12/15/11 Christmas DAC Day 15, The NYG Special Teams

December 15, 2011

NEW YORK – The New York Giants special teams have not been very good the past couple of years. This is not news for the true blue fan but it is still something we have to discuss here and now. The drop off from former punter Jeff Feagles, the greatest punter in NFL history, to anybody else is dramatic. The Giants seem to have fixed that problem by signing P Steve Weatherford who has been consistent all year. He doesn’t look like your typical punter because this guy is yoked. He works out and looks like he could take care of himself in a bar fight. The Giants brought back special teams standout LB Chase Blackburn to bolster the depleted linebacker corps. I love this guy and he has always been a fan favorite for playing hard and having a good motor.

Special Teams coach Tom Quinn has been getting a lot of heat. Injuries have effected his ability to scheme certain plays but that still doesn’t explain away some of the absolute atrocious play from this squad in 2011. They brought in assistant special teams coach Larry Izzo from the Patriots this year but I’m not sure how much it has helped. K Lawrence Tynes has been on a lot of Giants fans bad list for a while now. He seems to be having a good season so far, despite missing a few FG’s. I would love to see the G-Men bring in a 10 year kicker and be done with it. I do not want to think when it comes to the kicker and punter, I just want them to be consistent and to perform under pressure. It might be time to either draft or trade for a solid 10 year kicker in my opinion.

Yes, the injury bug has effected this group too. Losing WR Domenik Hixon for the year again really hurts the return game. The Giants have been using a merry go round of players at the returner position and have also addressed the issue in the NFL draft. I expect this group to get some more help after the season ends. Giants GM Jerry Reese will look to bolster this squad with explosive playmakers and consistent production. I really have to give Mr. Reese credit for putting together a solid team. Nobody could have predicted the epidemic of injuries the Giants have had to endure the past three years. Still, watching the growing pains of the rookies and second stringers live on TV doesn’t help. The Giants have also had a few bonehead plays where they allowed FG attempts to be blocked, this is unacceptable and thank goodness it doesn’t happen very often.

DAC Fact

Did you know that the New York Giants played their first game ever in Connecticut? October 4, 1925 was the date of the first ever game for Big Blue and their opponent was All New Britain. The Giants shut out New Britain 26-0 and went on to finish the season with an 8-4 record. The very foundation of the New York Giants was born with winning.

What do you think about the Giants special teams performance so far in 2011?

RD – nygreporter.com – Happy Holidays!

Please visit www.hampscamp.com and donate/contribute to Rodney Hampton’s football camp for kids!

2 Comments | 2011 Fantasy Football, 2011 New York Giants, 2011 NFL Regular Season, Big Blue, Chris Mara, East Rutherford, Eli Manning, G-Men, Giants, Giants Coaches, Giants Draft, Giants Front Office, Giants Roster, Giants Stadium, Hamps Camp, Jerry Reese, John Mara, Jonathan Tisch, Justin Tuck, Kevin Gilbride, MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, New Meadowlands Stadium, New York, New York Football Giants, New York Giants, NFC East, NFL, NFL New York Giants, NFL Schedule, Nilay Shah, NY Giants, NYG, NYG Blog, NYG Charity, NYG Draft, NYG Exclusive, NYG Fantasy Football, NYG Holiday, NYG Playoffs, NYG Regular Season, NYG Reporter, NYG Schedule, NYG Story, NYG Website, nygreporter, Pat Hanlon, Perry Fewell, Steve Tisch, Timex Performance Center, Tom Coughlin, Tom Quinn | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by robdomaine

Happy Thanksgiving to our Readers and Giants Fans

November 24, 2011

NEW YORK – Hello Giants fans, I would like to wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving! I would also like to wish the players, staff and coaches a very Happy Thanksgiving and their families as well. This includes Kate Mara (follow back @nygreporter or have your agent email me, I want to interview you) and both the Mara and Tisch family owners. I would like to thank all of you for the classy way you conduct business and for the entertainment you have given my family for generations. I still firmly believe the Giants will be back in the playoffs this year.

