EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Seeking to bring in some competition at punter after Matt Dodge struggled through his rookie season in 2010, the Giants did not look far.
On Friday, the team reached a deal with the former Jets punter Steve Weatherford. The terms were not disclosed.
Last season, Weatherford’s 84 punts averaged 42.6 yards. Half those punts landed inside the 20-yard-line, which led the league. Dodge had a higher yards-per-punt average (44.8), but he managed only 20 punts inside the 20-yard-line and had nine touchbacks, five more than Weatherford.
Statistics do not tell the whole story about the Giants’ frustrations with Dodge. In the Giants’ monumental collapse against the Philadelphia Eagles, Dodge’s 36-yard punt directly at DeSean Jackson was returned for the game-winning touchdown. Coach Tom Coughlin was visibly angry with Dodge and had told him to punt the ball out of bounds to avoid giving Jackson an opportunity to make a play.
The loss was a crushing blow for the Giants, who finished 10-6 but lost a tie breaker with the Eagles and failed to make the playoffs.
Weatherford signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois in 2006. He spent two seasons with the Saints before he waived after seven games in 2008. The Kansas City Chiefs picked him up and he appeared in two games with the Chiefs before being waived again. He later signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars and played in five games before joining the Jets prior to the 2009 season.
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