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The ink is barely dry on the free-agent contract he signed with the New York Giants, but return specialist Trindon Holliday has already gotten a full dose of the man he now plays for, Giants' coach Tom Coughlin.
In 31 career NFL games, Holliday has fumbled 11 times in 130 combined kickoff and punt returns. That's not going to fly in Coughlin's world, where single mistakes have often gotten Giants' return men replaced.
"We had the discussions already," said Holliday on Tuesday in a press release issued by the Giants to officially announce his signing. "He said him and me were going to get real acquainted with ball security. I don't have a problem with that. I've have had some miscues of handling the ball, but it's not going to take much for me to fix that."
The diminutive Holliday, only 5-foot-5, 170 pounds, has four returns for touchdowns. A fumble every 11.8 touches, which is Holliday's career average, is not going keep him in Coughlin's good graces.
In his 31 regular-season games over three seasons, Holliday has returned 80 punts for 752 yards (9.4-yard avg.) and two touchdowns. His 81-yarder in Denver's victory over the Giants last Sept. 15 was the longest of his career. Holliday also has a 27.1-yard average and two scores on 49 kickoff returns, including a 105-yard touchdown vs. Philadelphia last Sept 29.
The Giants also signed Quintin Demps this week. Dempswas third in the NFL returning kickoffs last season with a 30.1-yard average, including a 95-yard touchdown. Both players were well ahead of the Giants' 21.2-yard kickoff return average, which ranked 27th in the league.
"They told me they expect me to do both," Holliday said. "I'm going to work my way in and earn the respect from the coaches and the trust that I can get back there and do those things."
Your thoughts on the Holliday signing, Giants' fans?