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Giants STC Thomas McGaughey Addresses "The Glare"

McGaughey downplayed the icy glare he received from head coach Brian Daboll that was caught on camera after the Giant game up a punt return for a touchdown.

Patricia Traina

Giants STC Thomas McGaughey Addresses "The Glare"
Giants STC Thomas McGaughey Addresses "The Glare" /
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New York Giants special teams coach Thomas McGaughey, who normally opens up his press briefings right away to questions, came prepared with an opening statement to address "the 700-pound gorilla in the room."

That would be the icy glare of boss Brian Daboll, captured by the television cameras last week after the Giants gave up a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown to Lions return specialist Maurice Alexander in last week's preseason loss.

"We all know Dabs is intense, and on game day, that’s just him," McGaghey said before opening it up for the usual round of questions. 

"It’s not a big deal; it’s happened before. That’s just part of the game. He’s an intense guy; we have no issues. That’s just part of football, it’s an intense game."

Perhaps, but there were other reasons for Daboll to be upset, namely what one reporter termed the "400-pound gorilla:" Why the Giants only had ten men on the field on that play.

"This happens in every game around the league," said McGaughey. "When you have guys, say, for example, a guy that was a starting running back in college, alright? He’s used to on every down, he’s running the football, he’s catching, he’s running the football, and then on third down or fourth down, he comes off the field. He’s not on the punt team. 

"So, a lot of times when these kids, these young guys, when they get into these competitive environments, muscle memory kicks in. If they don’t make the first down, what does he do? He’s used to going to the bench. Well, it’s not like that anymore. 

"Okay, you are on the punt team now. Now you have to go out there and go cover a punt and protect it. That’s just part of the maturation process of all these young guys. They have to understand that they are not in college anymore...so when there is a fourth-down play, you don’t run off the field."

The entire issue took on a life of its own, not so much due to Daboll's icy glare but because the Giants special teams last year were inconsistent, especially when covering kickoffs and punts.

Part of that could be traced to the revolving door of players that McGaughey had to work with due to injuries requiring some of his core guys to be pulled off special teams.

But then again, McGaughey isn't blameless in that it's his job to ensure everyone knows their assignments, regardless of muscle memory or the circumstances.

To be fair, the Lions big return was littered with a couple of key missed tackles, including one by rookie long-snapper Cameron Lyons. It also didn't help that punter Jamie Gillan outkicked his coverage, another problem that popped up on more than one occasion last year.

McGaughey acknowledged that Gillan outkicked the coverage without actually saying it, instead describing what they look for in terms of hang time and distance.

"Mainly, we want the hang to match the distance. So, if we have a 48-yard punt, we want at least 4.6, 4.7, or more hang time. So, when the hang-to-distance doesn’t match, that’s when you get in trouble," he said.

"If we have a 70-yard punt and a 4.5 hang, the hang to distance doesn’t match. So, when that guy catches the ball, and the coverage is 30 yards away, we will have some issues. You let the guy get a full head of steam running at guys in space, and it’s tough."

Fortunately for the Giants, it is preseason, and the loss, which in the end was decided by the one touchdown, doesn't count in the regular-season standings. 

But regardless of what or why it happened, the Giants special teams units need to start affecting the outcome of games on a more positive basis rather than to have what, at least last year, always seemed to be a clunker every week.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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