The Giants' 39-20 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI was the first of the franchise's four world championships in the modern era. In Hard Nose, Jim Burt, the team's gritty nose tackle, and Hank Gola, who covered the team as the beat writer for the New York Post, take what had been long-suffering Giants fans on a week-by-week tour of the magical 1986 season, including some hilarious behind-the-scenes stories. Burt, who made the roster as a long-shot free agent in 1981, reveals his personal struggles to prove himself on a daily basis as he battled a chronic back injury and describes his love-hate relationship with coach Bill Parcells and his interactions with teammates Phil Simms, Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson.