Giants' Special Teams Continue to Be Lackluster During Losing Streak

What has happened to the New York Giants' special teams?

Once a bright spot, now the kicking game is a mess, there are head-scratching decisions made personnel-wise, and suddenly, guys can’t maintain their lane integrity when covering kickoffs.

We don’t have any answers. We wish we did–not that it matters at this point in a season gone astray.

Let’s get into it.

Younghoe Koo

Koo converted all three of his extra points and missed on field goals of 52 and 51 yards, pulling both attempts wide left. What’s particularly head-scratching is that the Giants called on Koo even though, in pregame warmups, he wasn’t successful.

Cameron Johnston

We’re not sure where the Giants got their replacement for the injured Jamie Gillan, but Johnston resembled one of those fad college punters who run up and choose to punch the ball rather than kick it in the classic style.

On the disastrous 63-yard Washington punt return at the end of the first half, Johnston took several steps forward before punting, thus sending one of his men illegally downfield.

However, that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that Johnston’s punt was a low middle punt that set up the return like it was written on a chalkboard.

Three of Johnston’s four punts were returned for a total of 91 yards. His gross was 45.5. His net was 22.8.

But let’s not lay all of this ineptitude on Johnston. The lack of talent in the coverage teams falls on an organization that some might say is trying its hardest to earn the No. 1 overall draft pick. That’s how bad special teams have been this year, and that falls on the front office.

Casey Kreiter

Professional snapper, par excellence, as per usual.

Jevon Holland

The front office failed to activate a true punt returner for today’s game (with Gunner Olszewski out), leaving it to Holland to field punts.

On his first returnable punt, Holland showed why he is not a punt returner with a return of -3 yards.

Holland fair-caught two others and returned another for 10 yards, as the Giants were once again out-punted by a large margin.

Deonte Banks

Handling three of the four kickoff returns today, Banks had some daylight to attack on two of them, but he failed to be aggressive and allowed himself to be tackled too easily.

Banks was also a gunner blocker on punt returns and did his absolute bare minimum to avoid getting involved.

Dalen Cambre

Signed to the 53-man roster today, Cambre finally got some gunner snaps and played well there. He also made a knifing tackle on a kickoff return.

Chauncey Golston

Golston made the tackle on the game’s opening kickoff return.

Neville Hewitt

The veteran linebacker was flagged twice for holding on kickoff returns and made a tackle on kickoff coverage.

Darius Muasau

Returning to the field after missing four games, Muasau finally made an impact on special teams with two solo tackles.

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