Scottish Hammer improvises for the New York Giants
Jamie Gillan might be nicknamed the Scottish Hammer, but on Sunday the New York Giants punter had to dig into his toolbox to perform an additional job in Week 15 of the NFL season.
Perhaps the moniker Swiss Army Knife might better represent the skills of the 26-year-old from Inverness, after he stepped in to perform kicking duties when teammate Randy Bullock was lost to injury. The Giants’ regular kicker nailed a 56-yard field goal on the game’s opening drive for a 3-0 lead on the road against the New Orleans Saints, but suffered a hamstring pull on the resulting kickoff.
That left Gillan answering a request to assume kicking duties; an ask not quite as simple as it might seem just because he is one of two players on the roster whose feet are their primary tools. As a rule, punters do not spend time on the practice field splitting the uprights.
“It’s a totally different kicking motion,” explained Gillan, who once attempted a 61-yarder during his time with the Cleveland Browns. “I don’t want to tax my leg during the week by kicking field goals, which are a lot more straight on.”
