Dominic Zvada is not going anywhere, at least for the time being.
Even after the rookie kicker missed two field goals during Sunday’s 27-21 overtime victory in Houston—one of which was a 44-yarder just before halftime—head coach John Harbaugh confirmed on Monday that the Giants would continue with Zvada.
When asked about bringing in someone to push the rookie, Harbaugh responded, “We’re not gonna be doing that right now, no.”
That said, this doesn’t rule out the possibility of changes if Zvada’s performance doesn’t improve.
Earlier in the game, he also missed a 56-yarder, and the Giants decided against attempting a 55-yard field goal in the second half.
Adding to Zvada’s woes, he wasn’t able to prevent a touchback on his overtime kickoff, a repeat of what happened the previous week against the Saints.
While he did make all three extra-point attempts in Sunday’s match, it’s worth noting that after starting his career with a perfect 9-for-9 record on field goals, he’s only converted 4 of his last 9 attempts.
Harbaugh expressed confidence in Zvada after the win in Houston, stating, “I’m not really worried about Zvada. He just has to do it. But I’m totally confident he will because I know how good he is and know what a good head he has.”
Last year, the Giants struggled with kickers, having utilized five different players, including punter Jamie Gillan. This season, they have chosen to remain with Zvada, whose longest successful field goal is 56 yards, and he has converted all twelve extra-point attempts so far.
Harbaugh also voiced his disagreement regarding an unnecessary roughness call against Cam Skattebo in the first quarter when he collided with safety M.J. Stewart. Officials claimed that Skattebo made illegal helmet contact, which negated a 7-yard run.
“I understand the idea, but I also understand human physiology and anatomy and the way the body works,” Harbaugh noted. “[Skattebo] runs low. You have to run low to protect the football. You have to run low to protect your body. When you run low, your head is down there, too. You can’t move your head off your shoulders. It’s a physical impossibility.”
The coach was also confident that Skattebo, who had been benched due to previous fumble issues, didn’t intend to use his helmet to hit Stewart.
“I’m quite sure [Skattebo]’s not trying to use his helmet as a weapon,” Harbaugh commented. “That’s not the way he’s thinking. He’s leading with his shoulder. That’s what he’s trying to do. He’s trying to keep his head in a good, upright position, but his pads are down there low. That’s a good thing. That’s the way you’re supposed to run. I didn’t have a problem with the technique, personally, at all. But we haven’t heard from the league. Maybe they’ll be able to enlighten us in terms of what they want us to teach and that would be great.”
Harbaugh mentioned that he was feeling “day to day” on Monday after being tackled by Devin Singletary following his game-winning touchdown.
“It’s so terrible,” Harbaugh said, smiling about his inability to stay upright. “As I was going down, all I could think was I just felt like a total non-athlete, over the hill [and] washed up. I don’t know. I just felt so weak, so pathetic.”
