Settling on a place-kicker is the most compelling decision the Giants will make before the regular season starts in Dallas on Sept. 9. The search has been undermined for months by bad luck, still has no clear favorite, and is quickly running out of time.Josh Huston, who last kicked in 2005 for
Ohio State, has made both of the team’s field-goal attempts during the preseason. He also has booted six kickoffs.
Lawrence Tynes, who kicked for Kansas City the past three seasons, has not tried a field goal and has only attempted two kickoffs. His in-game statistics through two games: 4 for 4 on extra points. His performance at training camp, he said, has been “mediocrity, at best.”
Coaches know that a kicker’s effect on a game can be unlike that of any other player. A couple of late-game kicks can decide if a team wins or loses, if a franchise makes the playoffs or does not, and if the coach keeps his job or is fired.
Giants Coach
Tom Coughlin, already with flimsy job security, does not need any further uncertainty surrounding his team. He will spend part of the next two weeks sorting out the complex equation between statistical analysis and gut feel.
“We’ve got stats on everything they’ve done every day in practice,” Coughlin said. “It’s just a matter of, I’d like to see it under game circumstances, and sometimes you can’t always create that.”
To Pick a Kicker, Giants First Need to See Them Kick - New York Times
08-25-2007, 12:41 PM
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