Kenny Golladay owns poor first Giants season with Kadarius Toney an afterthought

Kenny Golladay took accountability Friday for a disappointing archetypal play with the Giants.

“To beryllium honest, I would conscionable accidental conscionable not bully capable connected my part,” Golladay, 28, past spring’s large wealth escaped cause signing, said connected a Zoom call. “Not saying I was playing unspeakable oregon anything, but I expect more. Just not bully enough.”

Golladay has 34 catches for 499 yards and nary touchdowns successful 13 games entering Sunday’s finale betwixt the Giants (4-12) and Washington (6-10) astatine MetLife Stadium. That’s acold from what the Giants were expecting erstwhile they paid him $40 cardinal successful the spring, and helium knows it.

But astatine slightest Golladay has played done a rib wounded down the stretch. Rookie first-round prime Kadarius Toney’s play already is over.

Toney, 22, volition beryllium for a sixth clip successful the Giants’ last 7 games connected Sunday, missing a 2nd consecutive owed to a enarthrosis wounded helium sustained Week 16 successful Philadelphia.

His rookie play has been a rollercoaster of distractions and injuries, with a fleeting flash of superb accumulation successful Week 5 astatine Dallas (10 catches, 189 yards). But that didn’t past due to the fact that helium threw a punch and got thrown out.

The Giants traded backmost successful past April’s draught from the No. 11 prime and took Toney No. 20 wide retired of Florida. They acquired an other 2022 first-round prime from the Chicago Bears but passed connected prospects similar Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons and Chargers near tackle Rashawn Slater.

Toney missed ample signifier and crippled clip from May done December owed to a laundry database of injuries: 2 affirmative tests for Covid, a hamstring, ankle, thumb, quad, oblique and shoulder. There was besides his toed oregon ft contented successful OTas erstwhile helium wore the wrong-sized cleats.

His 420 receiving yards (on 39 catches) inactive fertile 2nd connected this horrendously inept offense. But the bigger question is whether Toney has learned however to beryllium a professional. Word astir the Giants is helium has a agelong mode to go.

“I deliberation he’s moving connected that,” wide receivers manager Tyke Tolbert said Thursday.

Toney hasn’t spoken to the media since Nov. 10.

A hamstring wounded outgo Golladay a ton of clip successful grooming camp, meanwhile, and had him playing catch-up aboriginal on, too.

Golladay was an aboriginal professional of Jason Garrett’s anyway. He was caught shouting astatine the violative coordinator connected the sideline successful Week 2 astatine Washington.

He had his champion game, six catches for 116 yards, successful a Week 4 overtime triumph successful New Orleans, but hyperextended his genu the adjacent week successful Dallas and didn’t play again until Week 9.

Joe Judge and Freddie Kitchens enactment much accent connected involving Golladay aft Garrett’s midseason firing, but that didn’t nutrient results, particularly due to the fact that Daniel Jones got wounded and the Giants didn’t person a azygous susceptible QB enactment down him.

“A batch goes into it,” Golladay said of his down season. “Different personnel, arsenic acold arsenic who’s playing and who’s not playing, including myself. Even successful the unit arsenic acold arsenic coaching-wise. A batch goes into it. A batch goes into it to marque a shot squad go.”

The Giants evidently volition beryllium counting connected Golladay to person a overmuch improved 2022 play connected an discourtesy that is expected to spot important turnover – from the bulk of its coaching unit to immoderate superior unit (read: 4 caller starting O-linemen).

As for Toney, the seasoned Golladay said the receiver has been “dealing with a lot.”

“I was a third-rounder, helium was a first-rounder, truthful helium already had precocious expectations,” Golladay said. “I would conscionable accidental enactment the course. You’re going to person an offseason this twelvemonth … conscionable absorption connected trying to larn his assemblage much and conscionable enactment the course.”

Tolbert added of Toney: “You person to bash the champion you tin to beryllium capable to support your assemblage whether it’s nutrition, whether it’s being with the trainers, whether it’s massages, whatever. Just bash immoderate you tin to marque definite your assemblage is successful the champion imaginable information to spell retired determination and play.”

***

Toney, WR John Ross (knee) and QB Mike Glennon (left wrist) each were ruled retired of Sunday’s game. Three players are questionable: G Will Hernandez (ankle), FB Cullen Gillaspia (knee) and WR Collin Johnson (hamstring). Hernandez has played 100% of the offense’s snaps this season. He’s the lone Giant connected either broadside of the shot with a cleanable expanse truthful far.

The Giants’ signifier wasn’t unfastened to the media connected Friday, since the snowfall pushed interviews virtual successful the lawsuit the squad mightiness signifier indoors. Judge got the backmost tract plowed, though, truthful helium could get his squad retired successful the elements.

“They’ve plowed retired the snowfall for us,” Judge said. “It looks similar there’s inactive a small spot of residue retired there. We’ll beryllium retired determination playing successful the snowfall today.”