Teams
- New York Giants (1979-1993)
Accolades
- 2x Super Bowl Champion (XXI, XXV)
- Super Bowl MVP (XXI)
- 2x Pro Bowl (1985, 1993)
- First-Team All-Pro (1986)
- Newspaper Enterprise Association NFL MVP (1986)
“[Phil Simms] was one of the best quarterbacks I’ve ever been around. I’ve been fortunate to be around some good ones, but Phil Simms was a great, great player.”
—Bill Belichick, Head Coach, New England Patriots (source)
In 1960, the New York Giants went out and got Y.A. Tittle from the 49ers to take over the team’s quarterbacking reins from Charlie Conerly. Then in 1965 they went out and got Earl Morrall. Then Fran Tarkenton in 1967. Then Norm Snead in 1972. Then Craig Morton in 1974. Then Joe Pisarcik in 1977. For nearly two decades they continually dipped into a well of veterans, and always with middling success. Finally, in 1979, they decided to actually draft one, taking Phil Simms out of Morehead State at seventh overall. He would be their primary starter for 11 of the next 15 years, and the decision to stick with him would end up paying tremendous dividends.
The Giants took Simms to be their QB of the future, but only a month into the season, he became of their QB of right now. Coming in relief of Pisarcik, his first performance was a forgettable one. He would go 8-for-19 for 115 yards and two interceptions. But he would also connect with Ken Johnson in the fourth quarter for his first career touchdown pass. Simms would be serviceable in his rookie year, throwing nearly as many TDs (13) as INTs (14) and averaging nearly 150 passing yards a game. He would also lead the G-Men to a 6-5 finish, ending up with a 6-10 year.
But in his sophomore year, Simms would stumble. The 1980 New York Giants would only go 3-10 in his starts and his passer rating dropped seven points to 58.9. The next two seasons would see him battle significant injuries. After a 5-5 start to the ’81 season, Simms would miss the rest of the season with a separated shoulder. He would have to watch Scott Brunner take the 9-7 Giants to a postseason victory, then spend the entire ’82 season on injured reserve. Then in 1983, new Head Coach Bill Parcells went with Brunner as his guy. Simms would only throw 13 passes that year. At this point, it would be understandable if Giants management cut bait with their star-crossed signal caller and moved on. They decided to stay the course.
Phil Simms turned 30 during the 1984 season, in what would be his first full year as starter in the league. It would be a revelation for him and his squad. He would pass for 4,044 yards, third best in the NFL. The Giants would go 9-7 and make the postseason. Simms would play solidly in the Wild Card round, helping defeat the L.A. Rams 16-10 in a 22-for-31, 179-yard performance. The season would end the following week to the eventual Super Bowl champion 49ers 21-10 in which Simms would complete 25 of 44 passes, but be intercepted twice.
New York would improve further in 1985, going 10-6. This time, Simms was able to match what an already-solid defense was offering. In a Pro Bowl season he would pass for 3,829 yards, fourth in the NFL. His 7.7 yards per pass attempt and 13.9 yards per completion were also both fourth in the league, while he finished tied for seventh in TD passes with 22. He was also better in a postseason rematch with San Francisco, throwing for 181 yards, two TDs, and one INT in a 17-3 elimination of the defending champs. But at chilly Soldier Field the following weekend he would learn first-hand what the ’85 Bears were all about, getting sacked six times and fumbling twice. While he didn’t throw an interception, the Giants were kept off the scoreboard in the 21-0 pounding. But in the loss to that infamous Chicago Bears team, Simms and the Giants saw exactly where they wanted to be the next season.
The 1986 New York Giants were the culmination of all the years of patience and investment on both sides of the football. After opening the season on Monday night in a tough 31-28 loss at Dallas, they would lose only once more the rest of the way. Starting every game for the 14-2 Giants, Simms would finish in the Top 10 among all QBs in passing yards, touchdowns, yards per attempt, and yards per completion. But it was in the postseason that he would truly impress, putting together a truly memorable three-game series. In the Divisional Round, the defense would knock Joe Montana out of the game in a 49-3 blowout of the Niners. Phil Simms would throw for 136 yards on only nine completions, four of which found the end zone. Then in the NFC Championship Game, against rival Washington, he would throw for 90 yards on only seven completions, one of which found the end zone. The New York Giants would be the victors, 17-0, and head to their first Super Bowl.
January 25, 1987. The Giants faced off against the Denver Broncos and their young star quarterback, John Elway. The Giants came in as nine-point favorites. But while their all-star defense gave up ten first quarter points, it was Phil Simms who would step in to be the hero. In arguably the greatest performance by a QB in Super Bowl history, he would complete 22 of 25 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Despite only running for 72 yards the entire regular season, he managed to scamper three times for 25 yards as well. Simms finished the game with an 88% completion percentage and 150.9 passer rating, both still Super Bowl records to this day. The Giants would end up wining decisively, 39-20. For his superhuman efforts, Simms was named game MVP and uttered the immortal post-game words for the very first time.
Seemingly a juggernaut in the making, the 1987 New York Giants ended up being a significant disappointment. After a difficult start to the season (which opened on the road in Chicago and at home against Dallas) sent the G-Men off at 0-2, the NFL players then went on strike. In three weeks of scab play, the Giants fell to 0-5. Once the regular players returned, they were too far behind the 8-ball, and finished 6-4 for a 6-9 final record. For his part though, Simms played well, finishing second in the league in yards per attempt (7.9) and third in passer rating (90.0).
