Giants rookie Eric Gray may be a big part of a fast kick return unit
Giants running back Eric Gray runs the ball during the first half of an NFL preseason game against the Jets on Aug. 26 at MetLife Stadium. Credit: AP/Adam Hunger
The Giants suddenly have a plethora of kick returners, from rookie Eric Gray to 13-year veteran Taiwan Jones, who is on the practice squad.
In addition to shoring up other parts of the roster since the end of last season, the Giants added talent to special teams.
A fifth-round draft pick, Gray has plenty of experience in the return game, and special teams coach Thomas McGaughey seems to trust him.
“Eric Gray has been in the University of Tennessee’s stadium, Neyland Stadium, and it fits 110,000 people. He’s played in Oklahoma, Red River shootout and all that stuff,” McGaughey said. “It’s not too big for the kid. He knows what he's doing. He's done it, and we feel comfortable with him.”
At the moment, his contributions may be on special teams.
“He's a strong runner,” McGaughey said. “He has really good vision. Again, just look forward to seeing him make plays. He’s a young kid growing up in the system, and we’ll see what happens, but Eric has plenty of ability.”
Said Gray: "I don't want to make too many projections yet for the rookie year. Just kind of taking it day by day, getting better, learning from our coach, learning from our players, have been in the room taking it day by day."
Sterling Shepard fielded a punt – but did not advance it – in the preseason finale against the Jets.
Asked about that decision, McGaughey said: “Preseason’s for everybody, you know what I mean? Guys [have] got to get reps. He catches punts. He has been catching punts ever since he's been here – ever since I've been here, he's been catching punts. So, we just wanted to throw him in there and just let him catch one in the game.”
Asked if he trusts Shepard, McGaughey said: “Yes, absolutely. Absolutely.”
McGaughey said cornerback Darnay Holmes and wide receiver Darius Slayton also could factor into the return game.
“I mean, we’ve got guys that have caught them for years here,” McGaughey said. “So, we’ve got a bunch of different options.”
The Giants as a team appear faster this year, and the would-be specialists are part of that.
“I always want speed,” McGaughey said. “So, hopefully it does translate, guys can play. You can be a little bit more simplistic...schematically when you’ve got more speed. So, they're not thinking; they're out there just playing fast and being who they are.”
A McCarthy game plan
Asked if Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy’s time as an offensive playcaller in Green Bay can be helpful to the Giants this week, coach Brian Daboll said: “I think in the first game and even the first part of the season, there is a lot of unknowns. Got a lot of respect for coach McCarthy. I mean, he was a coordinator back in 2000, I think, for the 49ers. So, he's been doing this a long time. Has a good track record, been very successful. What he is choosing to call or how he's calling it, we won't know that until Sunday."
Stopping the Cowboy rush
In two games against Giants last season, DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons combined for five sacks. That has been an obvious emphasis of the Giants offensive line this week. Said Daboll: “That’s what were working towards right now is this week of practice, making sure we’re tightening up our fundamentals and our techniques and putting our guys in a position to be successful.”
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
