Ernie Accorsi heard it all, and his first reaction was a cringe, followed closely by a rise in his temperature and a lowering of his tolerance.
The Giants general manager, counting pennies to get under the salary cap, sent veterans packing last offseason and did not import replacements. The club would make do with that it had; coach Jim Fassel would have to come up with answers despite a load of questions.
Rebuilding year. Mailing in the season. Accorsi heard it all. This week, with the signing of receiver Herman Moore, Accorsi believes he’s shut up those who criticized him for taking a pass on this season.
“That puts an end to that fallacious baloney in the offseason that we were going to sell this season away,” Accorsi said. “That was such a joke. You’re not going to bring in a guy like this if that’s your attitude.
“I’m greatly influenced by history, and I said to Jim this is a Johnny Mize-type move, the guy sure wasn’t what he was, but he hit three home runs in the ’52 Series. That’s the kind [Moore] is, with the kind of class and pride who can really give you a kick down the stretch. There might have been younger guys who can run faster, but he brings an aura of class to your club.”
No one is saying Moore, a 33-year old receiver signed on Tuesday, is a savior, and he won’t even make his Giants debut today against the Redskins in a key NFC East game. Even though this was a no-risk, inexpensive move, it did send a signal through the Giants’ locker room that the front office is serious about making this playoff drive stick.
“It’s not a very Giants-like move,” Tiki Barber said, “but desperate times call for desperate measures. We’re hurting at that position. You can’t say we’re just going to be OK with how the season’s going to be. We still believe we have a chance to go all the way to the playoffs and farther.”
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As expected, the Giants signed WR Derek Dorris from the practice squad. The team cut WR Tony Simmons, whom they had signed Tuesday. . . . The Redskins have won five of the last seven games against the Giants in this long series, which dates back to 1932. “I think it’s our No. 1 rivalry,” said Giants co-owner Wellington Mara, who should know. “We used to play Cleveland twice a year, that was it, but this has been the longest, for God sakes. I know that, back to the days of Sammy Baugh and George Marshall. Many memorable events.”
