The New York Giants hired Michael Ghobrial to be their new special teams coordinator to replace longtime coach Thomas McGaughey this offseason
Ghobrial, who spent the last three seasons on the New York Jets’ staff, has some additional challenges facing him, such as the new kickoff rule, but he’s ready.
“To me, that’s one of the most fun parts about the game,” Ghobrial told Giants.com of rule changes. “It’s evolving, and [I have] tremendous respect for the how the NFL is trying to make this game safer for the players, for longevity, and obviously still want to put a good product out there. To be honest, it keeps you hungry to find the new details that you can take advantage of. The rule changes are something you always have to educate your players on and not just once. I think you have to stay connected to it. I think the second you deviate from emphasizing rules, that’s when the bottom falls out and you see guys struggle in moments of truth. It’s no fault to the player. I truly believe you get what you emphasize.”
Ghobrial was a bit of a surprise hire by head coach Brian Daboll, but you can see what endeared the Giants coach to his style and philosophy.
“I think when you talk about special teams, it’s the purest form of football,” Ghobrial said. “Block destruction, block ability, ability to rush, ability to make tackles in space, how you approach a ball carrier’s speed, change of direction — all those things are attributes of any good football player, whether it be defensive or offensive players. And to me, that experience is invaluable [from] playing the game.”
The Giants’ special teams needed a change at leadership after McGaughey’s tenure under three head coaches. Ghobrial might be that breath of fresh air New York needs.
