It’s official, the New York Giants have hired a new special teams coordinator. The NYG social media team shared the update on X, naming former New York Jets assistant Michael Ghobrial as their selection.
According to Giants.com’s Michael Eisen, Ghobrial “just completed his third season as a special teams assistant after initially joining the New York Jets as part of Robert Saleh’s first staff (2021).”
Before that, he spent five seasons as an ST coordinator at the collegiate level. Ghobrial worked alongside ex-NFL returner Leon Washington with the Jets, learning from long-time NYJ coordinator Brant Boyer — who is highly regarded around the league.
Ghobrial was also “recently selected to coach the ST unit for the East squad at the upcoming East-West Shrine Bowl,” according to Associated Press beat writer Dennis Waszak Jr.
We have hired Michael Ghobrial as our new special teams coordinator
Details: https://t.co/usm0ArabHO pic.twitter.com/k5aVivsitr
— New York Giants (@Giants) January 25, 2024
Giants Hire of Michael Ghobrial Called ‘Good Addition’ by Jets Reporter, Comes With Strong Resume
After the news, SNY insider Connor Hughes — a former Jets media member who now covers both New York football teams — gave his thoughts on the hire.
“Brant Boyer is one of the NFL’s best special teams coordinators,” he noted. “Cool to see his [coaching] tree start to take shape.”
Adding: “The #Jets roster is always littered with injuries, meaning Boyer constantly loses key special teams contributors to play on offense/defense. Group [is] always still good. Good addition here by [the] #Giants.”
Pro Football Focus would agree with Hughes, ranking the Jets ST unit sixth overall in 2023.
Boyer’s group was graded a little lower by PFF in 2022 (14th overall), but they ranked second during Ghobrial’s first year on the job. That season (2021), the Jets scored a 91.1 as a unit. The only franchise above them was the New Orleans Saints with an overall grade of 91.5.
Along with PFF, FootballOutsiders.com placed the Jets second in the NFL in special teams DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) in 2021, and they were the only team in the league to finish in the top five in both kickoff and punt return average that season. Returner Braxton Berrios was rewarded with an All-Pro nod that year, but the entire unit chipped in on these accomplishments.
Other special teams players have succeeded under Boyer and Ghobrial too.
“With Ghobrial’s assistance in 2022, special teams captain Justin Hardee, one of the NFL’s leading special teams tacklers since entering the league (2017), was selected to his first Pro Bowl after posting a single-season best 14 tackles,” Giants.com relayed.
Kicker Greg Zuerlein and punter Thomas Morstead have also revitalized their careers with the Jets in recent seasons.
Giants HC Brian Daboll ‘Sticks True’ to Interview Process With Michael Ghobrial Hire
As Giants head coach Brian Daboll fills out his new staff, one common theme has been the sheer randomness of the hires — and that’s not meant in a negative way.
Big Blue’s 2024 additions have had no prior connections to Daboll, which is a rarer method around the NFL. Typically, you see coaches bring in old friends and trusted allies, but as New York Post reporter Ryan Dunleavy pointed out: “[Ghobrial is] another hire by Daboll of someone he has never worked with before.”
Dunleavy added that Daboll “sticks true to it really being about the interview process” once again.
Now, is this a good thing or a bad thing? In all honesty, it could go either way.
In one sense, you could commend Daboll for his openness throughout this process. The best candidate — in the Giants’ opinion — has gotten the job, and there has been no favoritism from the NYG head coach.
In another sense, organizational leaks tend to occur when there is a lack of loyalty within a staff. It’s too early to say if any of these fresh faces will turn on Daboll at a later date, but that’s the risk of bringing in an outsider.
For now, Daboll deserves credit for breaking outside of his bubble to improve his staff.
