New York Giants kicker Graham Gano didn't want to use his ailing left knee as an excuse for letting his team down when they needed him most.
"I have no excuses," he said after the game. "That’s not who I am. I’m sure some people want me to sit up here and make excuses. I’ve got none. I’ve got to play better. It’s frustrating. I know the team played well. I just didn’t. I’ve got to play better."
Gano, who has been on the Giants' injury report for a couple of weeks now with an injury he told NorthJersey.com he'll likely need off-season surgery to fix, has been far from being clutch for the Giants when needed most.
After posting near Pro Bowl numbers last season in which he made 29 of 32 field goals (90.6 percent), this year he's struggled, converting 11 of 17 field goals for a career-low 64.7 percent conversion rate, the bulk of his struggles coming on attempts between 30 and 49 yards where he's 6 of 11.
Gano, who didn't receive an injury designation from the team last week despite being limited all week, insisted his knee isn't a problem. "My knee is what it is, but I’ve got to make my kicks," he said. "It’s not the reason that I missed; I just played poorly."
And as far as he's concerned, the blame for the Giants' overtime loss against the Jets lies squarely on his shoulders.
"If I make those kicks, we win the game. It’s frustrating. I care about this team and the fans. I put a lot of work into this," he said. "It sucks that I let everybody down. You can put it straight on me; there is nobody else, honestly. This one is on me for sure."
More must-reads: