The New York Giants‘ wide receiver room has been a chronic source of frustration this season, and that frustration has seemingly boiled over for at least one franchise legend.
Lawrence Tynes, who kicked for both the 2007 and 2011 Giants Super Bowl teams, savagely ripped into the current wide receiver corps in a recent interview with Kyle Odegard of Compare.bet. Tynes’ most brutal digs were directed at Kadarius Toney, who he said is in “semi-retirement,” and Kenny Golladay, who he described as “a shell of himself.”
Here’s the portion of Odegard’s story that contains Tynes’ rant on the Giants receivers (emphasis added):
“I watch the All-22 and I study,” Tynes said. “(Jones) gets knocked nationally for holding the ball too long sometimes, but man nobody is open. I tweeted that Chick-Fil-A meme because they’re not open on Sundays. That is exactly the Giants receivers.
“It’s why Giants Nation was begging them to play (Darius) Slayton. He’s a 4.3 guy and he does stretch the field. And Kadarius Toney is in semi-retirement, like where is he? He doesn’t play and he’s a 4.3 guy. You’ve got (David) Sills, Richie James. I think these guys are NFL players, but when they’re your 1 and 2? That’s a problem. If (Jones) had the Bills’ receivers, the Chiefs’, the Bengals’, no question he would be a better player.”
Tynes believes the ship has sailed on any effectiveness from veteran Kenny Golladay, who was inked to a four-year $72 million contract by former GM Dave Gettleman in 2021.
Golladay has two catches for 22 yards on six targets this season.
“Kenny Golladay is a shell of himself,” said Tynes, who played for the team from 2007 through 2012. “He can’t even move. I watched him closely on Sunday and he really just can’t move anymore. I don’t know what it is. The deal is the deal that Gettleman gave him. But I think he’s just shot physically. He can’t create separation, not that he really ever did anyway.“
That’s a pretty scathing review. Here’s the Chick-Fil-A meme Tynes referenced in his rant:
Not open on Sundays! 🥴
The Giants currently rank 31st in the league with only 558 passing yards, and Richie James is the team’s leading receiver with 155 of them through four games.
Kenny Golladay Sidelined, Kadarius Toney Returns
The Giants will be without Kenny Golladay (sprained MCL) for an indefinite amount of time, but help may be on the way for this lackluster wide receiver unit. Kadarius Toney returned to practice on Wednesday.
Via Giants.com managing editor Dan Salomone on Twitter:
Daboll said Leonard Williams and Kadarius Toney will practice in a limited capacity. Julian Love won’t practice.
Toney, a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has only appeared in two games so far this season. And in one of those games, he only played two snaps. He has been targeted just three times and has two receptions for a total of zero yards (he does have 23 yards on two rush attempts, though).
The Giants are counting on Toney to make a healthy comeback and shed the bust label after a rough rookie season and slow start to Year 2.
What Can Giants Expect From Wan’Dale Robinson?
The wild card at wide receiver this week is Wan’Dale Robinson, who also returned to practice in a limited capacity on Wednesday. He’s a second-round rookie who has been working his way back from a knee injury suffered in Week 1.
Robinson only caught one pass for five yards before getting hurt. If he’s healthy enough to suit up against the Green Bay Packers in London, it’ll be his first real chance to show the Giants what he can do.
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2-Time Giants Super Bowl Winner Savagely Rips Current WR Corps