Graham Gano called the criticism Brian Daboll has received for not activating an extra kicker on Sunday “ridiculous.”
While Gano was nursing a minor groin injury, and popped up on the injury list last Saturday, it had nothing to do with the hamstring injury he suffered on the opening kickoff that knocked him out of the game.
“I don’t know why he would [get criticized]. The hamstring, nobody knew that was coming at all,” Gano said Wednesday. “I think that’s ridiculous, if that’s the case. The groin thing, I was able to kick fully with it. I was able to back it up to 60 yards and be very accurate.”
Asked if there was any correlation between the two injuries, Gano said: “Not a chance. They’re completely different parts of the body. … It’s just bad luck. It’s unfortunate that it happened.”
Gano did go inside during warmups to get the groin wrapped, but he said he wasn’t concerned that it would hinder him. He went through his normal routine before the game, and felt fine.
After punter Jamie Gillan missed an extra point following their first touchdown, the Giants ended up having to go for two-point conversions after their next two scores and didn’t convert.
They also couldn’t attempt a field goal.
They ended up losing by three points.
Gano has since been placed on injured reserve and was replaced on the roster on Wednesday by kicker Greg Joseph, who had been on the Lions’ practice squad.
