ZAK MYSTERY
No one seems to have an answer about what’s going on with Giants’ DeOssie
Zak DeOssie is out for Sunday’s Giants game against the Green Bay Packers, and he is expected to be placed on injured reserve. Friday was a game of ‘Who’s on First?’ trying to get a definitive answer on what exactly happened with the two-time Super Bowl winning long-snapper.
One team source even admitted that DeOssie’s sudden absence from Thursday’s and Friday’s practices with knee and ankle injuries “came out of left field.”
The following is listed in chronological order to provide a clear account of the day.
The first person to answer questions on Friday about DeOssie was special teams coach Thomas McGaughey.
McGaughey first was asked, “Why yesterday with Zak?” He answered: “He just wasn’t out there. The thing about Zak is … we’ll handle that situation as it comes. It is what it is. So.”
A follow-up question sought if the injuries had contributed to his recent inconsistent play.
“I’m not gonna talk about injuries. He’s just been inconsistent,” McGaughey said. “And if you’re out there as a pro, you’ve got to do your job.”
Asked why the Giants were shutting DeOssie down, McGaughey said: “Who said he was shut down?”
Told of NFL Network’s Thursday report that he was going on I.R., the coach responded: “That’s something you’ve got to talk to the head coach about.”
Head coach Pat Shurmur later read the injury report aloud and announced four players as out for Sunday’s game: tight ends Evan Engram (left foot sprain) and Rhett Ellison (concussion), wide receiver Golden Tate (concussion) and strong safety Jabrill Peppers (broken bone in back).
But Shurmur said of DeOssie: “We gotta wait and see on Zak here, see if he’ll be able to go,” even though sources had confirmed he was already headed to I.R. DeOssie, 35, was not even seen at the facility on Friday. A practice squadder, No. 69 Colin Holba, was the only long-snapper on the field.
Shurmur was asked if DeOssie was going on injured reserve.
“I can’t say that at this point. I don’t know that,” the coach said. “But he hasn’t been able to practice this week, so we’ll just have to see as the rest of the week unfolds.”
But that wasn’t accurate. DeOssie did practice on Wednesday before suddenly showing up on the Thanksgiving Day injury report.
Shurmur was corrected. He then clarified DeOssie had practiced Wednesday but hadn’t practiced Thursday and Friday.
Asked if DeOssie injured himself in Wednesday’s practice, Shurmur said: “No, no, no. I think in the Jets game (in Week 10) he got banged up a little bit, and he was just fighting through it and unable to go Thursday and Friday.”
The Giants clarified that DeOssie had undergone surgery on his right wrist in Dec. 2015.
Pressed if the injuries had impacted DeOssie’s snaps, Shurmur said: “I don’t know that. I don’t know that.”
Shurmur then volunteered this opinion on the 13-year veteran: “Listen. Zak’s been a guy around here that’s played at a high level. He’s a big-time Giant. I’m sure he’s played through soreness in his career. So this is just something that’s kind of revealed itself.”
Shurmur was asked why DeOssie didn’t stand on the side of practice Friday even though injured players usually do for the Giants. Tate was there in uniform on Friday, for example.
“Well he’s getting evaluated so he’s doing stuff to make sure,” Shurmur said. “He’s going through an evaluation process. So that’s why he’s not here. And that is not accurate. There are times when injured players are not out here.”
If Holba, 25, needs to play, Shurmur said: “We like what he’s done in practice, short and long snaps, so if we’re forced to make that move, we’re confident he’ll do a good job.”
DeOssie is on a one-year deal.
D.J. SHURMUR, HIT ME!
For unknown reasons, Shurmur put the music back on for Thursday’s and Friday’s stretching periods of practice. And his story about why he turned the music off in the first place changed.
The Giants had practiced with music in the background all season until Shurmur turned the music off in Week 9 approaching the Jets game. His message for the players at the time he turned the music off was to “create our own energy.” He admitted then that he had turned it off because “it just wasn’t working right.”
But on Friday, Shurmur claimed it all started with a “day when the music didn’t work,” as if he’d never intentionally turned it off in the first place.
“The good news — and it’s an unintended consequence of that day when the music didn’t work,” Shurmur began, “is I’m able — and all the coaches are more — the coaching can become immediate when there’s not all that noise and racket. And then when we’re on the road, on offense we certainly would turn the music up during team periods. But we can coach them and they can get the coaching points immediately, not having to talk over the noise.”
The Giants had a 2-7 record and had lost five straight when Shurmur turned the music off, and they went 0-2 practicing in silence.
ROSAS STILL HERE
McGaughey said Rosas is his kicker for Sunday’s game, despite Tuesday’s tryout of four kickers and Rosas’ fivegame streak with at least one missed kick.
“It’s tough, because this is a results business and you want to have the results,” the coach said. “And when you have a guy like Aldrick who’s been a Pro Bowler and had success in this league, you’ve just got to keep working. And it’s a fine line. He knows it’s a results business and you’ve got to get it done.”
Asked if he blamed DeOssie’s snaps for Rosas’ misses, McGaughey said: “I don’t blame anything on anybody. If the ball’s up, you’ve got to kick it. It’s been inconsistent, just like we talked about. The thing you’ve got to have is consistency between those three guys, the whole operation: better snap, better hold, better kick.”