Sports Media Report
NFL Network’s new documentary series The Timeline from NFL Films continues on Tuesday, December 8 at 8:00 PM ET with Jersey Guys, a one-hour show detailing the New York Giants’ move out of New York to New Jersey. Music icon and New Jersey native Jon Bon Jovi narrates.
For a long time, the New York Giants’ identity was clear: Yankee Stadium, Frank Gifford and the Big Apple, through and through. But their glory days felt far away in the mid-60s, when the franchise was struggling at the same time the Super Bowl was launching pro football to new heights. A rebirth seemed within reach to the Giants, however, if only they moved a few rivers away. So the team made an announcement they were relocating to a football-specific, 80,000-seat stadium in New Jersey. It was a long, painful process marked by fits and starts and glimmers of hope that always seemed to be snuffed out. Then the Giants hired Bill Parcells, a Jersey Guy to the core, who reshaped the team in his Garden State spirit.
Jersey Guys features sitdown interviews with Bill Parcells, John Mara, Frank Gifford, Phil Simms and more, as well as interviews with various New Jersey natives discussing their connection with and love for the Giants.
Among the topics discussed in Jersey Guys are:
· The New York Giants playing in Yankee Stadium from 1956 – 1973
· Moving to the New Jersey Meadowlands
· The selection of linebacker Lawrence Taylor and the hiring of head coach Bill Parcells
· New York City Mayor Ed Koch’s comments about not hosting the Giants’ Super Bowl parade in Manhattan
· The connection between the Giants and the state of New Jersey
Jersey Guys includes interviews with the following people and more:
Bill Parcells – Former Giants head coach
John Mara – Giants President & CEO
Frank Gifford – Former Giants halfback
Phil Simms – Former Giants quarterback
Carl Banks – Former Giants linebacker
Joe Walton – Former Giants tight end
Mark Bavaro – Former Giants tight end
Brian Kelley – Former Giants linebacker
George Martin – Former Giants defensive end
Harry Carson – Former Giants linebacker
Jim Burt – Former Giants defensive tackle
Joe Piscopo – Comedian
Tom Kean – Former Governor, New Jersey
Andrew Stein – Former New York politician
Jersey Guys re-airs Tuesday, December 8 at 12 Midnight ET, Thursday, December 10 following Thursday Night Football and Friday, December 11 at 10:00 PM ET on NFL Network.
Provided below are premiere dates for the remaining episodes of The Timeline:
· A Tale of Two Cities – Tuesday, December 15 at 8:00 PM ET (Part 1) & Saturday, December 19 Following Thursday Night Football (Part 2)
· The Merger – Thursday, December 24 Following Thursday Night Football
· America’s Game and the Iran Hostage Crisis – Saturday, December 26 Following Thursday Night Football
Airing throughout the month of December and into the new year, The Timeline features six, hour-long episodes chronicling seminal moments that formed the NFL’s storied past, shape the present and, in some cases, set the stage for the future.
On digital platforms, there are several ways to access a live feed of all NFL Network programming, including The Timeline. Verizon Wireless customers using the free-to-download NFL Mobile app on smartphones have access to NFL Network included with their Verizon service. Fans can also access live streaming video of NFL Network through NFL.com/Watch on desktop, the Watch NFL Network app on tablets, and the NFL on Xbox app (Xbox 360 and One), for eligible subscribers of AT&T U-verse, Charter, Cox, DirecTV, Dish, Optimum, Verizon FiOS and many more providers.
Provided below are some select quotes from Jersey Guys:
– “It had a certain aura that was kind of special. All of the history – Babe Ruth, the façade – it’s kind of a magical place.” – Joe Walton on playing in Yankee Stadium
– “There is nothing simple in New Jersey. Traffic’s hard, to get to where you’re going is hard – everything is hard.” – Bill Parcells
– “When Giants Stadium was erected, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the mecca, this is our sanctuary.’ And we kind of tarnished that sanctuary initially by being the doormat of the National Football League.” – George Martin
– “A Jersey guy would be opinionated, a little abrupt, definitely not too sensitive.” – Bill Parcells
– “Tough, no nonsense, not very flashy guys. We were also very physical and we did, we kicked a lot of ass.” – Mark Bavaro
– “It made me mad. That’s all I can say. He turned it into a spectacle for himself.” – Phil Simms on Mayor Ed Koch’s attitude towards having a Giants parade in New York
– “It was New Jersey celebrating New Jersey. We can do it. We can do it, we can do anything, we can take on New York, we can take on anybody. We’re New Jersey.” – Tom Kean
