The New York Giants are fresh off two of the most unwatchable games in franchise memory — a historic Week 7 collapse in Denver and a total defensive meltdown in Philadelphia that saw defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s group give up 38 points. Now it’s onto Week 9, with San Francisco coming to town, and Big Blue’s just trying to claw back any advantage they can find.
And they might have quietly had one — until the 49ers sniffed it out.
According to Giants insider Art Stapleton, San Francisco worked out veteran left-footed punter Brock Miller this week. Why? Because New York has one of the NFL’s few lefties at the position in Jamie Gillan, and that spin — literally — messes with the come returners’ heads.
49ers worked out punter Brock Miller, via the league’s transaction wire.
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) October 31, 2025
Miller is a left-footed punter, so San Francisco prepping returners for Jamie Gillan.
Miller worked out for the Giants at a few years back for the same reason pre-Gillan, and has done that for others too
49ers prep for Jamie Gillan’s tricky punts with Brock Miller workout
Left-footed punts are a different beast. The counterclockwise spin changes the ball’s fade, drifts to the returner’s right instead of the left, and forces years of muscle memory to suddenly get reprogrammed in mid-air.
It’s obviously not impossible to field them, but they are annoying. And it leads to more muffs than you'd think.
That’s why a smart team like the Niners brings in a guy like Miller. He’s been used for this exact purpose before — including by the G-Men themselves — to simulate the weirdness of left-footed kicks. That was before the 28-year-old was on the team.
Gillan’s 2025 — much like everything in East Rutherford — has been inconsistent. But his impact isn’t just in distance. His 44.7 gross average ranks 28th, but he’s pinned 12 punts inside the 20-yard line (tied for fourth) and unleashed a 69-yarder (tied for fifth-longest in the NFL). He’s unpredictable, and for returners, that makes him dangerous.
In a game where the margin for error might be microscopic, San Francisco clearly isn’t leaving anything to chance. They’re tuning up their return unit with a guy who mimics one of the weirdest weapons in the league. It’s a small thing. But sometimes that’s all it takes.
Let's hope the Giants don't even have to utilize their punter Sunday afternoon. That'd be sweet.