claim: Anneliese van der Pol had an early career in science.
evidence: The 1970 New York Giants was the 46th season for the professional American football franchise .. 1970 NFL season. New York Giants. New York Giants. American football. American football. This was the first season for the Giants after the AFL -- NFL merger , in which ten American Football League teams joined the National Football League .. American Football League. American Football League. National Football League. National Football League. The team was led by second-year head coach Alex Webster .. Alex Webster. Alex Webster ( football player ). The Giants finished the season 9 -- 5 , missing the playoffs by losing their season finale against the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 31 -- 3 .. Los Angeles Rams. Los Angeles Rams. The Giants finished second in the NFC East , a game behind the Dallas Cowboys .. NFC East. National Football Conference East Division. Dallas Cowboys. Dallas Cowboys. They were also only one game out of a wild card playoff spot , won by the Detroit Lions .. Detroit Lions. Detroit Lions. Probably more damaging to the Giants ' playoff hopes than the loss to the Rams were a pair of stinkers to two of the NFL 's bottom feeders .. The first was a 14 -- 10 loss at New Orleans in week three ; the second was a 23 -- 20 setback at Philadelphia on Monday Night Football in week 10 , the Giants ' only setback in a 10-week stretch following the loss to the Saints .. New Orleans. New Orleans Saints. Philadelphia. 1970 Philadelphia Eagles season. Monday Night Football. Monday Night Football. The game at Franklin Field was more memorable for the antics in the broadcast booth , where Howard Cosell vomited on Don Meredith 's cowboy boots .. Franklin Field. Franklin Field. Howard Cosell. Howard Cosell. Don Meredith. Don Meredith. Cosell took a taxi back to the hotel at halftime , leaving Meredith to finish the game with Keith Jackson .. Keith Jackson. Keith Jackson. The Saints finished with the NFL 's second-worst record at 2 -- 11 -- 1 ; the Eagles were barely better at 3 -- 10 -- 1 .. This would be the closest the Giants came to qualifying for the playoffs in the 1970s .. The franchise enjoyed only one other winning season in the decade , going 8 -- 6 in 1972 .. Big Blue did not return to the playoffs until 1981 , ending a drought which dated back to the 1963 NFL Championship .. 1981 NFL season. 1963 NFL Championship. 1963 NFL Championship