Cotton fabric might be lightweight to wear during intense physical activity or in humid conditions, but for a football player tasked with handling the ball, it’s not the best choice to wear on one’s arms.
So says New York Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, who took part of the blame for the first of Richie James’s two muffed punts two weeks ago against Seattle because he failed to realize that James had opted to wear a cotton shirt with sleeves under his jersey.
McGaughey explained why cotton and sleeves, in general, aren’t the best choices when trying to secure a ball high and tight.
“The ball will slip. Anytime you have a regular leather ball up against a smooth surface, and it’s not skin, that’s something you don’t want.”
That said, McGaughey also acknowledged that James took a shot that caused the ball to come out of his grasp.
“You’ve got to hang onto the ball,” he said. “That’s just football. Good fundamentals, good technique, keep the ball, double (two hands on the ball) in trouble. When you get in traffic, you’ve got to cover the ball up.”
James suffered a concussion on his second muffed punt and was cleared to return to full practice Wednesday. But McGaughey wouldn’t commit to announcing James, who has three muffed punts on the year, as the punt returner moving forward.
“We’re going to let the week play out and see what happens,” he said. “We’ve got a bunch of guys back there catching them. Obviously, you can’t put the ball on the ground. We all know that. That’s a no-brainer. You know you can’t turn the ball over and put it on the ground. So, we’ll see what happens once we get towards the back end of the week.”
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The other options include cornerbacks Darnay Holmes and Adoree’ Jackson and receivers Darius Slayton and rookie Kalil Pimpleton.
Pimpleton, who is currently on the practice squad, is an intriguing option to take over as the primary punt returner. In 2021, he had 16 punt returns for 305 yards and two touchdowns for Central Michigan. Legitimate returning experience could thrust the undrafted rookie into a pivotal role.
“Pimp’s been working all season,” McGaughey said. “Since he’s been here, he’s been back there catching punts. So, he gets his work every day–he catches after practice. I mean, all those guys are catching.
“Darnay’s catching after practice, during practice, but no, all those guys are back there catching. They’re all working at it and all trying to get better at it, and that’s our whole thing. Just trying to get better every single week and contribute in a positive fashion.”
As for James, McGaughey has been trying to help comfort the receiver, so he doesn’t lose his confidence.
“My whole thing is when I deal with players is always to build them up; it’s never to tear them down,” he said. “I tell them all the time there are two types of knowledge in life: borrowed and bought. Sometimes you buy it, sometimes you borrow it. Richie bought it. So, he’s just got to keep his head up.
“This game is about adversity, and it’s not about what happens to you; it’s about how you react to what happens to you. It will be a test for him, and we’ll see what happens. We’ve got a lot of guys competing for the spot, and we’ll see what happens.”
The Giants host the 1-6-1 Houston Texans on Sunday. New York is 17-34 in games following the bye.
