It apparently simply slipped Brian Daboll‘s thoughts that his kicker was damage once more.
Graham Gano complained a couple of “sore neck” on Monday morning, the Giants head coach stated. However Daboll claimed the coach “missed” mentioning Gano’s harm till Thursday morning, after Gano had sat out Wednesday’s follow.
Veteran Younghoe Koo is now in line to make his Giants debut Sunday in Chicago towards the Bears. And it might be an audition to turn out to be the Giants’ kicker for the rest of the common season.
“We’re gonna get Koo ready to go, and if he has to be the guy, he’ll be the guy,” Daboll stated. “[Gano] came in the next day with a sore neck. His neck wasn’t feeling good, so he went to see the trainers.”
So why didn’t Daboll embrace Gano in his lengthy record of gamers not training when the coach was on digital camera Wednesday?
“I missed him [on the injury list],” Daboll claimed throughout his off-camera Thursday interview. “He had a sore neck the next day, the day after the game. I missed it.”
At the least Daboll didn’t proceed the charade of a kicking competitors between Koo and Jude McAtamney. The Giants can’t in good conscience put McAtamney again in a sport after his two missed further factors throughout their catastrophic Week 7 loss in Denver.
The severity of Gano’s harm isn’t clear, both. So Koo could be auditioning for the full-time job for the ultimate eight video games of the season.
Daboll was requested if Gano would possibly have to be shut down, and the coach left the door open to that chance.
“Don’t know,” Daboll stated. “I don’t think so, but I don’t want to say yes and then [it’s] no.”
Koo, who was born in South Korea and raised in Ridgewood, N.J., has a strong observe document.
He has made 175 of 182 further factors in his profession, together with an ideal 26-of-26 final season and 2-of-2 in Week 1 for the Falcons this September earlier than getting lower by Atlanta.
He has sunk 104 out of 108 area objectives from inside 40 yards. He’s 13 of 15 from inside 40 yards because the begin of the 2024 season, and he is an ideal 52 of 52 from below 30 yards in his profession.
He’s solely 48 of 63 on area objectives between 40-49 yards since he entered the NFL in 2017 with the Chargers, together with a mixed 8 of 13 in 2024 and 2025. And he’s 29 of 40 from 50 yards or longer, together with 9 of 15 within the 2023 and 2024 seasons mixed.
The Falcons lower him for lacking a sport tying 43-yard area objective try in Week 1 of this season towards the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However he memorably sank a 40-yard area objective as time at MetLife Stadium expired to beat the Giants, 17-14, within the notorious ‘Medium Pepsi’ sport of 2021.
And he was the NFC particular groups participant of the week as lately as Week 16 of the 2023 season for going 5-of-5 on area objectives in a Falcons win over the Indianapolis Colts.
It additionally appears like Daboll is bored with the Gano yo-yo’ing out and in of the lineup. When Daboll was requested how a kicker can damage his neck, the coach shrugged.
“He just came in with a sore neck,” he stated.
When the coach was requested if Gano have been capable of do something, Daboll stated: “Other than get treatment?”
Each GM Joe Schoen and Daboll are complicit on this kicking catastrophe, although.
A kicker harm and workforce mismanagement of the place has value the Giants at the very least 4 video games within the final three seasons:
In Week 8 of the 2023 season towards the Jets, Daboll despatched out an injured Gano to overlook a 35-yard area objective late within the fourth quarter. And the Giants misplaced in additional time, 13-10.
In Week 2 of final season at Washington, Gano aggravated an harm on the sport’s opening kickoff. Punter Jamie Gillan missed an additional level after the Giants’ first landing. Daboll unsuccessfully went for 2 after the Giants’ second and third TDs. And the Giants misplaced, 21-18.
Gano bought damage throughout warmups and wasn’t obtainable for a lot of the Giants’ Week 3 loss to Kansas Metropolis. And McAtamney’s efficiency in Denver took the cake.
What an operation. What a large number.
