Younghoe Koo's confidence has not wavered despite being released by Atlanta, and he believes in his chances at winning the job to kick for the Giants.
EAST RUTHERFORD - A reporter misspoke when asking Younghoe Koo about his chances of earning a spot on the Giants' game day roster Sunday afternoon against the Los Angeles Chargers and beyond.
Koo is competing with Jude McAtamney to be the next kicker of the Giants and not Jaxson Dart, the rookie quarterback who will get his first start in the game, even though the latter position was the one mentioned.
“Definitely not competing to be the quarterback,” Koo said with a laugh. “No, for sure, I'm here to compete. You’ve got to have that approach to the job, but at the end of the day, it’s always going to be about competition, whether you’re the only kicker in the locker room or if there are two guys fighting for a spot. There are only 32 jobs out there, so I’m just gonna work on being the best version of myself day in and day out and see where it takes me.”
Had the confusion centered on Koo's chances to contribute at cornerback, he could have playfully shared stories of his All-Bergen County success as a defensive back for Ridgewood High School, where he had six interceptions, including a Pick 6, with 11 passes defensed and 40 tackles.
Instead, Koo is coming home to North Jersey seeking to start a new chapter in his NFL life, part of an underdog story to say the least.
Koo, 31, was released by the Atlanta Falcons a week ago after six seasons in which he emerged as one of the most reliable kickers in the league and a foundational piece for the franchise. He earned a 2020 Pro Bowl selection and his career field goal percentage of 86.8 percent was among the league leaders.
Koo worked out for the Giants on Tuesday morning and signed to the practice squad with the intention of being elevated on game day with Graham Gano dealing with the fallout and recovery from a groin injury suffered in pregame warmups Sunday night. Koo will have to beat out McAtamney, a native of Northern Ireland who kicked at Rutgers and is an extra practice squad player as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program.
McAtamney attempted and made one field goal last season for the Giants in his only NFL action.
“There is an authentic confidence that you see with him, that the situation is not too big for him, and you see that amount to success," Giants special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial said of Koo. "To me, it’s a no-brainer why he’s had so many game-winning kicks. There’s a level of confidence. He goes out there knowing that he can execute at a high level."
Koo, who was born in Seoul, South Korea, moved to Ridgewood as a child and played soccer as a youngster. He eventually became a placekicker and was a star on Ridgewood High School's football team, earning team MVP honors during his senior season.
Over his four-year career at Ridgewood, Koo made 15 of 24 field goals and 106 of 114 extra points, setting school records for PATs made and attempted and percentage made (93.0).
As a senior, he made all 32 of his extra points and 6 of 8 field goals while also starting on defense.
Koo's gridiron journey took him to Georgia Southern for college and then to the Chargers as an undrafted rookie before stops with the Patriots' practice squad and a 2019 stint in the AAF spring league that led to his chance with the Falcons, which he made the most of.
"All those places led me here," Koo said, and now he has come back home.
Koo is third on the Falcons’ all-time scoring list with 700 points, trailing only Matt Bryant and Morten Andersen. The Falcons' decision to part ways with Koo came days after he missed a potential game-tying field goal in the season opener, a kick that would have forced overtime against the Buccaneers.
He was inactive in Week 2 before being released.
"It’s a business. At the end of the day, you know what you signed up for," Koo said. "It’s a performance based business and what happened in Week 1, then I didn’t play in Week 2, I kinda knew what was going down. But can’t really pay attention to that. I had to stay ready for whatever opportunity would come, whether that was in Atlanta or somewhere else."
Koo has gotten a ton of text messages from family and friends in North Jersey, and there is a certain level of excitement for all with the possibility that he could be here to stay, at least for a little while.
There are no guarantees just yet, of course, which is why Koo's wife, Ava - they met in the eighth grade in Ridgewood - and their 7-month-old son, Kayden, stayed behind for now in Atlanta.
Koo was hindered by a strained hip last season when his accuracy dipped, but he tried to push through, eventually landing on injured reserve. He is healthy now and believes in his talent, and that he can continue to kick in the NFL for a while and at a high level.
"It’s in the work. It’s in the preparation. It’s not just like going out there and just like, ‘Oh, yeah, I got it,'" Koo said. “It’s a confidence I have in myself with all the work I put into my craft, mentally, physically, everything that comes with this job.”
The Giants have seen all of that from Koo so far.
"To me, the best kickers in this league are the ones that have a next-snap and clear mentality, good, bad, or indifferent," Ghobrial said, adding: "I put a lot of stock into the culmination of his career. When I see him kicking well when he got here, I'm like, OK, that's Koo. That's the guy we know."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Younghoe Koo's NFL journey to NY Giants has brought him back home
Category: Football
