Getty Kenny Golladay breaks free for a big catch.
The Detroit Lions routinely don’t generate enough respect in the NFL landscape, and Kenny Golladay is perhaps the latest example of this.
In spite of a season in which Golladay led the NFL in touchdowns (11), placed a respectable seventh in yardage (1,190). He also had an amazing six catches go for 40 yards or more, which was the third highest total of any wideout. Golladay also had 22 catches go over 20 yards, the second highest total of any wideout in the league.
As a whole, Golladay was an all around big play waiting to happen, but didn’t mange to crack the Pro Bowl. This past week, Golladay was snubbed again, failing to generate enough All-Pro votes to appear on that team as well. That’s in spite of being a statistical leader in multiple ways at a key spot on the offense.
Call him the latest victim of the national anti-Lions bias.
Never mind that, though. Just focus on the numbers. Silently, Golladay’s trajectory is obvious. He’s put up 2,730 yards and 19 touchdowns in his short three year career. After being an unknown draft pick out of Northern Illinois, Golladay has turned himself into one of the top players in football at his position.
That should count for something, even though it apparently doesn’t to those making the choices for awards, recognition and the like.
Even such, Golladay has shown that he doesn’t care about awards, and is merely focused on grinding and finding a way to be the best of the best. That’s all that matters, even if it would be nice to see him get more love for what he’s already accomplished.
There’s no question Golladay deserves more attention, but he’s going to be a force moving forward no matter who gives him the love.
Kenny Golladay Makes Lions History in 2019
Not only is Golladay is one of the leading receivers in the NFL, he piled up the yardage as well as the impact plays for the Lions, who were incredibly needy for big plays this season. Arguably, to this end, he was the team’s MVP.
Lucky for Detroit, Golladay is making explosive plays a habit for the team. How much of a habit? Golladay has broken records for the Lions that have been standing for decades. As the team’s PR account pointed out on Twitter, Golladay has caught a touchdown 40 yards or more in three straight games, something which hasn’t been done in 88 years since 1931.
The last player to accomplish the feat? Bill McKalip, who managed to do it with the Portsmouth Spartans. In other words, the last time the Lions had a wideout as explosive as Golladay, they weren’t even officially the Lions yet.
Facts like this should only serve to prove the point about how solid Golladay has been.
Kenny Golladay’s 2019 Stats
From nearly the start of the season until the finish, Golladay had an excellent year catching the ball. He put up 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns. He had multiple huge games this season, given five times Golladay has gone well over 100 yards in a game catching the ball for the Lions.
In total, Golladay has enjoyed arguably the best start to a career of any wideout in his 2017 draft class not named JuJu Smith-Schuster. Golladay looks like an obvious top dog in Detroit for the foreseeable future with Matthew Stafford tossing him the rock. That’s good news for the Lions, who have long pondered how to find production at the wideout position minus Calvin Johnson. Not an issue anymore with Golladay taking over.
The Lions are going to be happy to keep Golladay in the mix for 2020, and his emergence as one of the top wideouts in the NFL will be easy to see next season with more team health.
No matter how many award lists he’s snubbed from, nothing can slow down the trajectory he’s shown. To the wideout and his fans, that fact should matter more than anything else.
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