The New York Giants special teams took a big leap forward in 2018, making marked improvements in their kicking and punting games as well as their return and coverage units.

Much of that has to do with coordinator Thomas McGaughey, who returned to the Giants after an eight-year odyssey that saw him coach special teams for LSU, the New York Jets, the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers.

McGaughey is excited about the upcoming season as the Giants have added some athletic new players that he plans on using to his advantage, especially in the return game. Minicamp is difficult for special teams since there is no contact and the players are all in shorts.

“We’re in shorts, nobody is covering punts, and we haven’t played a game yet, but all those guys are over there working, and that’s the most important thing when you’re trying to develop some guys,” said McGaughey after practice on Wednesday. “Some of the older guys, just keeping them fresh, but it’s a good group. We got a lot of options. Just look forward to getting better, working at it, and making that one of our strengths this year.”

One of the players general manager Dave Gettleman added to the roster via free agency, Dallas Cowboys running back Rod Smith is an example of a player that is a value-add because of his ability to play on special teams and on either offense and defense.

“Big, strong, athletic, smart, playmaker – whenever you can get a guy like that on your roster to provide depth, and having value as a running back,” McGaughey said of Smith. “Mr. Gettleman always talks about having value on offense and defense, not just on special teams. He punches all the tickets. He’s a hard worker, he’s a pro, and he does everything you ask him to do. He’s 6’3”, 235 pounds, and has a skill set. He’s one of those guys if you’re sitting in a room, you won’t even know he’s there. He’s quiet, he comes in, and he works, and he does his job.”

So, if the bullets aren’t allowed to fly until August, what is the goal this week at minicamp?

“It’s more fundamentals and techniques for us in the spring,” he said. “We do a lot of drill work. We do a ton of little small detail things that are going to help us schematically once we move forward. So, it’s whole, part, whole. We’ll work the parts of it right now, and then eventually as we move forward, we’ll put the whole piece together, and just keep working from there.”

The kickoff and punt returns are expected to be handled by several players, but primarily safety Jabril Peppers and wide receiver Corey Coleman will get the lion’s share of the opportunities. Both players have other jobs on the team and may be indisposed. McGaughey has a plan for that.

“You never know how it shakes out. It can be a situation where Jabrill might have just went on a ‘nine route’ and he’s tired, he’s blowing. I’ll be like ‘Hey, come off the field’, and throw Corey (Coleman) out there. Or, it could be a situation where Jabrill is fresh, he’ll stay in there, alright Corey you stay right here. Who knows – (WR) Darius Slayton, or it’s a plus area, throw (WR) Golden Tate there and make sure we catch the ball. It’s a lot of different scenarios, and it’s good to have options. Last year, we didn’t have a lot of options. Now, we’ve got a bunch of options, and we look forward to be able to execute at a high level, and do those things. Once we get put in those situations, we’ll work them, but it’s good to have those options.”