MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: What's up, everybody? Hope you are doing well. Good seeing everybody. I'm excited about this year. I'll take questions.
Q. Did Gunner get a returning job solely on returning, or did that have a lot to do with what he had to do at receiver too?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: No, I think he has a lot of versatility. He obviously did some good things offensively in the preseason, but he also did some good stuff for us returning even before I got here.
You know, he's a proven returner that's done it at a high level, and he had a good camp. So excited to see what he can do.
Q. You guys haven't returned a lot of kickoffs in the last couple of years. What have you seen from (indiscernible) in the past? What gives you confidence that he can fill that role?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Well, I think, number one, this will be a new kickoff rule to him. Because of that, it does take a different run skill than it did prior with hang time being a premium with the last couple of years ago with those kickoffs and now not being as much of a frequent thing and then the formation restrictions that are with the rules.
I think his skill set does lend to have success in this, because it almost seems somewhat more like a punt return play, because a lot of guys are on the same level. No different than a punt would be.
Q. What are you looking for from a kickoff return this season?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, I think number one is ball security. It's the first play of offense. So retaining possession of that ball is critical.
Every opportunity we get, we want to have efficient returns. I think that's a huge component to being a good kickoff return. Yes, the mentality is always going to be let's score, let's score every time, but the fact of the matter is we want to give the ball back to the offense. But if we're getting explosives out of that too, then I'm looking at that as a successful play. So efficiency will be the biggest thing.
Q. How much more added value to have two quality returners back there, because you're going to get less touchbacks where in past years you had one back there?
Q. Yeah, I think it's important. Those guys both have to be great ball handlers, number one, and both guys will get touches throughout the year. There's no guarantee that one guy could be a primary returner and the other guys is a secondary returner, because you are seeing a lot of skilled kickers now being able to put the ball outside the numbers each way, in the middle of the field, in the alleys.
So it requires both guys to have great communication, great ball skills, and also the return skill to be able to have success with it.
Q. Is decision-making now more important than maybe it used to be where they would kick it out of the end zone or they would kick it three yards into the end zone, and then you had a rule -- if it's at the 5 -- they really have to kind of really know on the fly, you know, is this right on the boundary, what do I do here?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I think decision-making has always been a premium. That's never really left. Now, the one thing I will say is the decision-making time is a little bit shorter now just because you're not seeing a lot of hang time with the kickoffs. So it requires a lot of impulse decisions.
To me those impulse decisions always go back to what they know best. If what they know best is the things that they practiced and practiced, then they're ready for any situation and rules that come up.
Q. What are you seeing from Jude since he arrived here last year?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Tons, tons. Obviously the number one thing he's always had is that leg strength, but then you're starting to see him understand the wind patterns in our stadium and obviously on our practice field.
Then, also, just the moxie he's been able to develop with those other guys in the room. I think those guys have been good pros to him, and he understands what it takes to have success at this level. It was good to see him have success during the preseason. So arrow up on Jude, and I'm excited that he's back.
Q. Between Gano and Casey -- I'm used to the Giants always having a special teams captain. There was not one voted this year. Who do you look to in that role?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, so I don't necessarily -- being a captain is a huge honor, and that is held very sacred to your teammates and it's coveted as coaches.
I think both Casey and Graham have great leadership qualities to them. Just because they were not voted captains doesn't mean they're restricted from speaking up. I think those guys never get deterred. When they have to say something, they say something.
I think those two guys are really good leaders in the special teams room as well as other guys that are returning, like Chris Manhertz, Chris Board, Flannigan-Fowles, Gunner.
We have a really good veteran group, and I hear a lot of conversation with them not only in the meeting room, but you hear it on the practice field. How do you see this? How do you see me playing this? That to me ultimately is a sign of leadership as well, and you see that with a lot of guys on this football roster.
Q. What does Beau Brade -- obviously a guy you claimed. What does he bring on the special teams areas?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, so he's a physical presence. He is a true "see ball-get ball" player that studies the game the right way, and you see his study habits show up because you see him make full-speed decisions.
There is no hesitant play in his style of play, and that's the thing I respect most about him. When he's convicted about the play he's supposed to make, he goes and gets it.
So I'm excited to work with him and I'm excited to get to learn him a little bit more over the next couple of weeks.
Q. Was he somebody on your radar last year in the draft, or somebody you just kind of got on your radar now?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, so both in the draft and then also playing Baltimore last year. You know, a guy that showed up. Just being able to have multiple interactions with him, has shown up, and excited to work with him.
Q. Saw (indiscernible) out here yesterday working on holding, I guess emergency holding. What's his experience level with that? Is it something he's done before?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, yeah, he's done it every year since he's been in the league. He did it in college as well. That's been his skill set of his that it's really valuable for us to have a backup holder. That's with obviously anything. He just gives us a little bit of flex in that position.
Q. You have cycled through a lot of guys since Bryce went down. Who stepped up and seized that role?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: There's been a few guys actually. Beaux Collins is a rookie. Has been great in that role. Tae Banks and Flott have both been good in that rule as well. You know, Art Green has done it for us at a high level, and then Nic Jones.
I think all those guys have the capability to help us on Sundays. All those guys have a good mindset if we ever need them to go execute those rep, that they're able to do it and do it at a high level.
Q. Singletary hasn't returned many kicks in his career. What do you see from him that translates to that role?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, he has great ball skills, number one. The run skill is there, because the vision as a running back shows up, so he sees the game really well.
I've made this comment before last year. This new kickoff return looks more like offensive run game, so you see a lot of running backs have success in this new system because of them being able to see and diagnose return holes, set up blocks.
He's shown us that he has a skill set to do that, so if he ever gets an opportunity, excited to see what he does with the ball in his hands.
Q. How was Deonte? He has been a starter on defense around here. How did he take to the gunner role, and some young guys who were starters --
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: He's a great team --
Q. -- that's like the second priority for them. You know what I mean? How do you see that with him?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: He's a great teammate, number one. Unselfish and wants to do right by everybody. He's awesome in that regard, because he knows he has a skill set to be a high-level corner. He also has a skill set to be a high-level special teamer.
Every chance he gets to play football in general, I think he embraces it. That's a thing I respect most about him is that he doesn't blink twice about it, and he just wants to play football, and he's excited to do so.
Q. It seems like his skill set is really very strong for that, because he is strong, he is fast. Can you expand on that a little bit?
MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, he is. Like you're saying, he's big, fast, and strong. Those fundamentals obviously show up defensively, and that's why he's had success in that position.
Whenever you have a guy like that that has had success in whether it be a primary position on offense and defense, those true fundamentals show up again on special teams, because we do block disruption, we do tackling. All those things that they're asked to do defensively show up in our kicking game as well.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports