New York Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey makes his living preparing his team for, as you might have guessed, special teams situations. These situations include kickoffs, which have been drastically changed thanks to a recent rule change. A rule change that McGaughey is certainly not a huge fan of.
Beginning in 2023, any fair catch signal on kickoffs will bring the ball out to the receiving team's 25-yard line. Previously, the receiving team took the ball from the spot where a fair catch was signaled.
McGaughey recently spoke with reporters about the rule. When the possibility of kickoffs being eliminated came up, the Giants coach wasn't having it. “I’d never say that, because that’s my livelihood,” McGaughey said.
He continued by saying that he, like others around the league, believe the kickoff to be vital to special teams. And he'd rather not see major alterations to how it operates right now.
Article Continues Below“No one wants to lose a part of what you’re used to doing as a part of your job, to kind of go away,” he said. “You want to be able to kind of coach the way you’ve been coaching and have the same kind of impact in the game that you want to have.”
McGaughey certainly isn't alone in his disdain for the new rule. However, it is just a part of life for NFL players and coaches now. And it's his job to get the Giants prepared to play with this rule in mind.
“The rule itself is just something we’ll just have to get used to,” he said. “It’s like any other rule change. You just make the adjustments and just keep moving forward.”