Sports
Kenny Golladay not looking back with new Giants’ ‘receiver-friendly’ offense
Kenny Golladay brushed off questions about his disappointing first season with the Giants like it almost never happened.
There’s little statistical evidence to show that it actually did.
Golladay unfathomably was not one of the 274 players across the NFL who scored a receiving touchdown last season — despite playing in 14 games and collecting the first $18.4 million on his four-year, $72 million contract.
“It was disappointing, but a lot played a role in that,” Golladay said Monday as he tried to turn the page to the coming season. “Every offense wants to get off to a fast start, but to be honest we haven’t even been talking about last year.”
One veteran executive added to the Giants front office this offseason has told others around the league that the size and structure of Golladay’s contract for the return on investment makes it the “worst” he has encountered in his career from a team perspective, multiple sources told The Post.
In a push to add playmakers at then-head coach Joe Judge’s urging and with then-general manager Dave Gettleman thinking in the short-term, the Giants backloaded Golladay’s deal to fit under the 2021 salary cap, meaning he has the highest charge among their offensive players in 2022 ($21.1 million) and 2023 ($21.4 million). The Giants have the most 2022 cap-dollars invested at receiver among any NFL team, according to spotrac.com.
Just like that, Golladay went from being hailed as a third-round NFL draft steal who had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and led the NFL in receiving touchdowns during his third season with the Lions to being painted as a free-agent bust. Did the expectations created by the contract put too much pressure on his shoulders?
“No, not at all,” Golladay said. “It was just a lot of different moving parts last year. That was last year.”
Golladay, 28, missed most of last training camp with a hamstring pull that set the tone for an injury-plagued season. He never saw eye-to-eye with offensive coordinator Jason Garrett before an in-season change was made. The passing attack was non-functional in six games played with backup quarterbacks.
All those factors have changed in the first year under head coach Brian Daboll’s “very receiver friendly” scheme.
“First off, the offense is totally different,” Golladay said. “Coach is putting people in different positions at all times, keeping the defense guessing. It just gives you a lot of freedom. You don’t have to be so cookie-cutter or do what’s on the paper. You can go out there and kind of make the route your own.”
In a rare highlight for the offense during Monday’s practice, Golladay made a catch in traffic during 11-on-11. But the most encouraging sign is that Golladay is part of the first-team offense’s chemistry building after he was in red jersey to signal limitations during spring workouts. He declined to reveal if that was because of a nagging or new injury.
“I think this year is a little bit better as far as just the training staff, strength staff and then coaching staff taking care of our bodies — and then us as players doing the right things on and off the field,” Golladay said. “I feel good. I’m in a good spot right now.”
To make up for lost time, Golladay spent most of his offseason around New York so he could get in sync with quarterback Daniel Jones.
“The receivers in our system have a lot to learn, a lot of different positions to play,” Daboll said. “And I just think that early on in camp when you’re thinking a little bit, there’s a lot of things going through your head. And maybe you don’t play as fast. That’s why we’ll give it another week or two, and things will settle down a little bit.”
While Daboll’s offense has speedy receivers Wan’Dale Robinson and Kadarius Toney, running back Saquon Barkley and even Jones running in pre-snap motion, the 6-foot-4 Golladay isn’t fooling anyone. His job is to win contested jump balls on the perimeter.
“I’m just my own player,” Golladay said. “I’ve got all the faith that Dabes is going to put me in the right position. I’ve just got to make plays. I’m pretty sure the defenses in the league know I’m not going to get an end-around or a reverse or anything like that.”
Don’t entirely rule it out if it could get Golladay back in the end zone and give the Giants more bang for their buck.
Read the full article here
The NBA’s longest win streak is finally over after the Knicks suffered their first loss in nine games on Wednesday. Expect New York to start a new streak Friday against a team it dominated the last time they faced off.
The Knicks were playing like the best team in basketball during their lengthy win streak, posting the league’s best net rating (+17.3) with six double-digit victories in that eight-game run. That included a 23-point beat-down of the Bulls exactly a week ago, when New York drained 17 3s and saw three players score at least 22 points in an easy win.
Knicks vs. Bulls (7:30 p.m. Eastern) prediction: Knicks -5.5 (Caesars Sportsbook)
Risk Free First Bet up to $1,000 with NPBONUS
New customers only. Must be 21+. AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, LA, MI, NJ, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY only. (Welcome Offer not available in NY & PA) Full T&C apply.
First bet up To $1,250 On Caesars
New users only, 21 or older. NY, CO, DC, IA, IN, IL, MI, NV, NJ, PA, TN, VA, WV only. Full T&Cs apply.
