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New York Giants: How important is Rueben Randle going forward?

By Kevin Parvizi

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In the New York Giants two losses to start the 2015 season, their offense was a three-man show led by Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr., and Shane Vereen. Outside of that “Big 3”, nobody else managed to show up consistently, and the Giants finally decided to try to spark something by releasing the drop-prone and wildly ineffective Preston Parker prior to last night’s must-win rivalry game against the Washington Redskins.

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It was ugly, but the Giants turned in an important victory, keeping them squarely in the thick of the race for the division crown in a wide-open- and struggling- NFC East. They averaged just 2.7 yards per carry in another rough outing for their rushing attack, but they still managed to hang 32 points on the Redskins defense.

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Proving that he was never anything resembling the problem in New York, Manning finished with a 23-32-279 line, tossing two touchdowns and averaging 8.7 yards per attempt in the process. Taking care of the football has been Manning’s biggest strength through three games, and it’s pretty shocking to think that he’s thrown no picks so far this year despite the fact that interceptions have been the main point of criticism against him throughout his career.

Beckham Jr. took full advantage of the Redskins weak secondary, putting up seven receptions for 79 yards on nine targets, including a nifty 30-yard TD. However, OBJ wasn’t even the most impressive pass-catcher for the Giants, and it was a welcome change-of-pace to see a different former LSU star receiver, Rueben Randle, rising to the occasion on Thursday Night Football.

Randle was part of the problem for the Giants in the first two weeks, as he caught just three passes for 23 yards against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 before throwing up just five yards and a catch on the Atlanta Falcons. He failed to generate separation, and he wasn’t showing off his playmaking ability either.

That said, Randle is a 6’2″, 208-pound receiver who has averaged 15.7, 14.9, and 13.2 yards per reception in his first three NFL seasons, meaning that we had every reason to believe that bigger plays would be on the horizon. There was already pressure on Randle to be a legit No. 2 receiver across from Beckham, but that pressure only increased after Parker’s release.

The Giants dialed up more plays for him, and he responded. His 41-yard touchdown was the highlight of the night, but there were plenty of other positives to go around. Randle finished with seven catches for 116 yards on seven targets, as he was nearly flawless . Larry Donnell committed two drops and Vereen couldn’t haul in a single catch on his three targets, so Randle’s sudden explosion was quite timely.

Consistency has always been the issue for Randle, and that can’t afford to be the case going forward. He had 71 receptions last season, but Manning was clearly much more effective when targeting Beckham Jr. than any other receiver last season. The same story repeated itself in the first two weeks, so Randle’s big day was vital in the 32-point outburst.

Nobody can expect a 7-116-1 line every week from a player, let alone a perfect 100% catch rate, but Randle will have to continue to come up big for the Giants. Yes, the talented Victor Cruz will come back next week, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be ready to be an effective No. 2 receiver right off the bat, especially against the Buffalo Bills vaunted defense. Heck, anything the New York Giants get out of Cruz this season has to be considered bonus, so Randle will remain a critical part of the Giants offense.

What I like the most about Randle is that he can dominate in contested situations. What I don’t like about Randle is the fact that he doesn’t generate enough separation and is prone to frustrating mistakes, which means that he can’t show off his strength at the catch point as often. If Manning can’t trust Randle, then he won’t send the ball in his direction as often.

The Redskins made it awfully easy on Randle to tear them up, but his 116-yard performance was nonetheless impressive. It’s games like this that will allow Manning to trust him more to make plays, and the only way the Giants can open up their running game (assuming their offensive line continues to struggle) is by making more plays in the passing game. The running game clearly wasn’t aided in the efficiency department by the efforts from Randle and Beckham Jr. last night, but perhaps that will take place in the future.

Even though Bashaud Breeland and DeAngelo Hall played poorly, Rueben Randle deserves full credit for rising to the occasion and delivering a critical performance in which he took advantage of every opportunity he was given by Manning and the Giants coaching staff. The Bills beckon in Week 4, and that will be a much sterner test for a receiver who still has something to prove, especially since he stands to lose targets once/if Cruz gets into the swing of things.

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