Ask the Giants about their special teams play and plenty of different adjectives come up, from awful to infuriating. But the most ubiquitous — and accurate — is embarrassing.
Big Blue has surrendered three punt returns for touchdowns, while the entire rest of the NFL has allowed just four. And with Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson, who has a history of torching the Giants, looming Sunday, they really only have two options: Fast improvement or further humiliation.
“Awful,’’ special teams coordinator Tom Quinn said. “It’s frustrating. It’s not what our expectations are. It’s not what the organization, the team, mine, Larry [Izzo, special teams assistant], anyone.
“It [ticks] you off and I hope it [ticks] everyone off in this building. To take away a shutout from the defense, that hurts.’’
Quinn was referring to allowing Marcus Sherels’ return in Big Blue’s 23-7 Monday night win over Minnesota, a game the special teams forced two turnovers but lost a fumble themselves. But their coverage units have been sieve-like all season, coughing up an 81-yard touchdown to Denver’s Trindon Holliday and an 89-yarder to Kansas City’s Dexter McCluster.
“Yeah, it’s embarrassing for us because we know the New York Giants as an organization take pride in their punt and kickoff — all special teams, the whole thing, but punt is a major role for us,’’ linebacker Jacquian Williams said. “We’re definitely embarrassed and we’re definitely going to improve on it from here on out.’’
After not allowing a punt or kickoff return for a score last year, they’re next-to-last in punt coverage with a field-swinging 20.4 yards per return. While Quinn claimed it’s not any one thing, linebacker Spencer Paysinger acknowledged there’s a clear commonality with all three scores — not shedding blocks.
“We’re not running from it. We’ve given up three touchdowns. … But we know we’re a good special team once we get off our blocks, shed, get downfield and attack. We have to start attacking,’’ Paysinger said. “Guys following each other in lanes, stacked on top of each other instead of being uniformly spread. That’s it; that’s the common denominator for all three of them.’’
On Monday, injuries prompted them to make the rare decision to use a lineman — defensive end Demontre Moore — as a gunner. And when Sherels fielded a first-quarter punt near the right sideline, Moore got blocked — arguably in the back, according to Zak DeOssie — and Sherels went 86 yards untouched.
“We didn’t get good releases as the gunners and didn’t get great releases up front,’’ said Quinn, adding they didn’t squeeze off the right side of the field. “Had an opportunity with our L3 [Moore] to make the play. He’s got to lay out to do it. I don’t know if he would’ve made the play, but he probably would’ve drawn the penalty because [they] did have his hands on his back. He didn’t do it.’’
The technique Moore tried to use is spill force, which calls for the gunner to go straight at the returner and force him to the sideline, instead of to the side to protect the boundary. It didn’t happen, and the rest of the Giants abandoned their lanes.
“It’s mind-boggling that we’ve had three [returned] this year,’’ said DeOssie. “It’s a huge concern. It’s infuriating when it happens.’’
Now the job is to keep it from happening again against Damaris Johnson (averaging 25.7 yards on kick returns) and Jackson, whose 65-yard walk-off return touchdown to beat Big Blue in 2010 has been called The Miracle at the Meadowlands 2 and was voted the “Greatest Play of All Time” by NFL.com.
Tom Coughlin, vexed after Monday night’s showing, took a hands-on approach in practice Thursday in hopes of avoiding more of the same Sunday.
“Tom Coughlin, yes, he was definitely mad,” Williams said. “He puts a lot of pride in his punt team. Punt is very important. We know that. Stuff like that’s not supposed to happen. Bottom line it just boils down to effort and preparation. … It’s important for us to pick it up this week.’’