NEW YORK GIANTS coach Bill Parcells wanted to make an example out of nose tackle Jim Burt. The Giants had lost three out of their last four games in October 1984, and another season of disappointment -- they had gone 3-12-1 the year prior -- seemed to be playing out.
On the Thursday before a key divisional game against Washington, Parcells kept Burt after practice and forced him to jab a wall while holding 20-pound dumbbells for 45 minutes straight. Parcells wanted the other players to see how he was punishing Burt, so they would work hard enough to avoid that type of treatment.