I would never normally advocate for a coach's firing over a preseason game, especially when they haven't even coached a regular-season game yet, but John Harbaugh tested my patience on Saturday.
He completely stole a potentially legendary "Zvada-matic" moment from Big Blue Nation during the Giants' 13-10 preseason opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Down by three with 2:29 remaining in the fourth quarter, Harbaugh faced a classic exhibition-game crossroads. He could either pin the Vikings back deep with a punt or let undrafted rookie kicker and camp sensation Dominic Zvada let it rip from 62 yards out to tie the game.
Harbs opted to punt, officially robbing Giants fans of what could have been the single coolest moment of August.
After the game, Harbaugh defended his decision by blaming the Meadowlands wind:
“We thought it was too far into the wind there a little bit,” Harbaugh said. “I’m talking to [special teams coordinator] Chris Horton about the field goal and all that. We both felt like that was just a little long to be realistic on. But we wanted to kick it. I mean, I promise you, we wanted to get him out there to try one. So, it just seemed a little too far. But maybe we would have knocked it through.”
John Harbaugh picked the worst possible time to play it safe with Dominic Zvada
Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda. Buddy, that's exactly why we're here. It sounds like Harbaugh realized almost instantly that keeping his rookie on the sideline was the wrong call. And I couldn't agree more.
Like, isn’t that exactly what the preseason is for? Isn’t a high-pressure situation with absolutely nothing to lose exactly what the preseason is designed for? It was the perfect opportunity to test the 22-year-old’s leg from a distance with the game on the line in unfavorable conditions. If you don't test him now, then when? The final score has zero consequences on the regular-season standings, so there was no risk in giving fans a moment of pure, unadulterated joy.
We already know what punter Jordan Stout can do, but Zvada is locked in a searing hot roster battle with Ben Sauls.
Sauls capitalized on his lone opportunity, drilling a 46-yarder as time expired in the first half. Passing on the 62-yarder feels like a massive missed opportunity from an evaluation standpoint. How is Zvada supposed to win a roster battle if he doesn’t get the reps to prove his ceiling?
What makes the decision worse is that Zvada’s elite leg power has been the talk of training camp. On Wednesday, Harbaugh relented to player lobbying and let Zvada attempt a simulated 62-yard game-winner to close out practice -- which the rookie easily drilled.
Zvada is currently an incredible 54-of-58 on his offseason attempts. But practice kicks can only prepare the Michigan man so much -- Harbaugh needs to actually let him kick when the opportunity presents itself.
Free Zvada-matic.
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