Kenny Golladay Hoping to Finish Frustrating Season on a Positive Note
By all accounts, Giants receiver Kenny Golladay has done a decent enough job of keeping his cool amidst a season that has been a disappointment, notwithstanding his injury-shortened 2020 campaign.
Golladay, the Giants' top free-agent signing in 2021, has dealt with injuries that cost him three full games this year--and that doesn't include the hamstring strain that knocked him out of most of his first training camp with the Giants.
But even worse than that, when he's been on the field, Golladay has sometimes been an afterthought in the Giants' offense. He's currently been targeted just 70 times in 12 games, his lowest career total (not including last year's injury-shortened campaign since he was targeted 48 times in 11 games as a rookie in 2017.
And for the first time in his playing career, Golladay has yet to record a receiving touchdown.
It's certainly enough to drive the sanest of people insane, but Golladay is trying to keep things real by focusing on what he can control.
"Of course, it’s been kind of frustrating just with the ups and downs, not being able to be available for the entire season," he said. 'It’s frustrating, but I’m just going to continue to come to work each and every week."
Golladay said he's driven by pride and by a desire to put some good film together in what's left in a lost season.
"Yeah, I even said to some of the guys, ‘Let’s just go out there and put good stuff on tape.’ I think that’s all you can really ask for right now. I know that’s what I try to do at least, go out there with my best foot forward every time and just try to put good stuff on tape."
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Golladay wasn't getting much of an opportunity to put anything on tape for a while there. In his first four games as a Giant, Golladay caught 17 out of 26 pass targets for 282 yards.
In Week 5, he had his game cut short due to an injury that put him temporarily on the shelf. As a result, over the next three games in which he appeared, Golladay caught three of eight pass targets for 40 yards, including one game in which he had zero receptions.
And in his last five games, he's caught 14 of 36 pass targets for 177 yards, raising questions about his health and if he's fighting for the ball.
And the getting open part? That question was put to offensive play-caller Freddie Kitchens, who said, "I think that’s a week-to-week thing. I’d say probably looking at the tape and see, and I know that’s what we do every week.
"He tries to make improvements, everybody’s trying to improve, and I think Kenny’s done a good job of kind of just staying the course and trying to make the plays that are there to be made."
Kitchens side-stepped a question regarding whether Golladay, who was known for winning the contested catches before coming to the Giants but who has posted a career-low 48.3 percent contested catch win rate so far, has done a good enough job this year of fighting for the ball.
"Kenny’s a good player, and, like I said, everybody’s trying to get better and compete," he said, avoiding offering a definitive affirmative response. "Kenny competes for every day on the field, whether it’s the practice field or the game field. He tries to do the best he can, and we’re going to continue to ask that of him, and he’s going to continue to give us the best that he can.
Despite Golladay's struggles, Kitchens said there is a commitment to continue trying to get the ball into Golladay's hands.
"Everybody wants more opportunities. Everybody wants to be successful in those opportunities. We’re going to continue to try to do the same thing," he said.
"We want to try to get the ball to Kenny. We want to try to get the ball to (Running Back) Saquon (Barkley). We want to try to get the ball to all these guys that have the ability to make plays. Kenny’s not unlike any of the others."
Add it all up, and it's been a frustrating and disappointing first year for Golladay.
"Frustrated? Yeah, of course. I think anybody would get a little frustrated, but it’s a lot that goes on with trying to get receptions and everything. Everybody plays a role in it," he said.
"I can’t go and change anything. It has been a lot of ups and downs. Like I said, the only thing I can do is just keep coming in to work."
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