New York Giants: Larry Izzo and the Top 13 Giants Hires of All Time

The Giants concluded a premier signing today that probably escaped most media outlets.

It wasn't the resigning of Ahmad Bradshaw. Nor was it an announcement about agreeing to terms with another high profile free agent.

It was the signing of an assistant special teams coach.

At this point, attaching the word "premier" might look ridiculous.

But keep in mind that last year wasn't exactly a banner year for Giants special teams (dare I even mention that game against the Eagles last season?)

So the signing of former Patriot special teams legend Larry Izzo to help coach looks to be a major coup.

If Izzo works out, he will add to an already very good Giants coaching staff. Tom Coughlin has had his critics (myself included), but he has undeniably made the Giants winners consistently and won a Super Bowl.

And Perry Fewell, defensive coordinator, is only one in a long line of great Giants coordinators.

Speaking of former great hires, let's take a look at some of the Giant's best hires.

No. 13: Steve Spagnuolo

Hired as a defensive coordinator from the blitz-happy Eagles staff, Spagnuolo's system took some time to get used to.

The Giants allowed 80 points in the first two weeks of the 2007 season (Spagnuolo's first two games with the team).

But every Giants fan remembered how that season ended, and few men played a bigger role in the Super Bowl run than the defensive coordinator.

No. 12: John Fox

Another Giants defensive coordinator from the past, another Super Bowl run to his name.

That the Giants fell short isn't entirely Fox's fault. And he did guide the Panthers to a Super Bowl as their head coach, coming within a Tom Brady special of forcing overtime.

He was extremely charismatic and inspired confidence in the Giants defense and fans alike during his tenure.

No. 11: Sean Payton

The man is now a legend in New Orleans.

But before he was the toast of Saints country, he was John Fox's opposite on the Giants at the turn of the 21st century.

His finest hour with the Giants was probably the 2000 NFC Championship Game. New York destroyed the heavily favored Vikings, 41-0.

And it was Payton's aggressive game-plan which helped to take apart Minnesota, an early look at the kind of style he now prefers for Drew Brees.

No. 10: Allie Sherman

After filling different roles with the Giants, he was hired to take over as head coach in 1961.

In his first three seasons, he went 10-3-1, 12-2 and 11-3.

Though he did go 0-3 in the playoffs in that span...

No. 9: Jerry Reese

He replaced Ernie Accorsi, a well known and respected GM.

So people had questions about Reese when he arrived. Needless to say, he answered them. Emphatically.

His first draft in 2007 saw the first year GM dispel any jitters he might have had, landing players like Aaron Ross, Steve Smith, Kevin Boss and Zac DeOssie. All of them played important roles in winning Super Bowl XLII.

Reese continues to be a fixture for the Giants and is no doubt a busy man currently.

No. 8: Jim Lee Howell

(Photo courtesy of http://www.lonokealumni.org/slide9.htm)

His eye for talent during his stint as coach was legendary.

Consider this, in his time as coach from 1954-1960, Howell acquired six future Hall of Famers.

And he also hired two little known assistants named Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry to coach his offense and defense respectively. Simply incredible.

Throw in the 1956 NFL Championship and he makes it to number eight.

No. 7: Tom Coughlin

As was mentioned in the intro, Coughlin has seen a fair few critics over the years.

Which is natural because the Giants have experienced a number of bumps in the road. Plus they play in New York City, which naturally creates friction with the media.

That said, the Giants have experienced only one losing season under Coughlin (his first) and played in the postseason four consecutive years for the first time ever under him.

Oh yeah, and he won Super Bowl XLII. So all in all, not a bad run for a guy who had previously been an assistant during the 1990 championship run.

No. 6: George Young

(Photo courtesy of http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/10/15/sports/METS/METS-articleInline.jpg)

One of, if not the single finest GM in team history.

Young took over in 1979 as the team found itself in football wilderness.

Slowly but surely, he turned them around through excellent drafting. Taking players like Phil Simms, Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks and a slew of others, he built two Super Bowl champions from the ground up.

No. 5: Tom Landry

Landry was a decent cornerback as a player for the Giants. But he really took off when then-Giants head coach Jim Lee Howell talked him into being a player-coach for the defense.

And in 1956, he became the full time defensive coordinator. It proved to be a perfect match, as his innovation and sharp mind were perfect for football in the 1950s.

He created the 4-3 defense, which highlighted the amazing play of Sam Huff at middle linebacker.

After leaving the Giants, he went on to coach the Cowboys for, you know, a few decades, winning two Super Bowls in the process.

No. 4: Steve Owen

(Photo courtesy of hapmoran.org)

Owen is said to have dreamed of being a jockey when he was young.

But when you're 5'11" and you weight 230 pounds, that dream dies quickly.

Still, as some doors close, others open. For Owen, this meant playing and then coaching football.

As head coach from 1931-1953, Owen set the record for most wins in franchise history by a coach with 151.

Winning two championships, he helped to instill a strong football foundation in New York.

No. 3: Bill Belichick

Hired from relative obscurity in 1979, Belichick quickly found a good home in New York.

And by 1985, he was defensive coordinator after following in Bill Parcells' footsteps as linebackers coach.

Belichick proved to be brilliant leading the defense. His defense was one of the league's best, if not the best in the years 1985-1990.

The Giants won two Super Bowls in that span and his creative and truly exceptional game-plan in the Super Bowl XXV can only be seen now in the Hall of Fame.

No. 2: Vince Lombardi

(Photo courtesy of http://diehardsport.com)

His name is synonymous not only with football but winning. And he got his start as an NFL coach with the Giants.

There are few things that make me more proud of being a Giants fan than that fact.

Recruited from Army to coach the offense (eventually as offensive coordinator), Lombardi helped the Giants to the 1956 NFL Championship.

Along with Tom Landry, Lombardi comprised half of arguably the finest offensive/defensive coordinator pair in football history.

After leaving New York, he built Green Bay up from being a team in disrepair to the NFL's first modern dynasty and the Super Bowl trophy is now named after him.

No. 1: Bill Parcells

After bouncing around in the college ranks as a coach, he was chosen to lead the Giants defense in 1981 by Ray Perkins.

It didn't hurt that the Giants had just drafted a linebacker named Lawrence Taylor.

The rest, as they say, is history. Parcells and Taylor were a perfect partnership, as each complemented the other.

Parcells was named head coach in 1983. He almost got fired after one season when New York staggered to a 3-12-1 finish. But he willed things to turn around.

By 1986, he had ushered in a new golden age of football in New York, leading the Giants to a 14-2 record and their first Super Bowl win.

Adding another title in 1990 (his last season as coach of the Giants) and Parcells' record as the finest modern coach of the team was set.

Not only that, but he spawned a whole line of brilliant assistants during his time with the Giants including Belichick, Romeo Crennel, Tom Coughlin and Charlie Weis.