New York Giants Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey will be the first to admit that he can always do a better job of coaching his personnel. But that can also be a challenge when one doesn't know what personnel he'll have available to deploy week after week because of injuries.
Such was the case for McGaughey last season when injuries forced the coaching staff to pull from McGaughey's core special teamers to fill holes on offense and defense, leaving the 50-year-old veteran NFL coach to, as he liked to put it, make gumbo with whatever ingredients he had left.
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At times the gumbo was passable, but at others, not so much so. The Giants finished 29th in put returns and 23rd in kickoff returns during the 2022 regular season and were 22nd and 26th in punt and kickoff coverage, respectively.
Of particular concern was the punt coverage unit. Jamie Gillan didn't have the best of seasons, as he never really enjoyed having consistent gunner play, a factor McGaughey admitted came into the equation.
Gillan averaged 46.8 yards per punt last season, which was 19th among all punters. However, he would not only shank more than a few, but he also had one blocked punt, and there were also other times when he placed the ball perfectly inside the opponent's 10-yard line only to see his coverage teammates fail to get down the field in time to down the ball before it rolled into the end zone for a touchback.
“When you look at where he was as a punter and then where we were as a gunner group, I think it's more of a holistic part of being able to work together consistently and then create that continuity and to be able to feel comfortable with each other,” McGaughey said. “I think over time, that'll help us, but we’ve got to be able to create some consistency for sure. That's going to help all of us, not just Jamie."
McGaughey admitted that having consistency is desirable.
“You want continuity at a spot so you can create consistency,” McGaughey said. “It's hard to have that when you're changing guys out every week. But you want to be able to develop players that can play those positions and then have them play those positions consistently.”
The good news is the Giants have brought in a bunch of fresh talent whom McGaughey will be auditioning for various roles on the special teams units this summer, including new punt and kickoff returners.
“The preseason is going to be important," McGaughey said. "It’s a long way away, but we’ve got a ton of guys out there catching, and they're all working hard and doing what you're supposed to do."
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