Giants K Graham Gano 'Has Looked Good' This Spring

It’s been a rough couple of years for Giant sticker Graham Gano, once Mr. Automatic, regardless of where he was asked to kick from on the field.

Gano, who has dealt with injury-shortened seasons for the last two years, has seen his once-reliable kicking leg betray him at times, particularly on field goal attempts of 40 yards or more, which were once his specialty.

In the last two seasons, he’s gone 12 of 17 on field goal attempts of 40+ yards, including 5 of 6 in 50+ yard attempts. 

But as Gano, who has kicked in just 18 games over the last two seasons, gets further away from his latest injury, the more Giants special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial sees the old Mr. Reliable.

“In his last three games, I saw the Graham Gano that he holds himself to that standard, and then I saw him there, too. It was good to see him end the season in kicking form,” Ghobrial said on Thursday before the team’s seventh OTA practice.

“And he's looked good. Year 17, a guy that's done it at a high level for a long time. There is a lot of respect for that guy who has just obviously entered the building, and when you see the way he approaches the game.”

There had been some speculation that Gano, thanks to the dropoff in his production, might be a cap casualty this offseason, given that he currently has the second-highest cap hit ($5.665 million) behind Seattle’s Jason Myers. 

But the Giants are sticking with the tried and true veteran, at least for now.

“Part of a specialist's success is not always just the production on the field; it’s how you carry yourself in the locker room, how you take care of your body to be present, all those things he's obviously stayed connected to,” Ghobrial said, adding, “Happy he's back.:

But the question is, for how long? The Giants have second-year kicker Jude McAtamney on the roster, a player whom Ghobrial said “has shown a lot of promise even from last year kicking in a game.”

Is there enough promise to challenge for the job?

“Absolutely,” Ghobrial said, praising the Irish-born McAtamney for his leg talent and strength. 

“I think if you're on this roster, no matter what position you play, you're competing. You're competing to win the job. I think everybody will have a fair chance of winning whatever job it is, whether it be the kicker position or any other position.”

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