
got no response. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The guy was still talking about it on Sunday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I tried to ask him a logical question," he was saying, in a voice loud
enough for half the press box to hear. "And he dissed me." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 You know you're in trouble when you're the coach of the New York Giants and
you stand accused of "dissing" reporters. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 You also know you're in trouble when you drive to work and somebody has
hanged you in effigy from a truck. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 uring the game, the Giants seemed so bereft of coaching that it was almost
laughable. Even when they were up 20-6, their most important victory of the
season seemingly in hand, the lack of direction killed them. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jeff Hostetler came into the game with ribs that had to hurt him every time
he took a breath. When the quarterback arrived at the stadium for the game, he
signed a few autographs, then walked toward the dressing room with an
expression that already looked pained. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On a second down play with the Giants up by 14, Hostetler tried to throw a
pass and was driven to the turf. The Giants only needed about three yards for
a first down, they were in their own territory and they had control of the
game. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So what do Handley and offensive coordinator Jim Fassel do? Rather than let
Hostetler hand off or throw a safe screen or flat pass, then punt if that
didn't work, they had the quarterback drop back and face the Eagles'
bloodthirsty pass rush again. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hostetler barely had time to drop back before he was about to receive a
helmet in the ribs. Fearing for his health, he threw an ill-timed, wobbly pass
that Seth Joyner intercepted, completely turning the game in the Eagles'
favor. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Later in the game, when the Eagles had a big lead, the Giants still had a
chance to score a touchdown and get back into it. Hostetler was already in the
hospital, his brain scrambled as a result of the pounding he took. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Rookie Kent Graham moved the Giants to Eagles territory. Needing eight
yards for a first down, Handley and Fassel had the rookie, in only his second
NFL game, throw two passes for the end zone, and the Giants gave the ball
over. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Somebody asked why a pass wasn't thrown to tight end Derek Brown. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Who's he?" came the response, an obvious reference to the criticism that
Handley won't throw to his tight ends. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lousy play-calling is one thing. But it's another thing to completely fail
to take into account the capabilities of your personnel when you make those
calls. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 owever, the thing that galled everybody at Sunday's game was the blocked
punt, when the Eagles' Ken Rose -- a former New York Jet, no less -- stormed
up the middle untouched and blocked Sean Landeta's punt for a touchdown. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "That's coaching, right there," said one fellow in the press box. "Nobody
touched him." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Eagles scored one touchdown on a blocked punt and another on a punt
return. They had two relatively long kickoff returns and were constantly in
good field position after New York kicks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's as if they didn't even practice special teams," said one radio
announcer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Giants play at Dallas on Thursday, so they will not have their usual
press luncheon this week. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That's the good news for Handley. The bad news is that with or without
lunch, the New York media have seemingly reached the point of no return with
him. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And that probably means Handley himself won't return in 1993. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Maybe now," said one guy after the game, "Handley will admit that at least
part of it is his fault." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At this point, though, he doesn't have to admit it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Everyone else has already done it for him. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bill Savage is a Times Leader sports writer. His column appears Tuesday and
Thursday.

Handley More 
Than Just Lost 
Emember When Walter Cronkite Spoke Out Against The Vietnam War In The Late 
1960s? 
After Hearing The Influential Cbs News Anchorman Come Out Against The War, 
President Lyndon Johnson Supposedly Said, ``that's It, If I've Lost Cronkite, 
I've Lost The American People.''

Handley More Than Just Lost Emember When Walter Cronkite Spoke Out Against The Vietnam War In The Late 1960s? After Hearing The Influential Cbs News Anchorman Come Out Against The War, President Lyndon Johnson Supposedly Said, ``that's It, If I've Lost Cronkite, I've Lost The American People.''