Giants 2014: Will Rashad Jennings have a career high in receptions?
Nov 10, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; General view of the line of scrimmage as Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2) prepares to hand the ball off to running back Rashad Jennings (27) against the New York Giants at midfield on the NFL shield logo at MetLife Stadium. The Giants defeated the Raiders 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Over at Giants.com, the mothership put together an interesting article titled: Fact or Fiction: Rashad Jennings’ stats?
It featured hot takes from a trio of their writers facing F/F scenarios such as: Running back Rashad Jennings will have a career-high number of receptions this season.
"MICHAEL EISEN: Fiction – His career-high was 36 last year with Oakland. The Giants have a strong cast of wide receivers and if David Wilson is cleared to play – which I assume will happen – he would be a more frequent target out of the backfield. That would result in fewer opportunities to catch passes for Jennings.JOHN SCHMEELK: Fact – The first thing I’m going to do is admonish Dan Salomone for not providing his career high in the statement. After going through the hard work of looking it up, I think Jennings will surpass his career-high of 36 catches last year with the Raiders. The backs are getting passes thrown in their direction early and often during spring practice and Jennings looks to be a big part of the offense both in the air and on the ground.DAN SALOMONE: Fiction – It’s going to be close if he stays healthy and continues to assert himself as the top back in this offense. But the quick passes don’t go exclusively to players out of the backfield. The wide receivers will get their share, so I’m going to say fewer than 36 catches for Jennings but not by much."
Two votes for fiction at the Giants main site…
That doesn’t seem like a big vote of confidence for Rashad Jennings, a talented athlete that just had a career year with the Oakland Raiders during their annually poor 2013 campaign. The point is, in that rubble of a season, Rashad Jennings produced plays like this and put Oakland in position to win games:
Credit: NFL Game Rewind (Week 9 vs. Philadelphia)
Now, he may be getting older and learning a new system, but the Giants and Rashad Jennings are both looking for a brand new offensive identity. Keep in mind, Jennings has plenty of tread on his tires despite nearing 30. Will that identity include throwing the ball to Rashad Jennings more times than his previous career high of 36 receptions?
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Ideally, Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham Jr. will be the GIANT weapons for Eli Manning’s air arsenal. However, it’s been overtly noted that new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo likes to utilize his backs in the passing game. Rashad Jennings might not be the speediest “game-breaker” option out of the backfield option on the roster, but he has reliable hands and nifty-shifty football moves in a pinch. Furthermore, if the Giants are running screens in today’s NFL, they should entertain using players with the extra gear of OBJ or Trindon Holliday (fast enough for a cheesy youtube video). Or, in my opinion, it’s practically a wasted down with the speed of today’s defenses at all levels.
However, my opinion hardly matters Giants Nation. Tell us what you think about Rashad Jennings and his 2014 Giants football outlook.