Post by EddieNYG on Oct 20, 2022 15:18:29 GMT -5
NJ.Com | Amid injuries, Giants’ Kadarius Toney cracks back at critics: ‘I’m going to be who I originally was’ - Darryl Slater (10/20/22)
Kadarius Toney still thinks he can be a dominant player — even if fewer and fewer outside observers believe that.
Toney on Thursday emphasized his confident mindset and brushed off critics, even as he likely will miss yet another game Sunday, when the 5-1 Giants visit the Jaguars.
Toney, a second-year wide receiver, is dealing with a hamstring injury and has missed the past four games. If he doesn’t play Sunday, that will mean he has missed 12 of 24 possible games since the Giants drafted him 20th overall last year.
Still, his confidence isn’t wavering.
“I mean, why would I doubt myself?” he said. “I know what I can do and what I can’t do. Everybody lets one downfall or one mishap determine the outcome of how they feel. I really don’t care for that. I’m here to do one job. I’m here to play and be the best I can be. I’m not here for all that. Come on.
“I feel like I’m going to be who I originally was.”
Toney missed seven games last year as a rookie and had modest stats — 39 catches for 420 yards. In two games this season, he has played just 35 snaps and has two catches for zero yards. He has yet to score an NFL touchdown.
Some Giants fans already view him as a first-round bust. Toney, as you might imagine, disagrees with the criticism he has received on social media.
“I don’t care nothing about that,” he said.
Yet he often posts social media comments that very clearly respond to the criticism.
“Man, I can post what I want, man,” he said. “What [are] you talking about?”
So do the criticism and doubts fuel or anger him?
“I really don’t care,” he said. “I’ve been going against the odds all my life. Why would it be different now?”
Toney on Thursday emphasized his confident mindset and brushed off critics, even as he likely will miss yet another game Sunday, when the 5-1 Giants visit the Jaguars.
Toney, a second-year wide receiver, is dealing with a hamstring injury and has missed the past four games. If he doesn’t play Sunday, that will mean he has missed 12 of 24 possible games since the Giants drafted him 20th overall last year.
Still, his confidence isn’t wavering.
“I mean, why would I doubt myself?” he said. “I know what I can do and what I can’t do. Everybody lets one downfall or one mishap determine the outcome of how they feel. I really don’t care for that. I’m here to do one job. I’m here to play and be the best I can be. I’m not here for all that. Come on.
“I feel like I’m going to be who I originally was.”
Toney missed seven games last year as a rookie and had modest stats — 39 catches for 420 yards. In two games this season, he has played just 35 snaps and has two catches for zero yards. He has yet to score an NFL touchdown.
Some Giants fans already view him as a first-round bust. Toney, as you might imagine, disagrees with the criticism he has received on social media.
“I don’t care nothing about that,” he said.
Yet he often posts social media comments that very clearly respond to the criticism.
“Man, I can post what I want, man,” he said. “What [are] you talking about?”
So do the criticism and doubts fuel or anger him?
“I really don’t care,” he said. “I’ve been going against the odds all my life. Why would it be different now?”
Toney dealt with a hamstring injury to one leg during training camp. Then he re-injured that hamstring earlier this season. And he suffered a new hamstring injury, to the opposite leg, leading up to the Giants’ Week 5 game against the Packers in London. He didn’t make that trip.
So why do hamstring injuries keep happening to him?
“When you go hard, stuff happens,” he said with a dismissive laugh. “I don’t know what else to tell you. What [do] you mean?”
Is there anything he can do to prevent hamstring injuries in the future?
“I mean, nah, not really,” Toney said. “If you ask anybody — the best doctor or whatever — hamstrings are very tricky. So if you feel like your hamstring is better, it might not be. You know what I’m saying? You never know. It’s just all about how you feel, I guess you could say. I don’t know.”
So why do hamstring injuries keep happening to him?
“When you go hard, stuff happens,” he said with a dismissive laugh. “I don’t know what else to tell you. What [do] you mean?”
Is there anything he can do to prevent hamstring injuries in the future?
“I mean, nah, not really,” Toney said. “If you ask anybody — the best doctor or whatever — hamstrings are very tricky. So if you feel like your hamstring is better, it might not be. You know what I’m saying? You never know. It’s just all about how you feel, I guess you could say. I don’t know.”
Toney believes he “probably” came back too quickly from his initial hamstring issue.
“I mean, that’s probably why I re-injured myself,” he said. “It kind of makes sense.”
So will he be more cautious now and try to avoid rushing back from this injury?
“I mean, clearly,” he said.
As for how he’s feeling now, Toney declined to put a percentage on the health of his hamstring, though he did say he is back to sprinting and cutting.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know no percentage. I didn’t know your body had percentage or anything like that.”
He also declined to speculate on when he might return to game action. (Considering he has yet to practice this week, it surely won’t be Sunday.)
“I mean, that’s probably why I re-injured myself,” he said. “It kind of makes sense.”
So will he be more cautious now and try to avoid rushing back from this injury?
“I mean, clearly,” he said.
As for how he’s feeling now, Toney declined to put a percentage on the health of his hamstring, though he did say he is back to sprinting and cutting.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know no percentage. I didn’t know your body had percentage or anything like that.”
He also declined to speculate on when he might return to game action. (Considering he has yet to practice this week, it surely won’t be Sunday.)
“Right now, I’m just focusing on getting better day by day,” he said. “I’m not an information giver.”
Still, he offered plenty of opinions Thursday — as well as insight into whether these continued injuries are frustrating him. (They apparently aren’t.)
“I’m just getting better now,” he said. “No frustration here. I feel pretty good. Getting better day by day. Ready to be out there when I can.”
He was asked how he sustained this latest hamstring injury.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Running.”
He was even more succinct when asked if he is worried that all these injuries might be too much for him to overcome, as he tries to become a productive NFL player.
“No,” he said. Continue Reading...
Still, he offered plenty of opinions Thursday — as well as insight into whether these continued injuries are frustrating him. (They apparently aren’t.)
“I’m just getting better now,” he said. “No frustration here. I feel pretty good. Getting better day by day. Ready to be out there when I can.”
He was asked how he sustained this latest hamstring injury.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Running.”
He was even more succinct when asked if he is worried that all these injuries might be too much for him to overcome, as he tries to become a productive NFL player.
“No,” he said. Continue Reading...