New York Giants: Special Teams in Trouble?

June 27, 2010

The New York Giants have just started practicing and they have already lost two players for the entire 2010 NFL season. WR Domenik Hixon tore his ACL during minicamp and will miss the season. This hurts the special teams because Hixon was a very productive punt returner. Next, we have rookie S Chad Jones getting into a serious car accident (get well soon Chad) and almost having his leg amputated. Jones will also miss the 2010 season and could have put his career in jeopardy. All of Giants Nation is wishing Chad a full and speedy recovery. This doesn’t change the fact that losing Jones for the year, puts another hole in the special teams. Jones was in the mix as a replacement for Hixon, as rookies normally earn their pay on special teams, their first year on the roster.

The Giants signed WR Chris Davis to replace WR Domenik Hixon and now Giants GM Jerry Reese will need to find another replacement for S Chad Jones (is WR David Tyree still available for a one year contract?). Special Teams Coach Tom Quinn, will have his work cut out for him in 2010. Quinn has already disregarded rumors that new Giants S Antrel Rolle, will be in the mix as a returner. This is something the fans appreciate because it made no sense to the majority. CB Aaron Ross’ name however was not removed from the list of possibilities. WR Sinorice Moss and RB Andre Brown seem to be a part of the committee as well. Special Teams can easily become the achilles heel for the G-men in 2010, if they do not address the lost players with some talent of equal calibre.

There are a lot of new faces on special teams and losing P Jeff Feagles was a serious blow. K Lawrence Tynes has managed to stay on the roster some how. This could be a situation that changes before the season starts or certainly after the year is over. It was nice to see Feagles at minicamp offering help to the new blood. I hope the team can convince him to coach someday for the Giants. Rookie punter Matt Dodge appears to be the future at the punter position.

In my personal opinion, the G-Men will need to spend some extra time on this group and make sure everyone is on the same page. There were some dramatic changes made in this area and we’ve yet to learn if they have a winning formula. Special Teams will be another area to keep a close eye on during training camp, when it begins August 1, 2010.

Are you concerned about the New York Giants early injuries? Can you foresee this being a problem area Big Blue?

RD – nygreporter.com

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