Fire Tom Quinn! Not so fast -- Giants were actually good on special teams in 2015

New York Giants assistant coaches are flying out the door. Some on their own like former linebackers coach Jim Herrmann and former wide receivers coach Sean Ryan. Others, like strength coach Jerry Palmieri, offensive line coach Pat Flaherty and defensive line coach Robert Nunn, with a shove. Nary a word has been heard, though, about the status often-criticized special teams coach Tom Quinn.

There might be a good reason for that. While the Giants' defense was awful and the offense did not meet expectations, special teams in 2015 may have been better that at any time in Quinn's nine years running them.

Esteemed NFL writer Rick Gosselin has released his annual special teams rankings, and the Giants placed second overall witha  score of 271.5. In Gosselin's system, which uses a composite score from 22 special teams categories, only the Baltimore Ravens performed better than the Giants.

How did this happen? Isn't the common perception that Quinn is a terrible coach? Well, better players equal better results. Which is also something to keep in mind when debating why it appears the Giants are also keeping defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

The Giants were 25th in Gosselin's rankings in 2014 and 28th in 2013. The best they have ever done is finish fourth with a total of 269.5 points in 2008.

The arrival of Dwayne Harris to handle kickoff and punt return duties was a huge boost for the Giants. So was the excellence of punter Brad Wing, who arrived via trade before Week 1. Placekicker Josh Brown had an excellent year, making 30-of-32 field goals, a career-best 93.8 percent. Newcomers like Craig Dahl and Nikita Whitlock and Jonathan Casillas made huge contributions.