Anthony Blevins is in his second season as the Giants’ assistant special teams coach.
In Blevins’ first season as Thomas McGaughey’s assistant, the Giants’ special teams were extremely productive. Aldrick Rosas had one of the finest seasons by a kicker in Giants history. Rosas was selected to his first Pro Bowl and was named second-team All-Pro after making 32 of 33 field goal attempts and 31 of 32 extra point tries. The 32 field goals were the fifth-highest total in Giants history.
Rosas’ .970 field goal percentage was a Giants record, and was just 1/100th of a percentage point behind NFL leader Robbie Gould, a former Giant. Rosas’ 127 points tied Ali Haji-Sheikh (1983) for the fifth-highest total in Giants history. The then second-year kicker hit his final 19 field goal attempts, the second-longest streak in Giants history. And on Dec. 2, Rosas kicked the longest field goal in Giants history, a 57-yarder against Chicago in MetLife Stadium.
In his first season with the Giants, punter Riley Dixon set a franchise record with a 41.8-yard net average on 71 punts.
Michael Thomas led the Giants with nine special teams tackles (six solo) and was the NFC special teams player in the Pro Bowl. It was Thomas’ first Pro Bowl selection.
In addition, during the 2018 season Blevins coached tight end Rhett Ellison, who was ranked the fourth-best special teams performer by Pro Football Focus.
The coverage teams improved significantly under McGaughey, Blevins and assistant Tom Quinn. The Giants finished second in the NFL in kickoff coverage, limiting opponents to an average return of 20.4 yards, and seventh in punt coverage with a 6.6-yard average. In 2017, the kickoff and punt teams had finished 14th and 27th, respectively, in the NFL.
The Giants’ average kickoff return rose from 19.6 to 24.4 yards, and their average punt return improved from 5.5 to 6.2 yards.
Before joining the Giants, Blevins spent five years as a coaching assistant/special teams with the Arizona Cardinals.
During his time with the Cardinals, Blevins helped special teamer Justin Bethel get selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls (2013-15) after leading the team in special teams tackles each season. In 2013 and 2015, Bethel was named first-team All-NFL by the pro Football Writers Association.
All-Pro Kicker Chandler Catanzaro tied the NFL record for the most consecutive field goals to begin a career (17) and established a franchise rookie record with 114 points in 2014. The following season, Catanzaro finished third in the NFL with 137 points, which was also the second-highest single-season total in franchise history. Also in 2015, David Johnson was fifth in the NFL with a 27.2-yard kickoff return average, and set a franchise record with a 108-yard a touchdown.
Dave Zastudil tied for the NFL lead with 35 punts inside the 20-yard line in 2013, when his 45.7-yard punting average is the third-highest in franchise history. A year later, Drew Butler tied for the NFL lead with 34 punts inside the 20.
In 2017, Blevins coached rookie Budda Baker, who was selected s the NFC special teams representative in the Pro Bowl. Baker led the Cardinals with 16 special teams tackles and was selected All-Pro by the AP and the pro Football Writers Association.
Blevins spent the 2012 season as the cornerbacks coach at his alma mater, the University of Alabama-Birmingham, following three seasons at Tennessee State (2009-11) coaching special teams and cornerbacks. He also worked at the University of Tennessee-Martin in 2008 coaching cornerbacks while serving as recruiting coordinator.
Blevins was a part of the NFL’s minority summer coaching internship program with the Indianapolis Colts in 2011, the Cardinals in 2010, and the Chicago Bears in 2008.
A three-year letter winner, Blevins played cornerback at UAB from 1995-98. He played professionally for the Mobile Admirals of the Regional Football League (1999), the Birmingham Steeldogs of AFL2 (2000), and for the Birmingham Thunderbolts in the XFL from 2000-01.
Blevins began his coaching career as the secondary coach and team community liaison at Meadowcreek High School in Gwinnett, Ga. in 2003-04. From 2005-07, he served as a graduate assistant at Mississippi State, helping coach wide receivers and defensive backs for the Bulldogs while also assisting special teams.
A native of Birmingham, Blevins graduated from UAB in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and earned a master’s in instructional technology in 2006 from Mississippi State. In the fall of 2015, he earned a PhD in instructional systems & workforce development from Mississippi State.
