New York Giants first-year special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial has a lot on his plate with the 2024 NFL season just days away.
Like every other special teams coach around the league, he’s still toying with the new kickoff rules and alignment but Ghobrial has other issues he is focusing on.
First off, his top returner, Isaiah McKenzie, is out for the season with a foot injury and his No. 2 option, Gunner Olszewski, is recovering from a groin injury.
“He’s back there working at it, doing a great job catching the football,” Ghobrial said of Olszewski, who was limited at Wednesday’s practice.
In this Sunday’s season opener, Ghobrial may have to go with recently signed Adoree’ Jackson to return punts against the Minnesota Vikings.
“I’ll never close the door on getting the ball in the playmaker’s hands,” Ghobrial said while calling Jackson “dynamic.”
“He’s back there working at it, and obviously you guys know we only suit up 48 people on game day, so the more position flex, the more versatility a player can have, the better.”
Ghobrial cut right to the chase when defining what he wants to see first and foremost from his returners.
“The biggest thing to me with any returner value is the person has to make sure they can own the football,” he said. “That’s safely securing it because the most telling statistic in terms of winning and losing in this league is turnover margin. So, we want to make sure whoever is back there, that guy is owning the football and making smart decisions to catch it.”
Ghobrial was asked about second-year wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton, who has emerged as a solid gunner on punts. The Giants kept ‘BFW’ on the 53-man roster over more experienced wideouts due to his play on “teams.”
“I love Bryce Ford-Wheaton, by the way. He’s wired the right way. I think it starts with the mentality. When the mentality is right, the rest of it comes into play,” Ghobrial said. “Obviously, as a receiver, he has a natural feel for being able to get people off the spot. He’s a really good catcher. He gives that possession position flexibility in terms of that.
“Anybody that’s a receiver that’s out there, you’ve got to obviously regard them in terms of coverage. I think the mentality, number one, is awesome because he approaches it like he is going to go win that rep every time. Then again, the experience of him being a receiver also translates in other parts.”
Finally, the issue of placekicker Graham Gano’s rehabilitation from a knee injury that cut his 2023 season in half, came up.
“I’ve seen Graham, the Graham Gano that wins football games in this league,” Ghobrial said. “I’m really excited to see him put pen to paper. He is a proven kicker in this league and I’m fully confident in his ability to go make kicks at any distance.”
The Giants had Northern Irish national Jude McAtamney in camp but released him after Gano proved to be healthy.
