Giants’ Graham Gano blasts ‘ridiculous’ criticism of Brian Daboll after new injury
Graham Gano called the criticism Brian Daboll has received for not activating an extra kicker on Sunday “ridiculous.”
While Gano was nursing a minor groin injury, he said it had nothing to do with the hamstring injury he suffered on the opening kickoff that knocked him out of the game.
“I don’t know why he would [get criticized]. The hamstring, nobody knew that was coming at all,” Gano said. “I think that’s kind of ridiculous, if that’s the case. The groin thing, I was able to kick fully with it. There was no real difference between me hitting balls with it and fully healthy. I was able to back it up to 60 yards and be very accurate.”
He added: “I think it’s just people searching for a story that’s not really there.”
Asked if there were any correlation between the two injuries, Gano said: “Not a chance. They’re completely different parts of the body. … It’s just bad luck. It’s unfortunate that it happened. … The only reason that the hammy was an issue is because I was running fast, and those types of things happen.”
Gano did go inside during warmups to get the groin wrapped, but he said he wasn’t concerned that it would hinder him.
“The groin is something I was going to be able to play with really easily,” Gano said. “I’ve dealt with groin stuff before. That was not concerning to me at all.”
Punter Jamie Gillan missed an extra point attempt after the first of three Giants touchdowns, and Daboll opted against kicking for the rest of the afternoon.
That included passing on what would’ve been a 39-yard field goal try with just over two minutes left in a tie game.
They wound up losing by three points.
Gano has since been placed on injured reserve, and was replaced on the roster on Wednesday by kicker Greg Joseph, who had been on the Lions practice squad.
Joseph was the Vikings kicker the previous three seasons, and went 24-of-30 a year ago.
Two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Eli Manning was nominated as one of 167 modern-era players for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
That group will be cut down to 50 by a screening committee that will be announced in mid-October.
This is Manning’s first year of eligibility to get inducted into Canton.
Cornerback Nick McCloud (knee) didn’t practice on Wednesday.
Linebackers Darius Muasau (knee), Isaiah Simmons (personal) and Kayvon Thibodeaux (shoulder) were limited.
Former Giants defensive tackle Jordan Phillips appeared in the Cowboys’ first two games, making the compensation in the training camp trade official.
The Giants will receive Dallas’ sixth-round pick in the 2025 draft.
Phillips, however, won’t face the Giants next week.
He was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday with a wrist injury.
He had two quarterback pressures in two games for the Cowboys.