Today will feel like Christmas for the Giants, but especially for Daniel Jones.
Happy Golladay. A great, great catch for Dave Gettleman and Joe Judge. A great goal for Danny’s Dimes.
The signing of Kenny Golladay changes everything now for Jones and the Giants. Jones now has more than a fighting chance to enjoy a breakthrough, a breakout season for the Fighting Joe judges … if his youth offensive line can protect him … if offensive coordinator Jason Garrett can orchestrate a friendly offense. for the quarterback … what if the 27-year-old Golladay can stay on the field longer than he did last season with the Lions, when a hip flexor plagued him.
Big yes, yes. But for Golladay to get the medical green light from the Giants doctors is a fashionable hooray, if there ever was one for Jones and the Giants, and it immediately filled those on 1925 Giants Drive and beyond with the joy of Golladay. .
So Jones doesn’t just welcome Saquon Barkley.
He welcomes a contested 6-foot-4 monster of capture and a deep threat.
No Catch-22 here. This was a move that absolutely had to be made once Leonard Williams pulled off his heist and Golladay’s cost dropped to fit the Giants’ cap space.
It is a kind of culture because it is calm and humble, the anti-diva receptor. And he will block in the running game. Jones will have a better chance of playing Gettleman’s Eli Manning if Golladay can prove himself as Gettleman’s Plaxico Burress.
Think about this: From 2005-08, Eli Manning was pitching 6-5 Burress and 6-3 Amani Toomer.
Jones last season was pitching 5-10 Sterling Shepard, 5-10 Golden Tate and 6-1 Darius Slayton.
Odell Beckham Jr. was an outlier: He could turn the house around and catch one-handed catches at 5-11. The last time the Giants made the playoffs, Manning was pitching Beckham, 6-0 to Victor Cruz and Shepard.
The quickest way to improve a young quarterback’s completion percentage is to get him a goal with a large reception radius.
This was Tom Coughlin in Burress:
“He’s a guy who has an impressive physical presence. And because he has the ability to be a long-ball threat, he’s a guy that will force defenses to pay special attention to where he is. It is a great goal. He can catch the ball with his hands above his head, which puts him well above most corners and most depths. “
This was former Lions head coach Matt Patricia at Golladay:
“It’s very long, it’s big, definitely for some of the matches that he can get into, he creates an advantage from that point of view. He is also a physical type. You can play the big man game in the receiving position, which is great. And again, just from a range point of view, it also gives the quarterback a great target in the red area. “
Golladay has struggled with separation, but has two 1,000-yard seasons on his résumé and 11 TD receptions in 2019. Giants cornerback James Bradberry will tell you about the time Golladay ripped off a potential interception and ran with him. ball for a first down.
This was Bill Belichick in 2018 at Golladay: “He’s a very explosive player, great hands, he made some fabulous catches in the games we’ve seen this year and last year on the wing and on the field. Put your feet in bounds, run after the catch. “
Bigger is always better for Gettleman, and he has shown an affinity for the big catcher. He selected 6-5, 245-pound Kelvin Benjamin in the first round in 2014 and 6-4, 236-pound Devin Funchess in the second round in 2015 as Panthers GM. Both enjoyed mixed success.
Barkley running the ball and catching it. Shepard operating out of the slot. Golladay, open it even when it’s covered. NFC Least will be available again. And this time, Daniel Jones will have someone who can reach out and grab him.