The 1988 season went much better, but a final week loss to the in-stadium rival New York Jets meant the 10-6 Giants would miss the postseason on a tiebreak to the Rams. Simms would finish the year second among QBs in interception rate (2.3%) and fifth in TD passes (21). The Giants of a few years prior returned in 1989, going 12-4 and winning the NFC East, despite a mostly down year from Phil Simms. He did pass for over 3,000 yards, but threw as many INTs as TDs (14). His struggles would continue in a Divisional Round, a 19-13 overtime loss to the Rams. While throwing for 180 yards, Simms would also fumble once and throw a pick.
But 1990, at 35 years of age, he would have a huge bounce back year. He would lead the Giants to an 11-2 start going into Week 15. In a close battle with Buffalo, he would leave the game with an injured foot. It turned out to be broken, stunningly ending his season. His back-up, Jeff Hostetler, savored every moment of this opportunity. And while Simms had gotten the Giants on the cusp of a special season, Hostetler finished the job, leading the Giants to wins in the next five games, including a 20-19 upset of Buffalo in Super Bowl XXV. Simms would get his ring in bittersweet manner as he would have to watch from the sidelines. He would finish the year second among all QBs in interception rate (1.3%), and fourth in both passer rating (92.7) and completion percentage (59.2%).
New Head Coach Ray Handley would name Hostetler the starter in ’91. But Hostetler would suffer a season-ending injury against Tampa Bay in Week 12 and Simms would guide the Giants to a late victory to improve the team to 7-5. Despite Simms playing well over the next four games, the once-vaunted defense would give up an average of 25 points per game in December, resulting in a 1-3 finish and an 8-8 final record, leaving the team short of the playoffs. Then in ’92, yet another ironic twist of fate occurred as Simms would start the season, but be knocked out for the rest of the year with an elbow injury. Hostetler would continue their back-and-forth by coming in and getting the Giants back into playoff contention before he too was knocked out for the season with an injury. The 1992 New York Giants would finish 6-10, costing Coach Handley his job and resulting in Hostetler leaving to join to the Raiders.
In 1993, at age 38, the team was once again Simms’. And he would start all 16 games for the first time since 1986. It would be a renaissance year for the veteran, who would surpass 3,000 yards passing, make his second Pro Bowl, and finish the regular season with the league’s fourth-best passer rating at 88.3. The surprising Giants, under new Head Coach Dan Reeves (who had coached against them in Super Bowl XXI), finished 11-5 and hosted the Minnesota Vikings during Wild Card weekend. While the Giants focused on the ground game, Simms was solid when needed, going 17-for-26 for 94 years and an additional 14 rushing yards in the 17-10 win. But the following week, facing their old rivals San Francisco, the Giants would be slammed 44-3. Simms would go 12-for-25 for 124 yards and two picks before being replaced by Dave Brown. He would undergo shoulder surgery in the offseason with hopes to play in ’94. Instead, he would be surprised as the Giants would release him. Rather than continue on, Simms chose to call it the great career that it was.
Phil Simms continues to be a noteworthy presence in the NFL, serving as a studio analyst on CBS’ The NFL Today. Never a particularly flashy player, and now over 15 years removed from his playing days, it’s easy to forget that legendary ’86 season, and his key role on the ’90 team. Those are two titles of which Simms was part and parcel. Like a fine wine, he also improved with age. Seemingly destined for “draft bust” status by the mid ‘80s due to injuries and poor play, he redeemed himself to become one of the game’s most dependable passers by the end of the decade. And thinking back to some of the immortal quarterback performances in Super Bowls since 1987 (Montana in SB XXIV, Young in SB XXIX, Warner in SB XXXIV, etc.) it’s amazing that Simms still has, statistically, the best of them all. For a franchise that has seen several great signal callers through its years, none had as consistently solid of a tenure, pound-for-pound, as Phil Simms.
Chart
| Season | W-L% | Tot Y/G | Tot TD/G | Tot TO/G | Y/C/Y/A | Cmp % | TD% | Int% |
| Reg Season | 0.055 | -0.024 | -0.023 | 0.064 | 0.037 | -0.009 | 0.020 | 0.064 |
| Playoffs | 0.056 | -0.156 | -0.127 | 0.152 | -0.150 | 0.011 | -0.071 | 0.201 |
Longevity Bonus = 1.5 Title Bonus = 1.4
Index Score = 3.920 (average QB = 0.0)
Deviation Rank (out of 155)
| Season | W-L% | Tot Y/G | Tot TD/G | Tot TO/G | Y/C/Y/A | Cmp % | TD% | Int% |
| Reg Season | 43rd | 95th | 100th | 59th | 42nd | 104th | 72nd | 42nd |
| Playoffs | T-26th | 130th | 117th | 18th | 144th | 54th | 104th | 15th |
Why is he on the Top 50 list?
All-around solid under Center, Phil Simms makes the Top 50 in three regular season categories: intereception ratio (42nd), win-loss percentage (43rd), and average of yards/completion + yards/attempt (42nd). He also is helped by limiting postseason mistakes (15th in interception rate and 18th in fewest turnovers per game), and being a postseason winner (tied for 26th in win-loss percentage). The biggest boosts he gets though are bonus points for longevity (1.5) and for being a significant part of two Super Bowl championships (1.4).
Why isn’t he higher on the list?
Phil Simms only finishes outside the Top 100 in one regular season category (completion percentage at 104th). However, he just makes the Top 100 in total touchdowns per game (100th) and total yards per game (95th). While his postseason starts makes up less than 5% of his games, he does finish in the bottom 50 in touchdowns per pass attempt (104th), total touchdowns per game (117th), total yards per game (130th), and average of yards/completion + yards/attempt (144th).
The Quarterback Project 