4. Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey
While the poor play on special teams can easily be blamed on the players themselves, it certainly seems as if Thomas McGaughey didn't have his boys ready and it showed. The Giants made several mistakes on special teams, including allowing a punt return touchdown that completely turned the tide of the game. However, without this horrid moment, we would not have gotten this hilarious reaction from Brian Daboll:
Brian Daboll’s 👀 at Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey after that 94-yard punt return for a TD by the Lions. 🥶 pic.twitter.com/PWEo5Bk9yL
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) August 12, 2023
In all seriousness, the Giants' special teams were disastrous on Friday and this cannot continue. We have already seen the negative impact of poor play on returns last season and if the Giants want to be serious contenders these problems have to be fixed.
There's no way that McGaughey is fired prior to the regular season, but if these issues remain prevalent in the regular season, we could see an exit for the long-term coordinator at the end of the season. Hopefully, we don't see this, as McGaughey has had several bright moments during his tenure with the Giants and Daboll already said he loves the guy.