The Aporia · Giants’ strong special teams unit has one big weakness: counting

Giants’ strong special teams unit has one big weakness: counting

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Dunleavy, R. (2026, October 23). Giants’ strong special teams unit has one big weakness: counting. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/22/sports/giants-special-teams-coordinator-not-kiding-from-man-short-plays/

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Giants special teams coordinator Chris Horton acknowledged the team’s repeated mistake of lining up short-handed during kicks and punts, calling it embarrassing after defensive issues were also highlighted. Despite ranking third in the NFL in Estimated Points Added on special teams through five games, communication breakdowns continue to plague the unit. Horton emphasized that solving this problem starts with improving his own communication with players and ensuring everyone is aware of their roles during live action.

Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-23, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

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Story summary

Chris Horton, special teams coordinator for the New York Giants, acknowledged on Thursday that his unit has been repeatedly short one player during kicks and punts over six games this season. This issue, which Horton called "embarrassing," is not due to a lack of effort but rather poor communication and players failing to be in sync with game flow. Despite having one of the best special teams units in the NFL, the Giants have faced significant penalties that have hampered their effectiveness. Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson also criticized players for not hustling during the previous week's loss to the New Orleans Saints, highlighting the broader team issues beyond just special teams. Horton emphasized the need for better communication and player awareness to address these recurring problems.

Written for “Giants Special Teams Weakness” on 2026-10-24, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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Who wrote this

Ryan Dunleavy

66 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction

🔮 If John Harbaugh were picking between two Michigan-bred quarterbacks this week, the Giants would start J.J. McCarthy over Tom Brady.

2026-10-24 · assertive framing · John Harbaugh makes Tom Brady reference for J.J. McCarthy — but it’s not what you think

🔮 Edmunds will go from logging every defensive snap in the first six games to missing every snap in the final 11, The Post confirmed, after he was injured late in last week’s game against the Saints.

2026-10-23 · assertive framing · Tremaine Edmunds out for season in crushing Giants injury blow

🔮 Maybe it’s time for the NFL to change its logo to include a player’s hand punching at the football that sits atop the shield.

2026-10-23 · assertive framing · How ‘Peanut Punch madness’ has running backs spooked, coaches flummoxed and fumbles flooding the NFL

🔮 “Maybe now 20 percent of that 30 that was gone is back,” Nagy said before Thursday’s practice.

2026-10-23 · assertive framing · Giants’ Matt Nagy ready to open up playbook for J.J. McCarthy’s first start

🔮 McCarthy’s last pass — on fourth-and-1 from the 14-yard line with 12 seconds remaining — fell incomplete or else the Giants would’ve had a chance to win the game or send it to overtime despite trailing 34-10 when the quarterback change was made with 11:36 to go.

2026-10-21 · assertive framing · Giants to start J.J. McCarthy against Texans in massive QB shakeup

🔮 tRY IT NOW“I would love for us to be in that kind of a circumstance,” Harbaugh said.

2026-10-20 · assertive framing · John Harbaugh waiting for ‘Saquon Barkley circumstance’ in Giants’ embattled running back room

🔮 If J.J. McCarthy was guaranteed to throw for 943 yards, rush for 104 yards and lead 12 scoring drives in his next start, then the Giants wouldn’t have a quarterback controversy on their hands.

2026-10-19 · assertive framing · The questions and stats looming over Giants’ Jameis Winston-J.J. McCarthy decision

🔮 “I’m feeling good,” Mauigoa said, indicating he will be on the field again soon.

2026-10-19 · assertive framing · Andrew Thomas doesn’t know why he was benched by Giants after clearing concussion protocol

🔮 Skattebo knew ahead of Sunday’s game that he was not going to start and that his playing time would be diminished as a result of four fumbles in the first five games, but he wasn’t expecting to be limited to six offensive snaps (all in the first half) and no touches in the 34-27 loss to the Saints.

2026-10-19 · assertive framing · Cam Skattebo understands why he was ‘punished by Giants — but one part caught him off guard

🔮 he was being evaluated — he went in the late fourth round — nobody really could get their arms around him,” Harbaugh said.

2026-10-16 · assertive framing · Isaiah Likely emerging as Giants star after years in Mark Andrews’ shadow

Also by Ryan Dunleavy

John Harbaugh makes Tom Brady reference for J.J. McCarthy — but it’s not what you think

2026-10-24 · New York Post

Tremaine Edmunds out for season in crushing Giants injury blow

2026-10-23 · New York Post

How ‘Peanut Punch madness’ has running backs spooked, coaches flummoxed and fumbles flooding the NFL

2026-10-23 · New York Post

Giants’ Matt Nagy ready to open up playbook for J.J. McCarthy’s first start

2026-10-23 · New York Post

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 66 articles by Ryan Dunleavy →

Claims (16 extracted, 0 hedged)

One of the best special teams units in the NFL can’t keep getting burned by something as simple as counting to 11. asserted

One → keep → 11

Giants special teams coordinator Chris Horton didn’t hide Thursday from at least three instances in six games of playing one man short on kicks and punts. asserted

Horton → hide → kicks

Access the Giants like never before Get texts from Paul Schwartz with all the latest Giants news and insights, exclusive to Sports+ subscribers. tRY IT NOW“Quite frankly, it’s embarrassing that that is continuing asserted

that → access → IT

,” Horton said before Thursday’s practice. asserted

Horton → say → practice

“I want to make sure that we get a handle on that.” asserted

we → want → that

On a day when defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson put his players on blast for not hustling in pursuit of the ball in last week’s loss to the Saints, Horton said the special teams’ issues, including penalties that knee-capped returns, are “not a lack of effort.” asserted

issues → put → effort

“That thing starts with me,” Horton said. asserted

Horton → start → me

“It’s making sure that I’m communicating to the guys. asserted

I → make → guys

Then it’s also the players understanding, being in the flow of the game, being in the moment. asserted

players → ’ → moment

We have to get out there, we have to make calls, and we have to have everybody up. asserted

we → have → everybody

We have to put an end to that.” asserted

We → have → that

The Giants ranked No. 3 in the NFL in Estimated Points Added (measures the value of an individual play by calculating the change in a team’s expected points from the start to finish of the play) on special teams after the first five games. asserted

Giants → rank → games

LB Tremaine Edmunds (shoulder), TE Chris Manhertz (calf) and CB Greg Newsome II (concussion) did not practice. asserted

Edmunds → practice → ?

CB Paulson Adebo (knee), RT Jermaine Eluemunor (calf), S Jevón Holland (concussion), TE Theo Johnson (neck), WR Charlie Jones (Achilles), OT Marcus Mbow (knee), S Tyler Nubin (neck) and LT Andrew Thomas (groin) were limited. asserted

Adebo → limit → ?

CB Colton Hood (concussion), P Jordan Stout (right knee) and OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (illness) were upgraded from limited to full participants. asserted

Hood → upgrade → participants

Former Citadel punter James Platte had a workout with the Giants to provide a look at left-footed spin for the punt returners ahead of facing the Texans’ Kai Kroeger. asserted

Platte → have → Kroeger

Giants’ strong special teams unit has one big weakness: counting

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Claims (16 extracted, 0 hedged)