New York Giants special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial revealed Thursday that the team brought kicker Younghoe Koo to MetLife Stadium for practice amid gusty conditions, gearing up for a blustery Week 11 clash with the Green Bay Packers.
“(Wednesday) was obviously a windy day. Projected weather come Sunday is going to call for some wind. Could that die down? Absolutely. But on the two days that he’s projected to be kicking, felt that it would be a good idea for him to kick in the stadium,” Ghobrial said. “I know he, in his career, he’s always wanted to kick in the stadium.”
Sunday’s forecast calls for sustained winds of 18 MPH and gusts upwards of 45 MPH. The decision to bring Koo to the stadium for practice underscores venue-specific preparation.
“There’s something to be said about the depth perception when you’re in that stadium. The backdrop is different. So, feeling how far a 45-yard field goal, a 52-yard field goal feels different out here than it does in the stadium, just based off of the way the bleachers are set,” Ghobrial said.
“Every stadium is unique in that sense. Realistically, you’d love to kick in every stadium before you actually kick in it. But that’s where having a veteran like Koo, who has kicked in stadiums across the league, helps. But obviously, this being your home turf, he wants to make sure that he treats it like his home turf. Any opportunity we get to make him feel comfortable in that stadium, we will.”
Addressing Week 10 concerns after Koo’s tackle on a kickoff against the Bears — where he was elevated from the practice squad and nailed both field goals and PATs — Ghobrial dismissed injury rumors.
“I mean, the nature of it is he got in on a tackle, but he was fine. He kicked really well yesterday. We don’t necessarily always want our kicker getting active in on the tackles, but Koo is a guy that doesn’t shy away from anything. The toughness of any football player is embodied by him, regardless of the position that he plays,” he said.
The Giants will need Koo again on Sunday now that veteran Graham Gano is on injured reserve (IR).
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants prep Younghoe Koo in MetLife Stadium for windy conditions
