PHILADELPHIA — Maybe Kenny Golladay goes proper again to the bench within the playoffs.
Or perhaps Sunday evening’s 25-yard landing catch over Eagles nook Darius Slay — Golladay’s first-ever TD as a Giant — may ignite one other situational choice for Daniel Jones’ offense within the postseason.
“It’s big, man,” mentioned Saquon Barkley, one among many teammates who went nuts on the sideline when Golladay scored. “Hopefully that can translate to the playoffs. That’s the type of player he is. That’s what he’s been in his career is the type of player that can go up and make plays like that. That’s what he was doing in Detroit. It was cool to finally see it happen.”
Golladay, 29, admitted it felt nice to lastly rating his first Giants TD in his twenty sixth sport — and certain final common season sport — with the franchise. He is effectively conscious he hasn’t lived as much as the four-year, $72 million contract with $40 million assured he signed in 2020.
It was additional particular to him as a result of he caught Davis Webb’s first NFL TD cross.
“Webb just gave me a shot,” Golladay mentioned. “Definitely appreciate it. Long time coming. It felt good. Especially to make a play for Webb. I think it was his first start. It felt good for him to get a touchdown.”
Webb mentioned within the second, Golladya’s celebration mentioned all of it.
“I kind of blacked out to be honest,” Webb mentioned. “In the end zone I remember Kenny was so fired up and he deserved it. He’s come to work every single day and continues to get better.”
It says one thing that Golladay, who led the NFL with 11 TD catches in 2019, is a proud professional who stayed prepared for Sunday’s second and who didn’t complain that he performed all 62 offensive snaps with largely backups.
He had performed solely 10 complete offensive snaps the previous three weeks with no targets.
“It is what it is,” he mentioned. “I understand the circumstances. But at the end of the day it’s my job to go out there and play.”
Not to say Golladay goes to instantly begin stealing snaps from Isaiah Hodgins, who rested Sunday, one of many first-stringers alongside Darius Slayton and Richie James.
But making a play like Sunday’s may earn Golladay the chance to make one other one if the time comes, maybe as quickly as subsequent weekend in Minnesota.
It’s clear his teammates respect him, not less than, regardless of his disappointing couple years with the workforce. Golladay and Barkley have been two of the gamers who picked up the tab for the workforce’s playoff clinching celebration final weekend.
“I just gotta be ready when my number’s called,” he mentioned. “Week 18, this has been a rollercoaster pretty much. Just gotta be ready to make a play.”
He was actually a part of a feisty Giants workforce that gave the Eagles an surprising combat on Sunday.
“That shows a lot about this team,” Golladay mentioned. “They played their starters for the entire game and that just shows what type of fight we have on this team, what type of players. It was good to be a part of. Even though we didn’t come out with the win, that’s still very promising. We got people that are ready when their number is called.”
CAGER COMES TO PLAY
Second-year tight finish Lawrence Cager, 25, entered Sunday’s sport with seven profession catches for 84 yards. He had performed in solely one of many Giants’ final 5 video games.
But he made a team-high eight catches for 69 yards on Sunday evening, seemingly at all times open and commanding 10 targets from Webb. Afterwards, he credited GM Joe Schoen, head coach Brian Daboll and tight ends coach Andy Bischoff for believing in him.
“They trusted in me and knew I had the ability to make some plays today,” he mentioned. “I’m thankful for that and thankful for that opportunity.”
The athletic Georgia product gave the Giants’ entrance workplace an important have a look at a developmental participant who would possibly be capable of assist them sooner or later, not simply now. That’s a part of the worth of a Week 18 sport like this: to guage prospects.
Left guard Wyatt Davis, who performed within the second half, is one other instance of somebody the workforce was eyeing in sport motion with a long-term view.
Cager mentioned he stayed prepared regardless of a diminished latest function as a result of “you’ve got to be ready whenever your number’s called. You gotta stay ready. I prepare like I’m playing every week. That’s part of being a football player and a professional athlete in general.”
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com