EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Maybe Eric Gray is reading Big Blue View.
I suggested he was losing ground to Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Dante Miller in the battle for the running back positions behind Devin Singletary, and then left him with my latest 53-man roster prediction. The second-year running back put on a dominant performance in a New York Giants preseason game against the Detroit Lions on Thursday night.
Gray had a 48-yard touchdown run in which he outfoxed Detroit defensive back Morice Norris so hard that he lost his footing. That was certainly a relief for Gray, who took an unnecessary hit from Norris during their joint practice on Monday that sent his helmet flying.
Gray told me a few days ago that he needed to “be Eric Gray” again after a disappointing rookie season.
“I think last year I had to realize that at the end of the day, it’s just football,” Gray said. “Whether it’s punt return, whether it’s kick return, whether it’s offense, whatever it is, at the end of the day, it’s just football.”
“So this year I focused on just being Eric Gray. Being Eric Gray and focusing on football is the same thing I’ve been doing since I was four years old.”
He repeated this on Thursday evening.
“I just wanted to do my best,” he said. “Like I said, I just want to be Eric Gray; just be myself. Last year I made football more than it is. At the end of the day, it’s just football. I’m just being myself.”
All three young, untested running backs vying for roles behind starter Devin Singletary performed positively on Thursday night.
Tyrone Tracy rushed for 26 yards on five attempts (5.2 yards per attempt), including a 12-yard run. Dante “Turbo” Miller didn’t always have much help from his blocker in the second half, but showed his playmaking skills with a 19-yard run.
In the running back competition, however, Thursday was Gray’s night.
Let’s get physical
The joint training sessions with the Lions on Monday and Tuesday took place in scorching heat and predominantly sunny weather. The game on Thursday took place in rainy, cooler weather and temperatures around 15 degrees.
The conditions placed additional emphasis on running the ball and stopping the run. The Giants averaged 5.7 yards per rushing attempt (27 carries, 155 yards) and held Detroit to 30 carries for 118 yards (3.9 per attempt).
“I was proud of the fact that we controlled the line of scrimmage. We ran the football, which is what you have to do,” Daboll said. “Last year we had weather almost every game here, so it was good to have weather tonight. We fell behind a little on a couple of holding penalties, but had some space, ran hard and blocked force. (It was) a focus tonight to be able to run the football whether it was raining or not.”
The Lions bullied the Giants last year during joint practices in Detroit. Countering Detroit’s physicality was obviously a focus for the Giants during the two physical, combat-filled practices. That continued Thursday night.
“We’ve established the practice game. That’s what we need to do all season long,” Daboll said. “We need to continue to try to do that and establish a running game. Be a physical team. Different running schemes. That’s something that’s important to me as a playmaker. I think it’s important for our team to be physical and be able to do that.”
“We have to be a physical team.”
Why Malik Nabers played
I was surprised to see Nabers, the No. 6 overall rookie who looked like a star during training camp, play on Thursday. Conditions were wet and quarterback Daniel Jones didn’t play. Nor did Dexter Lawrence, Andrew Thomas, Kayvon Thibodeaux or Brian Burns.
So why did Nabers play three series?
“He’s a freshman,” Daboll said. “All the freshmen played. Almost all the sophomore guys played.”
Peculiarity at kickoff
On Thursday night, the Giants participated in a game with the new kickoff rule for the first time.
We saw a violation when Detroit kicker Jake Bates missed a kickoff and the ball hit the ground before reaching the landing zone, which is between the 20-yard line and the goal line. Isaiah McKenzie picked up the ball and was tackled inside the 5-yard line. However, since missing the landing zone is a penalty, the Giants got the ball at the 40-yard line.
Kickoffs may look weird and there may be things in the rules that need to be adjusted. But I think it’s great. The kickoff is now an active game and you can see the potential for big, game-winning returns.
That’s a good thing.
Daboll, the playmaker
We knew he would do it because he had been doing it since spring practice began, but Thursday was the first time we saw Daboll call plays during a game.
Daboll called the plays and there were several new coaches on the team, this was the first time the group worked together in a game.
“The coaches did a great job,” Daboll said. “I was pleased with the communication from the staff. Carm (Bricillo), TK (Tim Kelly) and Joel (Thomas) were there for the first time and they listened to the defensive linemen and the special teams players. I was pleased with the communication from all those guys.”
“I really liked Shane (DC Shane Bowen).”
Interesting clothes
Many Giants wear shirts with the letters DAWG, which stand for “discipline,” “attitude,” “will,” and “grit.”
On Thursday they presented sweatshirts with the inscription “Lead, follow or GTFOTW” for the first time.
I think there’s a message in there.
