There is an old special teams saying that once you board the kicker carousel, it’s difficult to get off the ride.
asserted
it → be → ride
John Harbaugh has never bought a ticket.
asserted
Harbaugh → buy → ticket
tRY IT NOWThe Giants spun in circles for three years.
asserted
Giants → try → years
Harbaugh, with assists from the scouting department and special teams coordinator Chris Horton, might have found the third long-term kicker solution of his 28-year NFL coaching career now that rookie Dominic Zvada is off to a 9-for-9 start on field goals and 5-for-5 on PATs.
uncertain
Zvada → find → PATs
“He’s a guy you didn’t feel like you were going to have to reinvent the wheel with technique-wise [to] where he could be consistent,” Harbaugh said.
uncertain
Harbaugh → ’ → wheel
“He’s made a bunch of kicks, but there’s a bunch more kicks out there to be made.
asserted
He → make → kicks
”
David Akers had been cut three times and was kicking in NFL Europe in 1999 before Harbaugh, as a first-year special teams coordinator, started developing him into the Eagles’ all-time leading scorer.
asserted
Harbaugh → cut → scorer
Harbaugh tapped rookie Justin Tucker with the big responsibility for the Super Bowl-hopeful Ravens in 2012, and Tucker became the second-most accurate kicker in league history.
asserted
Tucker → tap → history
So, Harbaugh knows what to look for.
asserted
Harbaugh → know → what
“You can really trust what he’s saying, and he uses the same terminology as a specialist uses, so when you hear someone talk like that you know that they have a great idea of what they’re talking about,” Zvada said.
asserted
Zvada → trust → what
“So, yeah, to be able to play for Coach Harbaugh has been an absolute dream.
asserted
be → play → Harbaugh
I’m just excited to keep rolling with him.
asserted
I → ’m → him
Because of the stability of Akers and Tucker, Harbaugh has had only nine non-punters attempt field goals under his watch since 1999.
asserted
punters → have → 1999
By comparison, the Giants used seven in the past three seasons alone as injuries and kicking-marred losses mounted.
asserted
injuries → use → seasons
So, seeing Zvada matter-of-factly drill a 52-yarder through the wind and rain to extend a three-point lead to a much-needed six in the final three minutes of last week’s win against the Cardinals left Giants fans wondering if their nerves finally can be calmed for the first time since Graham Gano’s last healthy season in 2022.
asserted
nerves → see → 2022
“I really try and dissociate myself from the situation,” Zvada said.
asserted
Zvada → try → situation
“My job is to do my part no matter what, and so, for me, that was the mindset going into that kick.
asserted
that → do → kick
It’s just another opportunity to display what I’m able to do.
asserted
I → ’ → what
There is irony in the Giants playing at Washington on Sunday with full confidence in their kicker.
asserted
Giants → be → kicker
For all the losses gasolined by kicker uncertainty during the Brian Daboll Era — against the Jets (2023), Chiefs (2025) and Broncos (2025) — none were as disastrous as Week 2 in 2024 at Washington.
asserted
none → gasoline → Washington
The Giants scored three PAT-less touchdowns and lost 21-18 while the Commanders kicked seven field goals, because the Giants didn’t have a contingency plan behind Gano, who entered the game nursing an injury and went out on the opening kickoff.
asserted
who → score → kickoff
Zvada was just beginning an All-American season at Michigan at that time.
asserted
Zvada → begin → time
“He’s got a good head,” Harbaugh said.
asserted
Harbaugh → get → head
“He’s confident.
asserted
He → ’ → ?
We’ll make sure we keep him humble, make sure he stays locked in.
asserted
he → make → him
He works his tail off every day.
asserted
He → work → tail
And I do think he focuses on just kicking the next kick straight.
asserted
he → think → kick
He’s wise beyond his years that way.”
asserted
He → ’ → years
The Giants did their part to make sure their rookie was ready for moments when the pressure builds.
asserted
pressure → do → moments
Trash-talker Abdul Carter, especially, chirped at Zvada before his kicks during training camp with “fun hostility.”
asserted
Carter → chirp → hostility
“They’re just trying to get in my head and do things that — maybe if we’re in a hostile place, like an away game — I might hear coming from the sidelines,” Zvada said.
uncertain
Zvada → try → sidelines
“The whole point is just to keep myself focused on the job and on what actually matters, and kind of block everything else out.”
asserted
what → keep → everything
Thanks mainly to Zvada and new punter Jordan Stout, the Giants lead the NFL by a wide margin in expected points added on special teams.
asserted
Giants → lead → teams
“I feel like I always kind of had that [be-the-best] mentality,” Zvada said.
asserted
Zvada → feel → mentality
“Even from very early on, I always kind of had that belief in myself, even when maybe other people didn’t.
asserted
people → have → myself
I think that’s what kind of helps drive a person to get to this point.”
asserted
what → think → point
Zvada eventually will miss a kick.
asserted
Zvada → miss → kick
But the Giants can be confident he will bounce back because he handled the adversity of a disappointing senior season and had answers during a first predraft interview at the East-West Shrine Bowl.
asserted
he → bounce → Bowl
He maintains weekly dialogue with a sports psychologist at either Michigan or in East Rutherford.
asserted
He → maintain → Rutherford
“I really started taking the mental side of sports seriously early on,” Zvada said.
asserted
Zvada → start → sports
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
