Special teams key to New York Giants turnaround

The New York Giants had no shortage of flaws in 2017.

Poor coaching, lack of effort, no pass rush, ineffective blocking, and dropped passes were just some of Big Blue’s issues last season. It resulted in a 3-13 record and the firing of head coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese.

New York Giants ownership has since put together a new front office and coaching staff led by general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur.

New York Giants

Gettleman has addressed multiple weaknesses in his first offseason. He has made the offensive line a priority and bolstered Big Blue’s front-seven in free agency and the draft.

While the additions of Nate Solder, Saquon Barkley, Will Hernandez, and Lorenzo Carter has garnered plenty of attention, New York’s special teams changes are also surely worth noting.

The G-Men were awful on special teams last season. Pro Football Focus ranked them dead last following the 2017 season. They struggled with field goals, punting, coverage, and even blocking. In fact, special teams arguably single-handedly cost Big Blue a Week 15 win against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Giants had an extra point, punt, and field goal attempt all blocked and still lost to the eventual Super Bowl champions by just five points. Gettleman is looking to make sure that doesn’t happen again in 2018.

Thomas McGaughey has been named the Giants’ new special teams coordinator this offseason. The 45-year-old brings a proven track record back to the Big Apple. McGaughey, who was Big Blue’s assistant special teams coordinator from 2007-10, just led the Carolina Panthers to a very successful season in terms of special teams play.

Panthers punter Michael Palardy posted the league’s fifth-best net average (42.4), and kicker Graham Gano was named to his first Pro Bowl in 2017.

Special Teams Key To Turnaround

Of course, the Giants need improved play in all three phases. But if their special teams repeat the same performance they had last season, New York is highly unlikely to make the playoffs.

The G-Men cannot afford to leave points off the board on special teams. They can’t continually give up field position, putting too much pressure on their defense.

Gettleman has made some moves to improve Big Blue’s special teams. He released punter Brad Wing and acquired Riley Dixon through a trade with the Denver Broncos.

Dixon is the frontrunner to land New York’s punter position, but McGaughey is not going to just hand him the job. The Giants added competition to the punter position earlier this month, signing Taylor Symmank.

The biggest surprise the Giants made on special teams this offseason was sticking with Aldrick Rosas. The rookie kicker connected on just 72 percent of field goal attempts. But Gettleman and McGaughey apparently see something in the 23-year-old, via New York’s team website.

"“It’s rare where you see a rookie that just comes in and just rips it up just walking through the door. He’s young and like Dave Gettleman always says, we’re not going to give up on talent. He’s a talented guy and there’s some things that he can do that a lot of people can’t do and I think there’s some talent there and we’re going to work with that talent.”"

Like Dixon, Rosas is clearly the favorite to land the roster spot. However, the second-year kicker out of Southern Oregon will have to earn the job. He is competing with Marshall Koehn for the position.

The play at both kicker and punter will be key to the team’s turnaround. Field position and the ability to trust your kicker in crucial moments can be vital to a team’s success.

The additions of McGaughey and Dixon should immediately improve New York’s special teams, but don’t count out Michael Thomas’ impact. Big Blue’s new safety was named PFF’s Special Teams Player of the Year in 2014, 2015, and 2017.

Thomas should immediately help New York’s coverage team. He will bring an energy to the entire unit. The additions of Teddy Williams, Cody Latimer, and Kareem Martin should also only improve Big Blue’s special teams play.

Next: 5 Bold Stat Predictions For 2018

If the Giants are able to bounce back in 2018, special teams will undoubtedly play a factor. The G-Men don’t necessarily need to lead the league in punt returns for touchdowns or blocked field goals. They just need to be consistent.