Giants wide receiver Rueben Randle admitted he was frustrated by his lack of chances to make plays.
Giants coach Tom Coughlin responded by suggesting that perhaps Randle hasn’t made the most of the ones he’s been given.
“I would take full advantage of the ones that I do have before I would talk about opportunities,’’ Coughlin said, via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “From Day 1, there’s been opportunities here for everybody to fit in and be a part of — and we do need to have better balance, there’s no doubt about that. Hopefully we can accomplish that going forward.’’
Which is kind of a nice way of telling Randle to quit his griping and catch the ball.
Randle’s tied with running back Shane Vereen for second on the team with 42 receptions, but in the year-long absence of Victor Cruz, Randle hasn’t exactly stepped up to become the complement to Odell Beckham the Giants have needed, which may explain his chances fluctuating lately.
Quarterback Eli Manning said he still had “great confidence,” in Randle, even if there’s not necessarily reason to. Randle’s yards-per-catch numbers have dropped every year since his rookie season, and he’s currently at 12.7. That’s hardly the kind of drive to free agency that’s going to get him paid, or get him more chances than he’s already gotten.