Kenny Golladay quiet on thoughts about role in Giants’ offense

The New York Giants reached a new beginning of sorts when they fired offensive coordinator Jason Garrett on Tuesday, one that could prove beneficial for wide receiver Kenny Golladay. In seven games with the Giants this year, Golladay has 20 receptions for 322 yards and, as is brought up seemingly every week, no touchdowns.

In Garrett’s final game against the Buccaneers, Golladay was targeted twice and saw offensive tackle Andrew Thomas score the team’s only touchdown. Does Golladay believe Jason Garrett’s scheme was hiding his potential? Well, he’s not exactly giving much evidence to the contrary.

“I’m going to keep that comment to myself,” Golladay said twice when asked if he is frustrated with his role in the offense. “As far as myself, I loved Jason Garrett. Things I guess didn’t work out and we had to make a change. But Jason Garrett in my book as a guy, I love the guy, to be honest.”

There’s certainly reason to believe Golladay’s limited usage has contributed to his perceived lack of production. Golladay has caught 20 of 34 targets this year for a 58.2 percent catch rate and is averaging 9.5 yards per target. Both of those numbers are nearly identical to his four-year averages from his time with the Detroit Lions, where he put up back-to-back 1,000-yard season. Regardless, Golladay refused to blame coaching for his struggles.

“To be honest, I’m just coming into it with an open mind and go into it like I go into every week. When the ball is coming to 19, I’ve just got to make the play. Hope for more opportunities of course, but when the ball comes to me, I’ve got to make it. Even if I don’t have a lot of opportunities, I’ve got to make the most of those opportunities.”

There’s nowhere to go but up for the Giants’ offense, which ranks 25th in the NFL with 18.9 points per game. But even with a new playcaller — presumably Freddie Kitchens, though the team has yet to make an official announcement — Golladay downplayed any potential changes.

“It’s too late to say this is a fresh start, you know what I mean?” Golladay said. “I guess you could say ‘get on track,’ as far as us getting on track, scratching, erasing that last game that just happened. We’ve got another opportunity this Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. Not a fresh start, let’s just get on track.

“I won’t say ‘big changes.’ I feel like we’re going to still run the stuff that we know and do well. At this point, I think it’s just about getting the right guys in the right spot.”

Golladay may have to go up against cornerback Darius Slay for the first time on Sunday, his teammate for three years in Detroit. Slay already has three interceptions this year, one of which he returned 51 yards for a touchdown last week against New Orleans.

“Yeah, that’s messed up, huh?” Golladay said of the fact that Slay has more touchdowns than him. “It is what it is. He’s a playmaker. I know him very well. I’m not surprised that he’s always around the ball making those plays for their team. I played with him, I want to say three years, and he did the exact same thing when I was with him. I want to say he led the league in interceptions one year I was with him – so I’m not surprised.”