LONDON — They asked and punter Jamie Gillan answered, by giving his American-born teammates a relatable reference point.
“I know a lot of guys watched ‘Ted Lasso,’ ’’ Gillan said with a laugh. “I love that show, by the way. But just kind of the atmosphere of our football, their soccer, different chants and stuff, should be a really good experience for everybody.’’
The “chants and stuff’’ will be part of the experience for the Giants on Sunday as they face the Packers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Gillan knows all about it. He was born in Inverness, Scotland, and played rugby in Edinburgh before moving to Maryland, where his father was stationed with the Royal Air Force.
Gillan played high school football in Maryland then punted for four years at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, a school he knew so little about that he thought HBCU was the name of a sponsor, unaware it stands for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
“I showed up there, and I was very much a minority at the school, which didn’t matter to me,” Gillan said. “I’ve grown up in many different places with my dad’s job being in the military. I showed up there, and it was just a totally different experience from what a lot of people had done in football and maybe sports. But it taught me a lot of things. Although I am grounded, it was a very grounding experience for four years there.’’
Gillan, in his first season with the Giants — he spent the first three years of his NFL career with the Browns — has put on a display a remarkably strong left leg that earned him the nickname “Scottish Hammer” but not enough touch to put the ball down inside the 10-yard line with regularity. His mother, father, sister and a few close friends will make the trip to see him punt for the Giants on Sunday.
“It’s nice being home,’’ Gillan said, “or as close as I can get to home, playing football.’’
The Giants on Saturday elevated QB Davis Webb and WR Marcus Johnson from the practice squad. Webb will be the backup for Daniel Jones, with Tyrod Taylor in the concussion protocol and not active for the game. Johnson is one of only four wide receivers who will dress for the game, joining David Sills, Richie James and Darius Slayton. S Tony Jefferson was signed off the practice squad to the active roster.
Third-down conversions might be at a premium in this game, as these are the two best teams in the league in third-down defense. The Packers allow an NFL-low 23.8 percent, and the Giants are second best at 29.4 percent. … The Giants and Packers have a combined winning percentage of .750, the highest by two teams going into an international game in Week 4 or later.
The Packers have an NFL-high 496 yards-after-catch in their passing game. … Giants safety Xavier McKinney is a fan of Chelsea in the Premier League He planned to meet up with Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount at the game.
Saquon Barkley is tied with receiver Richie James with 15 receptions in the first four games. Barkley is averaging 7.1 yards per catch and has not really gotten untracked in the passing game, as far as converting on wheel routes or other routes that take time down the field to develop.
“I think we have stuff like that for him on a week-to-week basis,’’ offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said. “Those are things that we evaluate when we’re trying to get him out in space or use him in the run game.’’