Giants special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial excited about challenge new kickoffs present
The new kickoff formation at a preseason game between the Giants and the Detroit Lions at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 8. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Many fans view the NFL’s new kickoff rules as some combination of confounding, concerning and contrary to sacred American football values.
But to Michael Ghobrial, they are something precious: a challenge.
The Giants’ special teams coordinator spent much of his session with reporters before practice on Thursday smiling at the very opportunity to talk about it.
His first answer on the topic consumed 415 words.
The gist of it: That as much as special teams coaches have sought to decipher the rules on paper, Week 1 of the preseason provided invaluable new data.
“It was so cool with this new rule to see obviously all 32 teams come up with their own little spin of how they viewed the advantages of it and certain things that you saw them coaching their players to do,” Ghobrial said.
He said the Giants had watched every kickoff of every preseason game to date, having previously studied video of XFL games, where a similar system is used.
“It was great,” Ghobrial said. “That's one thing I promised our players: As soon as we get a volume of plays that we can show you, we're going to show you, and we're going to make technique tapes.
“We're going to show you situations that you may be in. We're going to show you why we're doing this this way.”
The greatest reward, the coach said, was hearing the players themselves be “more interactive” in meetings, having now experienced kickoffs in real life, allowing them to offer suggestions of their own.
“Those things are all so critical in terms of having success, and that makes me proud just to hear our players be able to give that information back,” he said.
To make a long story short, the NFL radically rewrote kickoff protocols to increase runbacks (and decrease touchbacks) while minimizing injury risks.
Kicking team players must line up on the receiving team’s 40-yard line, and most of the receiving team lines up on its 35. No one can move until the ball is caught or hits the ground.
Kickers aim for a “landing zone” between the goal line and 20-yard line, with negative consequences for balls that land short of long of that area.
The fun part for football coaches is figuring out the nuances quickly, because the first to do so will have an edge early in the season.
“It's going to be great to see more plays this week,” Ghobrial said. “And then once we figure out what those new fundamentals are going to be, we're going to continue to evolve this play until we are extremely happy with the product.”
Matthew Adams, a seventh-year pro with a history of special teams prowess, said he still is getting used to the system, especially shedding blocks in tight quarters.
“It’s an active play,” he said. “It’s just an offense and defense play, essentially. So more opportunities . . . Definitely, I feel like once we get enough tape they can scheme it up. We’ve just got to continue to go with it and learn and adjust to it.”
Placekicker Graham Gano has been in the NFL since 2009. His thoughts?
“Hang time now is kind of irrelevant, so it takes that part out of the game, which was kind of fun,” he said. “I looked at that as an advantage. I was able to hit the ball pretty high and pretty far.”
But, he said, his job will be simplified.
“It’s kind of easy for kickers with a soccer background just to kind of chip it down there,” he said. “I’m not even taking any steps anymore.”
Gano believes that while the new rules should limit head injuries, they might lead to more lower body injuries from players being bunched in smaller areas.
Still, he said, “I think it’ll make the game more exciting for sure, especially from the return perspective.”
One thing Gano does not like about the rules is that now onside kick attempts must be announced in advance. No more surprises there.
“For sure,” he said, “they took the fun out of that part of the game.”
Notes & quotes: Coach Brian Daboll reiterated QB Daniel Jones will start against the Texans on Saturday. Backup Drew Lock will suit up but only play if he must . . . Daboll said rookie WR Malik Nabers has a chance to play . . . The Giants put DB Elijah Riley, a Newfield High School alumnus, on injured reserve with a concussion, traded DL Jordan Phillips to the Cowboys and signed RB Joshua Kelley and DBs Raheem Layne and Jonathan Sutherland. DB Jalen Milles was released.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
