Make New York Post a Preferred Source There is an old special teams saying that once you board the kicker carousel, it’s difficult to get off the ride.
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Harbaugh, with assists from the scouting department and special teams coordinator Chris Horton, might have found the third long-term kicker solution of his 28-year NFL coaching career now that rookie Dominic Zvada is off to a 9-for-9 start on field goals and 5-for-5 on PATs.
“He’s a guy you didn’t feel like you were going to have to reinvent the wheel with technique-wise [to] where he could be consistent,” Harbaugh said. “He’s made a bunch of kicks, but there’s a bunch more kicks out there to be made.”
David Akers had been cut three times and was kicking in NFL Europe in 1999 before Harbaugh, as a first-year special teams coordinator, started developing him into the Eagles’ all-time leading scorer.
Harbaugh tapped rookie Justin Tucker with the big responsibility for the Super Bowl-hopeful Ravens in 2012, and Tucker became the second-most accurate kicker in league history.
“You can really trust what he’s saying, and he uses the same terminology as a specialist uses, so when you hear someone talk like that you know that they have a great idea of what they’re talking about,” Zvada said. “So, yeah, to be able to play for Coach Harbaugh has been an absolute dream. I’m just excited to keep rolling with him.”
Because of the stability of Akers and Tucker, Harbaugh has had only nine non-punters attempt field goals under his watch since 1999. By comparison, the Giants used seven in the past three seasons alone as injuries and kicking-marred losses mounted.
Dominic Zvada celebrates with teammates after hitting a field goal in the fourth quarter of the Giants’ Week 4 win over the Cardinals at MetLife Stadium. Bill Kostroun for New York Post So, seeing Zvada matter-of-factly drill a 52-yarder through the wind and rain to extend a three-point lead to a much-needed six in the final three minutes of last week’s win against the Cardinals left Giants fans wondering if their nerves finally can be calmed for the first time since Graham Gano’s last healthy season in 2022.
“I really try and dissociate myself from the situation,” Zvada said. “My job is to do my part no matter what, and so, for me, that was the mindset going into that kick. It’s just another opportunity to display what I’m able to do. The operation was great.”
There is irony in the Giants playing at Washington on Sunday with full confidence in their kicker.
Dominic Zvada kicks a field goal during the first quarter of the Giants’ Week 4 win over the Cardinals at MetLife Stadium. Bill Kostroun for New York Post For all the losses gasolined by kicker uncertainty during the Brian Daboll Era — against the Jets (2023), Chiefs (2025) and Broncos (2025) — none were as disastrous as Week 2 in 2024 at Washington.
The Giants scored three PAT-less touchdowns and lost 21-18 while the Commanders kicked seven field goals, because the Giants didn’t have a contingency plan behind Gano, who entered the game nursing an injury and went out on the opening kickoff.
Zvada was just beginning an All-American season at Michigan at that time.
“He’s got a good head,” Harbaugh said. “He’s confident. We’ll make sure we keep him humble, make sure he stays locked in. He works his tail off every day. And I do think he focuses on just kicking the next kick straight. He’s wise beyond his years that way.”
The Giants did their part to make sure their rookie was ready for moments when the pressure builds. Trash-talker Abdul Carter, especially, chirped at Zvada before his kicks during training camp with “fun hostility.”
“They’re just trying to get in my head and do things that — maybe if we’re in a hostile place, like an away game — I might hear coming from the sidelines,” Zvada said. “The whole point is just to keep myself focused on the job and on what actually matters, and kind of block everything else out.”
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Thanks mainly to Zvada and new punter Jordan Stout, the Giants lead the NFL by a wide margin in expected points added on special teams.
“I feel like I always kind of had that [be-the-best] mentality,” Zvada said. “Even from very early on, I always kind of had that belief in myself, even when maybe other people didn’t. I think that’s what kind of helps drive a person to get to this point.”
But the Giants can be confident he will bounce back because he handled the adversity of a disappointing senior season and had answers during a first predraft interview at the East-West Shrine Bowl.
He maintains weekly dialogue with a sports psychologist at either Michigan or in East Rutherford.
“I really started taking the mental side of sports seriously early on,” Zvada said. “It’s a very big part of the specialist skill bag is to have a really strong mental game. So, for us there’s a lot of resources that we’re able to use, so I definitely try and take full advantage of those.”
