It was barely a month ago the Giants looked as if they might have found the perfect low-cost replacement for Hakeem Nicks — if they wanted one — in Rueben Randle.
The second-year wide receiver from LSU had just caught his sixth touchdown in just six games during a home victory over the Packers that was Big Blue’s fourth in a row after a 0-6 start, and it appeared Randle was vying with Victor Cruz for the role of Eli Manning’s favorite target.
Week 10 now seems like a long, long time ago, both for Randle and the Giants.
Not only is Tom Coughlin’s team now playing out the string at 5-9 headed into Sunday’s matchup with the Lions, but Randle has all but disappeared from the Giants’ offense with just eight catches for 111 yards and no touchdowns in the past four games.
But Cruz’s recent season-ending knee surgery will give Randle a great opportunity in the final two games to regain the Giants’ trust and reassert himself, which is why the 2012 second-round pick has a bit more bounce in his step than many of his teammates this week.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind having that impact,” Randle said Friday when asked about finishing his season with a flourish. “I just want to end on a good note and look forward to having a better year next year.”
Randle is no stranger to closing on a high note. Last year’s otherwise meaningless season finale, a 42-7 rout of the Eagles at MetLife Stadium, was highlighted by his two touchdown catches.
That carried over to this season, as Randle opened with five catches for 101 yards in the Giants’ opening-night loss to the Cowboys, and he really started to open eyes both on his own team and around the NFL with the six touchdown receptions in six games.
Randle was upstaging Nicks at the time, and the thought was Randle would enable the Giants to save a lot of money by letting Nicks walk in unrestricted free agency this winter while not losing much — if anything — at the No. 1 receiver position.
Nicks still hasn’t caught a touchdown this season, but the notion Randle could seamlessly take his place has all but disappeared right along with Randle himself the past four games.
Randle’s numbers in that stretch are as dismal as the 1-3 record the Giants posted that eliminated them from the playoffs for the second year in a row, culminating with him being held without a catch in last Sunday’s 23-0 home loss to the Seahawks. Randle has 37 catches for 571 yards overall, third-most on the team.
Now Randle’s problem with dropped passes (which teammate David Wilson even goaded him about on Twitter) have become magnified, Nicks is no longer a certain offseason departure and Coughlin seemingly wants to see Randle prove himself all over again in the final two games.
“Yeah, it’s a good opportunity,” Coughlin said of the impact of Cruz’s surgery on Randle. “That’s the only way to look at it, too. Be positive about it. I’m sure if Victor was right here with us, he’d tell you the same thing.”
The fact his coach still thinks he has a lot to prove in the final two games despite leading the team in touchdown catches isn’t lost on Randle, which explains why he isn’t giving himself high grades for 2013.
Asked how he feels he has played this season, Randle’s response was barely above a whisper.
“Just all right,” he said. “I would have liked to have done a lot more, but you’ve just got to try to get better and just finish out the season strong. I’m going to try to make some more plays, end on a good note and look forward to next year.”