The top 5: New York Giants all-time points leaders

Lawrence Tynes leapfrogged up to No. 2 on the New York Giants all-time scoring list in the win over the Dallas Cowboys the other week, when he booted five field goals, with two extra points thrown in for good measure (and he added eight points this past Sunday). Points accumulated is an under-the-radar stat and not as romantic as rushing yards, touchdown passes, receptions or sacks, and it usually involves kickers, who are the Rodney Dangerfield of the football world -- they get no respect. And Giants kickers have had a rough go of it, having to kick in the swirling winds of Yankee Stadium during the wintertime not to mention the more-than-blustery Meadowlands. Tenth place through sixth on the Giants list looks like this: 10th -- Raul Allegre (340 points); ninth -- Amani Toomer (348); eighth -- Brandon Jacobs (362); seventh -- Joe Morrison (390); sixth -- Tiki Barber (416). And now, the top five:

5. Joe Danelo, 482 points: He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1975, but never played a game for them. Danelo instead spent his first season with the Green Bay Packers before joining the Giants in '76 and staying with them for seven seasons, and then finishing his career with two years in Buffalo. He went 104-for-176 in field-goal attempts in his time with Big Blue (59.1%), and 170-for-176 in extra points. He made nine field goals of 50-plus yards (in 28 attempts). Danelo led the league in field-goal attempts in 1981, with 38, kicked a then-Giants-record 55-yarder (since broken by Ali Haji-Sheikh), booted six field goals in one game and 1981 was also his best season points-wise (103).

4. Frank Gifford, 484 points: Rex Ryan often refers to Tim Tebow as "a football player" because of his versatility on the field, but Frank Gifford? Now he was "a football player." The Hall of Famer played a plethora of positions and made the Pro Bowl as a defensive back, halfback and receiver in his years with the Giants (1952-'64, but sat out the '61 season after almost being decapitated by Chuck Bednarik). Gifford made eight Pro Bowls in all, was a four-time First-Team All-Pro and was the 1956 MVP. He scored 34 rushing touchdowns, 43 receiving touchdowns, intercepted a pass for a touchdown, kicked two field goals and booted 10 extra points. He also tossed 14 touchdown passes (the most by a non-quarterback in NFL history), and early in his career he returned punts and kickoffs (though he never brought one back for a score). Most know Gifford for his guest appearance on the 1960s sitcom Hazel (ok, nobody knows him for that), though many know him more for his years on Monday Night Football or for being Mr. Kathie Lee Gifford, but he was quite the football player.

3. Brad Daluiso, 526 points: After spending two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos, Daluiso kicked for the Giants from 1993 to 2000, before joining the Oakland Raiders for one last season in the NFL. He had a 76.9 field-goal percentage (123-for-160), and was 157-for-159 in extra points for the Giants. Daluiso was a perfect 48-for-48 inside the 30-yard line in his New York career, and was an impressive 6-for-11 from 50 yards or more. His best season came in 1998, when he put up 95 points. He contributed to the 41-0 romp over the Minnesota Vikings in the 2000 NFC Championship Game with a pair of field goals.

2. Lawrence Tynes, 543 points: Now in his sixth season with the Giants (after coming to them in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs), the Scotland-born Tynes has earned a place in Giants history with his two overtime NFC Championship Game field goals, which sent the Giants to their last two Super Bowls. In his Giants career, he's 115-for-136 in field goals (84.6%), and 198-for-200 in extra points. He's gone 45-for-46 inside the 30-yard line, and is 4-for-9 from the 50 on out (including a 50-yarder on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers). Tynes' 102 points leads the NFL so far this year, and he has a chance to break the single-season franchise record of 148, held by Jay Feely, in 2005, not to mention the all-time mark of 186, by LaDainian Tomlinson (the record for kickers is 166, by David Akers). Tynes already ranks fifth and sixth on the Giants' single-season list, with 126 points in 2009 and 109 in '07. He was named the Special Teams Player of the Month for October.

1. Pete Gogolak, 646 points: The Hungarian-born Cornell graduate was more than just a place kicker, he's an important historical figure in professional football. He was essentially the first soccer-style kicker, when he joined the AFL's Buffalo Bills in 1964, which alone would cement his place in football lore. But when the Giants poached Gogolak from the rival league in '66, that move ended the gentlemen's agreement between the NFL and AFL and signaled that the war was on. The AFL began luring NFL stars to their side as revenge, and the bad blood ultimately led to the merger and one draft for both leagues. Gogolak kicked for the Giants from '66 to '74, making 126 of 219 field-goal attempts (57.5%) and 268 of 277 extra points. His 107 points in 1970 was the most in his Giants career. His brother, Charlie, also kicked in the NFL, with the Washington Redskins and Boston/New England Patriots, and the two tied a record with a combined 14 extra points in a 72-41 Redskins win over the Giants in 1966. Pete's a member of the Giants Ring of Honor.