The Giants nearly made up for one bingo card's worth of special teams mishaps.
Check the box to allow punt return touchdowns this season. Near the end of the game, he missed a field goal that would have tied the score. Commit penalties to remove points from the scoreboard. Fumbles the kickoff return. And didn't have a plan B with the kicker when the situation clearly called for it.
While head coach Brian Daboll hasn't seen the improvements he had hoped for when he fired lead special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey the morning after the 2023 Finals, the overall result is that the game has improved. A suggestion that wasn't as harmful as nerfing a few changers.
“Overall, I think our players have gradually gotten better,” special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial said. “I’m proud of them for how they fought and fought, no matter the situation or the score difference.”
If this bar exceeds the NFL's worst-ranked scoring offense, it's clear that special teams is on the way.
Even if it's an upgrade from last season, the news isn't all that great.
The Giants rank 23rd in the NFL in special teams efficiency, according to ESPN's Football Power Index.
More specifically, they rank 22nd in field goal percentage (80 percent), 13th in kickoff coverage (26.4 yards per return), 22nd in kickoff returns (26 yards per return), and 26th in net punt coverage. . (40.4 yards) and 30th in net punt returns (7.3 yards).
Their returners are tied for the most total fumbles (5), but their kick blockers have two, including the game-winning one against the Seahawks.
“There are some big plays we want to get back, but we feel like we're heading in the right direction,” said linebacker Patrick Johnson, who ranks second behind Dane Belton in special teams snaps. “Gorby always talks about how we're one play away from this, that. We're not going to make the same mistake twice.”
With injuries on the rise (the Giants listed 19 players on Thursday's injury report) and an increased need to fill holes with practice squad promotions and in-season acquisitions, the Jets lost their game last week. After going through a coaster-like experience, my inner feeling was that the special teams could still gel and attack. Make positive changes.
“If you watch the tape, you can see we've been fighting and we're growing,” linebacker Matt Adams said. “When you get to the end of the season and the weather starts to change and you get low-scoring games, you might win special teams games because of field position. If you can win in the special teams phase, you might end up winning.”
In Sunday's 14-11 loss to the Saints, Greg Stroman Jr. and Jake Kubas committed penalties that negated 10 points, and Graham Gano's field goal attempt to force overtime was blocked.
On the other side, Casey Rogers blocked a field goal and Jamie Gillan pinned four punts inside the 20-yard line.
“I'm not going to make excuses,” Ghobrial said.
QB Drew Lock (heel, left elbow), DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches (neck/shoulder), LB Bobby Okereke (back), CB Drew Phillips (shoulder), and LG John Runyan Jr. (ankle) on Thursday. did not practice.
RT Evan Neal (hip/ankle) took a step forward to limited participation, and CB Art Green (quad) was a full participant for the first time this week.
S. Tyler Nubin will “probably” head into ankle surgery soon, Daboll said.
