They are almost the worst.
For years, Kyle Rudolph has been one of the best.
Hence the marriage of Rudolph and the Giants.
Of all the statistics, analysis and exploration of Rudolph’s efficiency for almost a decade, compared to a decline in the last two years, one number stands out above all others, with the new Giants. Of the 48 career receptions, 40 of them – 83.3% – came in the red zone. This force fits perfectly into the ditch of the Giants’ strongest weakness.
In 2020, the Giants had the NFL’s 31st offensive in the red zone conversion rate, scoring touchdowns on just 46.3% of their trips to their opponents’ 20-yard line. Rudolph’s record indicates that he will help increase the frequency that the Giants receive in the final zone, working in tandem with Evan Engram.
“Look at the red zone objectively,” Rudolph said Wednesday after signing the contract. “The terrain is condensed, there are smaller windows, tighter throws, but I think one of the things that has helped me throughout my career is to make contested catches. You won’t make a guy open schematically in the final area, you don’t see her very often. From time to time it is possible, but most of the time scoring the red zone is a bang-bang pass and requires trust from a defender. ”
Rudolph, 6 yards and 6, has been a three-time high school basketball player in Cincinnati and believes his ability on the field is about his NFL scoring skills.
“It’s really no different than climbing to get a recovery from the bottle,” he said.
Rudolph had six touchdown catches in 2019, but only one of 12 games last season. After an average of 63 receptions in a span of four years, Rudolph has managed only 39 and 28 catches in the last two years. His rapid offense number dropped with the arrival of Irv Smith as a tight target, and diminished production, insists Rudolph, 31, is not an indication of diminished ability.
“With the change in my role over the last few years, it wasn’t that I couldn’t run and catch balls, I was just doing more blocking things,” Rudolph said. “I am extremely competitive and I was forced to go one of two ways. I could have complained about that or I could have taken it as a challenge to improve that aspect of my game. ”