5 Reasons Eli Manning can be the NFL MVP in 2015
By Jesse Connor
Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Improved Special Teams
The Giants heavily invested in special teams this offseason signing Dwayne Harris and Jonathan Casillas to a combined $29 million and drafted WR/ST Geremy Davis from Connecticut in the draft.
The Giants special teams unit has been sub-par for awhile now. Josh Brown and Steve Weatherford have played their parts but the return and coverage units have not. The addition of Dwayne Harris gives the Giants a return man they’ve been missing since Domenik Hixon as well as a proven gunner and special teams ace. Jonathan Casillas is another guy who was brought in for his special teams abilities and the same goes for Davis.
With return units that can fetch more yards on punts and kicks the Giants will have a shorter field to work with. Starting from your own 15 compared to your own 25 makes a big difference in the field position battle that goes on through the course of a game. When your backed into your own zone, play calling becomes much more limited and conservative. On the other hand if your not in the shadow of your own goal line the offense can really open up the playbook and let it rip.
This all factors into the kicking game as well. The better field position you have the easier it is to kick field goals and cover punts. Vice versa if you can’t get out of your territory.
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