By Nick Brinkerhoff
Sometimes the stories write themselves. For someone like Dr. Seuss, rhyming was all it took. There was the famous “The Cat in the Hat” or other one’s like “Horton hears a who!”
Then there’s the famous voice of John Sterling, the radio voice of the Yankees. For example, a Josh Donaldson home run triggers this call from Sterling, “That’s Josh, by gosh! … Josh, with panache!”
Even the Mets fan in me can’t help but laugh.
So when we talk about a New York sports team like the Giants, let’s find a rhyme of our own. Oh, yes. The New York Giants can’t afford another holiday from Kenny Golladay in 2022. Wow, sometimes you need to pat yourself on the back. This is one of those times.
Let’s face it, the G-Men can’t afford another dud this year. They hired a new coaching staff and front office, which for them is almost rinse and repeat-esque in recent years.
It was an ugly season all around in the swamps of New Jersey, hilariously known as the “Meadowlands.”
Golladay just added 18 million more reasons why it was even worse than previously imagined.
Kenny Golladay’s worst season came in 2021
Believe it or not, there used to be articles about how Golladay was the second coming of Calvin “Megatron” Johnson. Now, many can’t help but talk about how the Giants wasted $72 million.
Golladay turned in a season worth forgetting last year, kind of like when someone gifts you a gift card to a place you never go, but hey, who’s complaining? Certainly not me, or the Giants for that matter. Right.
Regardless, Golladay posted only 521 yards receiving in 14 games and did all that without scoring a single touchdown. Oof.
He also had the lowest average yards per game (37.2) and the lowest catch percentage (48.7%) of his career. Sure, the Giants offense was among the worst in the league, but these numbers are almost unfathomable for a supposed number one receiver.
But I guess that’s what a Joe Judge offense gets you, unemployment or disappointment. Oh look, another rhyme.
Looking back on it now, the “QB Sneak” offense was one of the most hilarious things I’ve seen during my NFL fandom.
But 2022 will be different
For starters, 2022 is different from 2021 simply because of the number change. Sometimes the flip of the calendar is all that’s needed. In Golladay’s case, a new coaching staff doesn’t hurt either.
In comes new head coach Brian Daboll, who even by just simply existing is already an upgrade over the previous regime. At the very least, I’m sure this front office and coaching staff can splurge for a large Pepsi. What? You thought you’d get out of here without a soda joke?
Although Daboll won’t confuse the Giants offense with the Bills anytime soon, there are encouraging signs. At least Daboll has shown that he can utilize talent properly, something that Judge only appeared to be capable of in his dreams.
So we have to believe he can use the big-bodied Golladay, especially in jump ball situations. Quarterback Daniel Jones was supposed to benefit from having a receiver capable of taking the pressure off of him like they did with Odell Beckham Jr. before forcing him out.
Golladay simply needs to find a way to stay healthy, something he hasn’t done in recent years, and productivity will follow. Because the reality is that the Giants will almost certainly be bad again this year and they will be forced to throw the ball a lot, especially in garbage time. Golladay can benefit from that alone as a stat-sheet stuffer.
Can Golladay regain some of his Detroit form?
There’s a reason the Giants handed him $72 million after all and the reason isn’t simply because former general manager Dave Gettleman enjoyed handing out big checks with the blue and red “NY” logo on it.
For all their faults, the Lions allowed Golladay to thrive, shining as one of the lone bright spots during a dark age of Detroit football. It’s exactly what Big Blue needs to do. Another rhyme? This is off the charts now.
Unfortunately, there are not currently any futures bets for Golladay at this point, which is just further evidence of how bad his 2021 was. To make matters even worse, I cannot officially recommend any Giants related futures bets at this time. Trust me, I tried. I want to make each and every one of you plenty of money.
The closest thing that stood out, consider this a lean rather than an official pick, was the under 6.5 total wins for the Giants this season. FanDuel priced this at +100, but for the risk-takers out there, DraftKings is offering +175 on the under six, meaning that they need to register five wins or less. Otherwise it’s a push and you get your money back.
So while Golladay may have a bounceback season, it promises to be another long year for Big Blue in the swamps of New Jersey.