Sunday marked Sam Darnold’s return to MetLife Stadium – albeit against the other tenants, and not his former team the Jets – but it was a revenge game for a pair of Giants, too…and they did not disappoint.
Kicker Graham Gano spent eight seasons on Carolina, but spent 2019 on injured reserve and was let go on the eve of the 2020 season as a cap casualty. And he was bitter about all of it, as he told the media earlier in the week he 100 percent believes the Panthers’ medical staff misdiagnosed a fracture in his non-kicking leg suffered in 2018, which cost him the end of that season and eventually all of 2019.
Perhaps the best medicine, then, was making two extra points and all three of his field goal attempts, the longest a 53-yarder, in a 25-3 Giants win.
“I’ve had this game circled since the schedule came out,” Gano said. “I knew they were coming here and I was excited; I have good memories there, but I’m a New York Giant and that win feels really, really good.”
That 53-yarder gave Gano 10 field goals of 50 yards or more as a Giant, setting a franchise record less than 1 ½ seasons into his tenure on the team.
“I knew coming in, but I went up to the guys and congratulated them, because it takes a lot more than just me kicking those balls out there,” Gano said. “As a team we’ve been as confident as ever, and we put in the work every day. Today, the hard work paid off.”
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Quite the accomplishment for him, given the notoriously swirling winds of MetLife Stadium.
“I don’t think you can learn the winds in this stadium. They’re tricky, but our practice fields are the same way, so it prepares us well,” he smiled.
On the other side of the ball (sort of), cornerback James Bradberry, a 2016 second-round pick of the Panthers, faced his former team for the first time since signing with the Giants last season. He had less animosity about his exit than Gano did – he said Thursday that it would be “special” to play the Panthers – but definitely felt good to come up with a pick inside his own red zone while Carolina was driving and down just 5-3 in the second.
“I saw an over route coming from the other side, so I fell off my man and then he (Sam Darnold) overthrew the tight end, and it came right to me,” Bradberry said of the pick. “I'm just thankful I had enough awareness to come off my man and be aware for the over route that was coming. Fortunately, he made a bad throw, and I was able to take advantage of it.”
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Bradberry kept the ball – he keeps all of his picks, but smiled he’ll keep this one especially close – but it felt doubly good given the trash-talk all game from friend and former teammate Shaq Thompson, who was “saying anything that came to his mind” anytime Bradberry lined up on the Panthers’ side.
“Shaq was on the sideline talking trash the whole time to me every time I lined up to their side. So, it definitely felt good to throw it in his face and get an interception,” Bradberry smiled.
Not just another day at the office, although one Gano and Bradberry won’t relish in for long.
“Before the game we just said let’s have a good one,” Gano said. “We love being here and wearing this uniform, but there’s no looking back on the past, it’s moving forward.”
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