A baffled Daniel Jones wasn’t lying when he said there are no issues between him and Kenny Golladay.
It turns out Golladay wasn’t yelling at Jones when NFL Network cameras caught the star receiver venting and gesturing Thursday at the Giants bench during the early fourth quarter of a 30-29 loss to Washington. Golladay’s ire was directed at offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.
“Pretty much just me talking to J.G. a little bit,” Golladay explained on Monday. “That’s two competitive guys right there, and more so just wanting to do anything I can. Not so much, ‘Get me the ball more,’ though.”
There was confusion in the immediate aftermath of the game because the view of Garrett was obstructed. Sterling Shepard said after the game that the building narrative around Jones was incorrect.
Now it’s clear why.
“I’ve never done nothing like that,” Golladay said. “Really, just being passionate and being a competitor. I let the emotions get the best of me.”
Why?
“Division game,” Golladay said. “Wanting to leave that spot with a win.”
The Giants suspended receiver Golden Tate for a week last season after he screamed, “Throw me the damn ball!” at the sideline and then into a television camera. Apples-to-oranges in the eyes of coach Joe Judge.
“There was no argument on the sideline,” Judge said. “There was no [Golladay] versus Daniel or anything of that nature. In the heat of the moment, you speak very passionately. You kind of speak with some emotion. I speak with emotion on the sideline. There was no blowup or anything that has to be made of it. I understand sometimes the perceptions will be what they are, but there’s no issue there.”
Wide receivers, for years, have earned reputations for demanding more targets.
“We’re all good. I love Kenny,” Jones said postgame. “You certainly want receivers who want the ball.”
The Giants took the unusual step of bringing Golladay on a multi-day free-agent visit before signing him to a $72 million contract in order to investigate why his four years with the Lions ended on a sour note. Golladay “liked” a social media post about coach Matt Patricia’s firing, but this is not a case of building animosity toward Garrett, he said.
“That was literally it right there during the game,” Golladay said. “Me and him spoke after the game and it was literally nothing.”
The strange part is the fireworks came in the middle of arguably the best offensive game the Giants have played during the Judge-Garrett era. The Giants scored on seven of 10 drives — four straight to open the second half — totaled 391 yards and didn’t commit a turnover.
“I’m happy with my role,” Golladay said. “I want to be in tough situations. I’m getting put in tough situations and need to make some tough catches. That’s all I can ask for.”
Golladay contributed three catches for 38 yards and now has seven (on 14 targets) for 102 yards through two games.
“I did no training camp,” Golladay said, referring to the four weeks missed with a hamstring injury. “There’s going to be rust. First time in this offense. But everything started clicking.”
Well, almost everything. If Golladay can stretch the field — his longest reception is 17 yards — then it will open up more possibilities. He has played the second-most snaps (84.6 percent) among offensive skill players.
“I think I left some stuff out there,” Golladay said. “I know I had one drop across the middle. I wish I could’ve had that back. Other than that, I played pretty good. Wish I could’ve made a few more plays out there.”
The Giants were in a tough spot with a quick turnaround to Week 2 but enjoyed a weekend off before resuming practice Monday with eyes on Sunday against the No. 31-ranked scoring defense of the Falcons.
“Those three days we had off are huge to get the body back,” Golladay said. “I come into every game thinking I’m going to have a big game, but as long as I keep putting the work in everything is going to start to come together.”
