Top Five Drives of '05: Starting the Season Strong

The Giants 2005 season was filled with some great memories, including some fantastic offensive drives, defensive stops and special teams plays that are worth remembering. This week on Giants.com, we'll feature what we consider to be the top five offensive drives and defensive stops of last season and then let you, the fans, vote on which was the best of the best! Today's featured offensive drive is the team's 10-play, 81-yard possession, which resulted in a 20-yard touchdown pass from QB Eli Manning to TE Jeremy Shockey during the season opening 42-19 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Multimedia Links: Video: Game Highlights | Photo Gallery: Giants 42, Cardinals 19 TE Jeremy Shockey got behind several Arizona defenders for this 20-yard touchdown reception on the Giants opening drive during their 42-19 win over the Cardinals in Week 1. The Giants opened the 2005 season the right way, scoring on their first possession en route to a 42-19 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The opening drive contained a number of firsts for the Giants. It was quarterback Eli Manning’s first season opener and his first game action since straining his elbow 22 days earlier in a preseason game against Carolina. There was wide receiver Plaxico Burress’ first reception as a member of the Giants, and running back Brandon Jacobs’ first ever NFL action. Most importantly, the drive resulted in the Giants’ first touchdown of the season, on Manning’s 20-yard pass to Jeremy Shockey. And of course the drive included a number of first downs: four, to be exact. Two of those first downs came from Jacobs, who converted a pair of short third down opportunities to extend the Giants drive. “He gave us a nice shot in the arm, he really did,” head coach Tom Coughlin said of Jacobs’ play on that first drive. On the Giants third offensive play—third-and-one from their own 28 yard line—Jacobs busted up the middle for seven yards. Three plays later it was again third-and-one—this time from the Giants’ 44-yard line—and Jacobs broke free down the right side for a 21-yard run. “That game, there were a lot of sparks flying in the air. It was 9/11, we came out with a lot of stuff to play for,” Jacobs said. “But that particular drive, the first drive of the season, for us as a team it was a great drive. For me it was the first drive of my career, so it was something special.” It was also something special for Giants fans, as they watched their team drive 81 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. The Giants took possession at their 19-yard line following an Arizona punt. The drive started with an eight yard pass to Burress. “I hit him on a little hook route,” said Manning. “It’s always good to get that first completion down.” Following a one-yard run by Barber, Jacobs ran for seven yards up the middle and a first down. On 2nd-and-10 Manning completed a pass to tight end Jeremey Shockey for nine yards. “I hit Shockey on a hook route in the middle,” said Manning. “Just a simple route, but it was good. You always like to get some completions to start, just to kind get into the groove of things. You don’t have to start out deep, just kind of get those first couple of completions to get into rhythm.” Shockey’s reception set up Jacobs 21 yard run, which put the Giants into Cardinals territory at the 35. Barber lost a yard, then gained 16 to move the Giants to the 20. From there Manning needed two plays to get the Giants into the end zone. The first was an incompletion to Burress. The Cardinals then came with a blitz. With Barber providing a key block on the play, Manning found Shockey open over the middle for a 20-yard touchdown. Following Jay Feely’s extra point, the Giants led, 7-0. It was an efficient and successful first drive of the season for the Giants. “It was a great start,” said Manning. “We got everybody involved. Got Plaxico a catch, got Tiki in. Brandon Jacobs had a couple big runs in there, and then Shockey had a couple catches and a touchdown. So it was a picture perfect drive and what you like to do.”