Giants without Cam Skattebo: Silence is deafening
Cam Skattebo of the Giants celebrates his fourth-quarter touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 9. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Giants practice was a little quieter than usual on Wednesday. That was one of the things Jaxson Dart noticed. And he expects the volume may not be amped up to its usual 11 on Sunday, either.
Cam Skattebo isn’t around to provide the frantic screaming and howling that had become the energizing soundtrack to the team’s days. His repetitive Ric Flair-like outbursts and heavy metal screeches may have been distracting at first, but over time they became part of the sonic fabric. Just a few weeks ago one of Brian Daboll’s news conferences was interrupted by Skattebo’s bellowing and all the coach could do was shrug, apologize, and say: “It’s a daily thing.”
Not anymore. Not for the rest of this season anyway.
“It’ll be a little different without him out there yelling,” Dart said with a melancholy smile after the first full practice since his fellow rookie, locker room neighbor, and close pal suffered a catastrophic leg injury in Philadelphia on Sunday.
The Giants are fairly confident they can replace some if not all of Skattebo’s production. Running back is among their deepest positions. But even with guys in that spot who go by the nicknames of Motor and Turbo, the bigger challenge for the ballcarriers and the offense in general will be filling the emotional void that Skattebo leaves behind.
Skattebo was the battery in the pacemaker that kept the Giants thumping. The way he played, always looking for a defender to run over and a tackle to bust through, inspired the whole team. Heck, it seemed to inspire the whole city. His backflips after scoring touchdowns became a signature move. Nearly every handoff he accepted felt like a WWE ring entrance.
So the question facing the Giants this week is: Who’s gonna bring the woo’s?
“Something like that is not something you replace,” wide receiver Darius Slayton said. “Everybody is their own unique personality. You just have to try to find a way to collectively bring life the way he did.”
Said Dart: “Other guys have to pick it up. That’s just the name of it.”
If everyone ups their intensity just a little bit then it’ll work out? We know that’s not true.
We saw how deflated an offense can look when its soul is ripped from it last year when the rudderless Giants let Saquon Barkley walk in free agency.
Barkley had been the leader for years and his sudden absence made the Giants unwatchable. Skattebo doesn’t play at the same level as Barkley does, he doesn’t have the moves or jukes or athleticism the reigning Offensive Player of the Year puts on display. But Skattebo did have the same kind of drive and follow-me strobelight spirit that Barkley was known for. He had replaced that missing piece in the psyche of the team.
It's why his loss may be even more damaging to the team than that of Malik Nabers to a torn ACL last month. Nabers is a dynamic player but there were ways to spread the ball around without him on the field. Skattebo is a dynamic personality. That’s tougher to next-man-up.
“At first, when you have a young guy come in and they bring that sort of energy and they’re vocal, as an older guy, you're kind of like, ‘All right, young guy, relax,’” veteran guard Greg Van Roten said of Skattebo. “But he was genuine, and you appreciate that. He works hard and it's contagious, so he won guys over quick just with his work ethic. How he approaches the game of football is refreshing in a way, where it doesn't have to be all scheme and this and that. Sometimes you just run somebody over and that's good enough. We're going to miss that.”
Van Roten was quick to point out that Skattebo is still around. In fact he was at the facility on Wednesday, “wheeling around” the building as Daboll put it, and he even attending some meetings.
That should have been uplifting, as are reports that the running back should require just the one surgery he had in Philadelphia on Sunday night along with a reported prognosis that he’ll be back for spring workouts barring complications.
Instead, the Giants made it seem as if Skattebo’s presence was more of a downer, more of a visual reminder of what they had lost. Daboll was asked about Skattebo’s mindset and energy level upon his return to the team.
“With all due respect, this is the second day after his surgery,” Daboll said. “He's all wrapped up. . . . This is an unfortunate injury for all of us.”
Whether it was interpreted as bitter or sweet, or some combination of the two, few were surprised that Skattebo had already returned to the building. He’ll continue his rehab there for the time being, too.
“I think that’s going to just be how he is,” Dart said. “He’s going to hate sitting at home and whatnot so I’m sure he’ll be around here a lot. We’re going to see his face for sure.”
They just won’t hear his voice. Not at full throat at least.
With nine games left on a grind of a schedule and this season’s hopes and aspirations already pretty much petered out, the next few months may in fact be very quiet.
That could be the biggest loss of the year for these Giants.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