I hope all of you can think of something to be thankful for this holiday season. I have heard a saying that goes “You buy the ticket, you take the ride”. It means no complaining, you take the ride of life and one thing leads to another and based on your choices, an outcome blossoms. Today is the perfect day to call an old friend or family member you haven’t spoken to in a while. Have them pass the phone around the room and catch up with everyone. Some of you can’t be home for the holidays, I have been there myself once or twice. Keep your head up and maybe things will be different next year. To the military stationed all over the world, you are not forgotten. Thank you for your service for your country. I hope all of you have some peace this year and get to enjoy yourselves a bit. If you see someone in uniform, stop them and shake their hand.

The Giants play the Saints and QB Drew Brees on Monday Night Football. This is going to be a very difficult game to win but knowing the G-Men, they could end up blowing them out by 25 points. I believe the Giants can beat anyone but the Saints and Packers were clearly the top two teams we had to play all year. The first of the two is about to go down on Monday night. The Giants must stop Saints TE Jimmy Graham (force the Saints to use a TE as blocker in defensive scheme), RB Darren Sproles and the defensive ends must get to Brees often. QB Eli Manning must have one of his standard big games to get Big Blue that seventh win of the year. Be safe and be smart, drink responsibly.

Turkey Day NFL Games/Times/Stations

12:30 PM EST – Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions on FOX Sports.

4:15 PM EST – Miami Dolphins at Dallas Cowboys on CBS Sports.

8:20 PM EST – San Francisco 49ers at Baltimore Ravens on NFL Network (Boo!)

Monday Night Football

8:30 PM EST – New York Giants vs. New Orleans Saints on ESPN.

What is your all time favorite Thanksgiving family tradition? What is your traditional meal?

– The traditional Thanksgiving day meal in my family has always been turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, peas, carrots, cranberry sauce, apple sauce, biscuits, brown gravy, pie, beer and wine.

RD – nygreporter.com – Happy Thanksgiving!

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Posted by robdomaine

New York Giants Getting More Help on Special Teams

June 24, 2011

NEW YORK – The New York Giants will be getting more help for the special teams squad immediately following the NFL lockout (now 105 days old). News has broke about the G-Men planning to sign special teams assistant coach Larry Izzo to come in and help out a deplorable squad, which has been especially horrible over the past two years. Everyone around the NFL is familiar with Larry Izzo who spent 14 years in the NFL, primarily as a special teams guy. He has played for the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and New York Jets. Izzo was a Pro Bowl caliber player and is a three-time Super Bowl Champion. The 36 year old Izzo last played in the NFL in 2009 for the Jets. One more bit of interesting news on Izzo is the fact that his wife’s name is Mara.

The Giants have thoroughly addressed the special teams unit this offseason in both the coaching and player areas. Big Blue has been atrocious on special teams for the past few years and have been ranked at the very bottom of multiple categories for special teams production. This future signing is very good news for Giants fans and I like the move made by GM Jerry Reese to get some new blood into that group. Special Teams coach Tom Quinn has not been very productive since taking over the special teams duties. It pains me to say that because Quinn is a Giants coach but the game plays out on national television and even the most novice fan can see they stink.

Hearing this news makes me wonder about other players who could/should become coaches. Three players that I immediately think about for assistant coaching jobs are former LB Antonio Pierce for the linebackers, WR David Tyree for special teams and P Jeff Feagles for the punting/kicking squad. All of these guys are Pro Bowl players in their respective areas and Super Bowl Champions. Feagles would be the most attractive hire since he is widely considered to be the best punter to ever play the game of football.

What do you think about the Giants announcing their plans to hire Larry Izzo once the lockout is over?

RD – nygreporter.com

Please visit www.hampscamp.com and donate/contribute to Rodney Hampton’s charity for the kids!

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Posted by robdomaine

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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