Unit Review | Something Special

We can make all the puns we want, but the bottom line is that the Giants special teams group was by far the best and most consistent of the three macro units on the team, and it wasn’t even close.

How good? In 2019, the Giants’ kickoff coverage team led the league by allowing an average return of 18.1 yards. The punt coverage team was tied for fifth as opponents averaged just 5.7 yards a return.

And the Giants were fourth and 10th, respectively, in the NFL in punt (9.8 yards) and kickoff (23.5 yards) return average. At the same time, punter Riley Dixon—the Giants only worthwhile Pro Bowler (he was named an alternate) finished ninth in the league with a franchise-record 42.3-yard net average, with nearly half of his 69 punts downed or fair caught inside the 20.

The Giants finished second in the NFL in kickoff coverage, limiting opponents to an average return of 20.4 yards, and seventh in punt coverage with a 6.6-yard average. The team’s kickoff return rose from 19.6 to 24.4 yards, and their average punt return improved from 5.5 to 6.2 yards.

With all that said, the unit wasn’t perfect. Aldrick Rosas failed to follow up his 2018 Pro Bowl season, finishing 12 of 17 in field goal attempts after going 32 of 33 a year earlier, and converting 35 of 39 PATs after nailing 31 of 32 in 2018.

Rosas’ field goal kicking woes were due to numerous factors, but most of all, the lack of opportunities that never really allowed him to get into a groove. It also didn’t help that earlier in the year, his kicking operation was bumpy. Longtime long snapper Zak DeOssie, who likely will call it a career sooner than later, deal with injuries that affected his craft—and Rosas’ kicking.

With all that said, Rosas should be back in 2020 as he has a strong of a leg that you don't give up on. He needs to do a better job of adapting to the circumstances.

Where Do They Go From Here?

So where can the Giants special teams get better?

They can start at punt returner, where their best option was Golden Tate, who returned ten punts for a 9.7 average and a long of 17 yards. Tate is a natural with the ball in his hands, and he’s also very smooth tracking and catching punts. His speed isn’t what it was, but his running instincts remain, as he made nearly every right decision with his returns and never once hurt his team.

Da’Mari Scott also auditioned for the role late in the year, showing himself to have more of the slasher skills necessary for a kickoff returner rather than the stop-and-go ability for a punt returner.

And then there as Jabrill Peppers. At the very start of the season, there was some trepidation in this corner about having such a valued asset out there returning punts given that Peppers isn’t afraid to et physical out there.

His late-season back injury has to be a concern moving forward in terms of how often he gets future opportunities—Peppers might be best served as the occasional returner rather than the every-time guy back there.

And on a different note, the Giants will also need to decide if Colin Holba, who filled in for DeOssie when he landed on injured reserve, is their long-term answer. Holba held his own, but for those who are accustomed to seeing the long snapper fly down the field after a punt snap and involved in the action, well, that wasn’t a consistent staple of Holba’s game.

As for kickoffs, although Cody Latimer came through with an average 23.8 on his 24 returns, with a long of 50 yards, his returns often lacked bite and aggressiveness in attacking the creases that were there for exploiting.

Darius Slayton could be an option here, but with a considerable role expected of him on offense and his lack of experience which showed up on those kickoffs he was asked to return, he’ll probably be the low man on the totem pole.

One potential kickoff returner for 2020 is Corey Ballentine, who showed the breakaway speed in averaging a team-best 25.6 yards and the team’s longest kickoff return of 52 yards. Ballentine also did well as a gunner, and his development int hat regard could be enough to justify letting Antonio Hamilton walk away.

The Bottom Line

The Giants have a few decisions to make among their core personnel, including receivers Corey Coleman, Cody Latimer, and Cody Core, cornerback Antonio Hamilton, safety Michael Thomas, and, if he doesn’t retire, DeOssie.

Of that group, Core, Coleman, and Thomas have the best chances of returning, but the others, not so much so. The challenge with special teams is that every year there is a new group of faces looking to stick around on the roster and realizing that special teams is the way to go. Usually, these new faces come at a much cheaper price tag, not to mention they offer youth and the potential to contribute elsewhere on the team.

Hamilton and DeOssie have both proven themselves as solid special teamers, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Giants move away from those two and toward guys who can fill multiple roles not just on specials but on offense or defense.