No Sweat First Bet up to $1,000
21+. New customers only. AZ, CT, IA, IL, LA, MI, NJ, NY, PA, TN, WV, WY only. T&C apply
That game marked the worst offensive showing of the season for Chicago (91 points), which has struggled with chemistry and spacing issues all year long. The Bulls rank dead last in 3-point attempts per game (28.8) and third-worst in offensive rebounding rate (23.6%), which leaves very few easy scoring chances for one of the NBA’s worst offenses.
Betting on the NBA?
It’s the opposite story for the Knicks, who boast three legitimate shot-creators and also rank among the league leaders in points in the paint. Julius Randle (31 points) relentlessly attacked this Chicago defense in their first meeting before allowing RJ Barrett (27 points) to lead the way in the second affair — his fourth of five straight games with at least 22 points.
I don’t see this Knicks attack slowing down against one of the league’s most inconsistent defenses. And until Zach LaVine returns to his All-Star form, I’m skeptical of the Bulls’ offense showing up on Friday, too.
Knicks vs. Bulls pick: Knicks -5.5 (Caesars Sportsbook)
Read the full article here
After starting the season 21-4-1, it looked like the New Jersey Devils were going to run away with the Metropolitan Division as one of the very best teams in the NHL.
Not only were the Devils cruising, but their underlying metrics were elite. New Jersey was the best 5-on-5 team through the first quarter of the season.
Three weeks and one six-game losing streak later, and the Devils have fallen back to earth and are now two points behind the Carolina Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division.
The Devils were able to get off the schneid with a win over Florida on Wednesday, but the task doesn’t get any easier with the league-leading Boston Bruins in town.
New Jersey is a slight +102 home underdog against Boston starting at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and the NHL Network.
Risk Free First Bet up to $1,000 with NPBONUS
New customers only. Must be 21+. AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, LA, MI, NJ, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY only. (Welcome Offer not available in NY & PA) Full T&C apply.
First bet up To $1,250 On Caesars
New users only, 21 or older. NY, CO, DC, IA, IN, IL, MI, NV, NJ, PA, TN, VA, WV only. Full T&Cs apply.
No Sweat First Bet up to $1,000
21+. New customers only. AZ, CT, IA, IL, LA, MI, NJ, NY, PA, TN, WV, WY only. T&C apply
Bruins vs. Devils prediction
Even though the Devils have struggled to get results over their last 10 contests, their underlying numbers don’t suggest there’s all that much wrong with how they’re playing. New Jersey isn’t posting the pace-setting numbers it did through Thanksgiving, but it’s still skating to the fifth-best expected goals rate and high-danger scoring chance rate in the league over its last 10 contests.
Those numbers should help ease any sense of panic that New Jersey could continue to fall back further into the pack as we head toward the New Year.
So if New Jersey is still tilting the ice in the right direction, what is the issue for the Devils?
For one thing, the Devs are struggling to find the back of the net like they did when they were rolling. New Jersey has scored just nine goals in its last five games, and four of those tallies came in a 4-2 victory over Florida on Wednesday. Over their last 10 games, the Devils rank 25th in the NHL with a 6.56% shooting percentage.
Additionally, the Devils are not getting the goaltending needed to stabilize them. New Jersey’s netminders were always thought to be the team’s biggest weakness, and that has started to show lately as the Devils rank 23rd in the NHL in 5-on-5 save percentage over the last 10 games.
Betting on the NHL?
The Bruins, meanwhile, continue to roll. Boston is 7-1-2 over its last 10 contests and ranks third in the league over that span in expected goals rate and fourth in high-danger chance percentage. The Bruins pace the NHL with a +54 goal differential, which is 25 goals better than the team in second (Toronto).
But as impressive as Boston has been over its first 31 games of the season, the Bruins are playing on a back-to-back on Friday, while the Devils were off on Thursday night.
The Bruins are the better team in a vacuum, but this is a good buy-low spot on the Devils, who are still playing solid hockey but are just not getting the results.
Devils vs. Bruins pick
New Jersey Devils +102 (FanDuel)
Read the full article here
The F.D.A. Now Says It Plainly: Morning-After Pills Are Not Abortion Pills
Sister Patricia Daly, 66, Dies; Took On Corporate Giants on Social Justice
ElonJet is (sort of) back on Twitter
This Off-the-Shoulder Sequin Top Is Perfect for New Year’s Eve — On Sale Now!
Families can make a tax-free rollover from 529 plans to Roth individual retirement accounts starting in 2024
The F.D.A. Now Says It Plainly: Morning-After Pills Are Not Abortion Pills
Sister Patricia Daly, 66, Dies; Took On Corporate Giants on Social Justice
House Clears $1.7 Trillion Spending Package, Averting Shutdown
She Worked for Twitter. Then She Tweeted at Elon Musk.
