Giants' special-teams woes continue
New York Giants punter Matt Dodge (6) punts the ball away from Chicago Bears linebacker Nick Roach (53) during the first quarter. (Oct. 3, 2010) Credit: AP
Matt Dodge's main assignment was to keep the ball far away from Devin Hester. Too bad the Giants' punter barely could hold on to the ball himself.
Dodge, a rookie who's been under fire for his inconsistency, bobbled the ball on a punt attempt in the first quarter. He eventually got the kick off, but Giants linebacker Jonathan Goff was flagged as an ineligible man downfield.
"You've got to believe that he's going to be able to recognize the level of competition and rise to the occasion," coach Tom Coughlin said of Dodge this past week. "That's what we're working with him every day. All day long, people are in his ear, and hopefully it'll sink in."
Though the Chicago Bears struggled to settle into an offensive groove because of the Giants' constant defensive pressure, the Giants' special teams - which Coughlin called "horrible" last week - didn't look any better last night.
A first-quarter interception by cornerback Terrell Thomas in Bears territory on a short pass from quarterback Jay Cutler seemed to swing the momentum in the Giants' favor, but they had to settle for a field-goal try from 38 yards. The snap, however, appeared low and Lawrence Tynes' kick sailed wide left, leaving the Giants with a 3-0 lead.
Coughlin fumed over the play of his special teams after a 29-10 loss to the Titans last week. And Dodge, who unexpectedly was given the job after Jeff Feagles announced his retirement, took the brunt of the criticism.
Coughlin singled out the punter for a delay-of-game call in the fourth quarter of the Titans game, which pushed a 39-yard field-goal attempt to 44 yards - a kick that Tynes missed. But Dodge wasn't the only special- teams liability.
Darius Reynaud averaged an uninspired 1.7 yards on three first-half punt returns. His longest was five yards. His counterpart, Hester, fared no better, though. The Bears' return man, who scored his first punt-return touchdown since 2007 last Monday night against the Packers, had a total of six yards on two returns in the first half.
Coughlin's advice to Dodge on dealing with Hester was to kick the ball out of bounds. He did his best to keep Hester at bay, averaging 42.3 yards on four first-half punts. But his first-quarter fumble - and Reynaud's lack of explosiveness - were only the latest in a string of special-teams woes for the Giants.
