Lawrence Tynes may be a two-time Super Bowl-winning kicker, but he knows a strong passing game is the way to sustained success in the NFL.
Even though the New York Giants are off to an impressive start this season, Tynes doesn’t see it lasting unless the ball starts moving through the air.
“You’ve got to throw the ball in this league,” Tynes told Compare.bet. “Sure, they’re 3-1, but at some point you have to throw the ball for 300 yards to win football games, and they haven’t done that.”
Daniel Jones is No. 28 in the NFL with an average of 6.0 yards per attempt and is averaging a career-low 157.8 passing yards per game, but Tynes places the blame on the receivers, not the quarterback.
“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.”
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— Lᴀᴡʀᴇɴᴄᴇ Tʏɴᴇs (@lt4kicks) October 2, 2022
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.”
Toney was taken in the first round a year ago but it’s been a bumpy ride with the Giants. He’s flashed incredible natural ability but has two catches for zero yards in a pair of games this season and is currently dealing with a hamstring injury.
“They don’t have any playmakers,” Tynes said. “Kadarius Toney is the most frustrating part of all of this. We’ve seen him go 10 for 189 against Dallas last year. Then he had another humongous game against the Saints a couple weeks later. It’s like, ‘Where is that guy?’ He can’t stay healthy. He can’t get on the field. I just don’t understand it.
“Everything I’ve heard internally from the people that still work in the organization, they love Kadarius Toney. Same with Odell Beckham. They get this bad rap. They loved Odell as a teammate and they love Kadarius. But for whatever reason, he can’t stay healthy and he can’t get on the field. I don’t know if that’s a playbook issue — new offense — but I don’t know. It has to be one of those two things. Obviously he is injured with the hamstring, but if you can’t get on the field that just means your practice habits stink or you don’t know the playbook. He’s too good of a player to be sitting there.”
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The lack of elite receiving options has once again clouded the evaluation of Jones. The Giants declined his fifth-year option this offseason, which Tynes believes was the prudent move, but it’s hard to know how much better he could be with legitimate pass-catching threats.
“He’s had the worst set of circumstances in terms of skill players around him,” Tynes said. “Saquon (Barkley’s) two down years in 2020 and 2021. Look at the receivers. Look who he goes out there with. I’m glad he’s playing OK. I wouldn’t say he’s playing great. But he’s limited by who’s around him.”
The Giants are one of a few teams with a cloudy plan at quarterback for 2023. If Jones was spearheading the 3-1 start, the decision would have been easy, but as it stands, Tynes sees a two-pronged approach awaiting this offseason.
“Here’s what I think, my personal opinion: He’s handicapped right now and through the end of the season,” Tynes said. “No number one wide receivers are coming through that door. He’s going to have to deal with what he has. I think if they win 7, 8, 9 games, then that’s a success, a solid season, and they give him that deal. But I also think the Giants will draft a guy.
“Daniel could sway them. Maybe if they get him some elite receivers, he could be something. He’s been average at best, right? I don’t know what he can do through the end of the year to sell himself as a franchise quarterback. I think his ceiling is somewhere 10-to-15 (among quarterbacks). I don’t think he’s ever going to jump into that top-10, but sometimes that’s good enough.”
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— New York Giants (@Giants) October 4, 2022
One thing Jones has excelled at this season: running the ball. He is averaging 48.3 rushing yards per game and 6.2 yards per carry, which is something that could help his case to remain the starting quarterback in future years.
It naturally brings comparisons to dual-threat quarterback Josh Allen, because new coach Brian Daboll had him the past four years in Buffalo. But Tynes doesn’t think the ground success can be banked on all year.
“(Jones) gets compared to Josh Allen a lot, which is unfair,” Tynes said. “Josh Allen is Josh Allen. Josh Allen is a lot better athlete than Daniel. Daniel, you can tell, was a basketball player and a quarterback. He doesn’t have a lot of wiggle to him, so when he gets out into the open field, it’s why he always looks awkward sliding or getting out of the way of somebody.
“When you watch Josh, he’s stiff-arming people with the ball in his hand and jumping over defenders. Josh is a much better athlete.”
C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young are considered elite prospects and could very well be the first two picks of the draft, but New York’s start is pushing them away from any chance at a top pick.
If a veteran quarterback is the only logical route, Tynes could see the Giants taking a big swing if the relationship between Lamar Jackson and the Ravens devolves beyond repair.
“I don’t know what Lamar Jackson’s situation is going to be, with the franchise tag and all that, but I certainly would not rule that out,” Tynes said. “If I was the general manager, I would re-sign Daniel Jones to a team-friendly contract and put escalators and all that jazz in there. But I would certainly keep my eye out. I would not rule out free agency depending on what happens with Lamar. He’d be such a coveted guy, though the Ravens would be fools to let him walk. That would be the dumbest thing ever.”
There is a lot of focus on Jones as he plays out the final year of his rookie contract, and the Giants’ quarterback decision moving forward is going to dominate the headlines.
But until the receiving corps improves, Tynes said it’s really hard to judge the fourth-year signal-caller.
“(Former Colts center) Jeff Saturday said it well last week on the postgame show,” Tynes said. “He said, ‘Josh Allen wasn’t Josh Allen until Stefon Diggs got there.’ Now, Stefon Diggs-type players aren’t laying around on the street, but if you can find a guy like him that is a feared No. 1, I would have to think that is a top priority. That’s a bigger priority than quarterback, to be honest with you.”
