Moments with quirky Giants rookie Cam Skattebo

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – It was a Friday afternoon. The New York Giants were winless after two weeks and coach Brian Daboll was in the middle of his usual Friday press conference before his team played its home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.

A reporter was asking Daboll a question when rookie running back Cam Skattebo, football’s version of the Tasmanian Devil, walked behind the media group. Skattebo stopped, smiled and waved sarcastically at Daboll from behind the row of cameras.

Daboll closed his eyes, smiled and shook his head. He had lost his train of thought.

“Sorry, Skattebo,” Daboll said as if this type of humorous interaction were common. “Can you repeat (this question), please.”

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At that point, all anyone at the Quest Diagnostic Training Center could hear was Skattebo’s unmistakable call.

“Wooooooooooooo!” the rookie shouted as he ran onto the field.

This is Cam Skattebo, the Giants’ energetic and unique fourth-round pick who never seems to speak with an inner voice and who had a habit of running into telephone poles as a young child. He sprints onto the field with the enthusiasm of a 10-year-old given carte blanche in a candy store.

This was his routine when he took the field at training camp. This carried over into the regular season.

“It’s a daily thing,” Daboll said as this all unfolded several weeks ago.

Skattebo still wasn’t finished.

“Wooooooooooooo!” » he shouted again a few moments later.

“Let’s fucking go!” he added.

That’s the type of energy Skattebo brings to the team, both in the building and on the field.

Skattebo and rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart have added a new element to the Giants, who enter Thursday night’s game against the rival Philadelphia Eagles (8:15 p.m. ET, Fox) after a tough loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. After Skattebo and his new quarterback had solid games in Dart’s first start, a surprise win over the Los Angeles Chargers, last week was a reality check. Dart had three turnovers and Skattebo’s fumble in the red zone was returned for a touchdown in the 26-14 loss to the Saints.

But these are the players the Giants are counting on to lead them offensively. Dart was a first-round draft pick out of Ole Miss. Skattebo was a Heisman Trophy finalist who proved doubters wrong everywhere from Northern California High School to Sacramento State to Arizona State before falling in the fourth round. Their youthful exuberance gives the team a different feel.

“(Skattebo) likes it almost all the time,” Daboll said after the press conference was interrupted.

This is who Skattebo is as a player and teammate. This is evident from the stories told by his teammates and parents:

Becky Skattebo, mother:

“Cam was always able to figure out how to get up, no matter what. punishment he inflicted on his own body and on everyone else. “

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Léo Skattebo, dad

“So you just see the football part. He’s not like that in his personal life. He’s very calm, (has) a very calm demeanor in his personal life with us. But anything that comes with competitiveness like video games or basketball or football, that’s where the intensity comes in. It’s like a switch that he turns on because if he’s not playing or doing something, he’s the most laid back kid ever. I didn’t tell him never asked, but it’s just nice. weird. passes between the lines and he activates a kind of competitiveness, then his energy changes.

“When he was little, he didn’t really have an outgoing personality with the team because he was always the best player. So he didn’t need to motivate the kids. The kids were just drawn to him and they fed off him and then relied on him. I think the openness started maybe at ASU because I don’t think he was crazy at (Sacramento) State either. I think ASU when he joined (Coach Kenny) Dillingham and this environment. somehow he opened up his personality more, I think in the locker room then practice.

“He was always tough. So when he was younger, he got in a lot of trouble with the refs and stuff because he hit too hard. You’d get flags because, oh, he must have done something wrong because the other kid was laying on his back. His personality was always the kind of person who would throw all his energy at someone. And it’s been like that since day one. He never shied away from that at all.”

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QB Jaxson Dart, close friend and fellow rookie:

“Skatt is someone who doesn’t care where he is or who he is. He just acts himself. I think that’s something people try to understand at first when you don’t really know a guy. But when you understand that it’s genuine, you find out what kind of friend he is, what kind of teammate he is. He’ll do whatever it takes to win. It’s something guys really rally around. He’s a spark.

“The first time we met, we said three words to each other and headbutted each other. It was kind of like the beginning of our relationship. When we first got here to the Giants facility and we met for the first time. We got to spend more time on the plane for the NFLPA rookie premiere and they put us right next to each other. Obviously we’re still getting to know each other. fell asleep on the plane and woke up with this guy. getting wet and trying to put food on my face while I sleep. It’s sort of an accurate representation. It’s 100% (who he is).”

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Quarterback Jameis Winston:

“When he got drafted, he sent me a picture of himself eating a ‘W’ (Winston’s signature) and said, ‘Let’s go!!!’ The same day he was drafted. I was like, ‘Dude, I love you.’ He’s incredible. And I always admired him at Arizona State. Just seeing that made him eat at Arizona State. I knew he was wild.”

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Gunner WR/KR Olszewski:

“He blurts out anything. You don’t know, sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad. But it’s always loud. It’s pretty much (in) any meeting we have. He’s going to say something. He’s learning, though. He’s great. He’s as genuine as they come. He’s really an idiot. (Reserved) is not in his wheelhouse. He doesn’t know where he stands. Most rookies when they come into the league for the first time say: ‘Oh my god, it’s the NFL.’ For him, it’s just another day of football.”

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RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.:

“Everyone tells me, brother, take your turn. I’m like, ‘Brother, what do you want me to do? Tell him to shut up?’ He’s still screaming. He is very noisy. We’ll be in a meeting and Skatt asks a question – he just shouts it. He may be wrong, but he will shout it and everyone will look at him. Me. I’m like, ‘Brother, what do you want me to do?’ There’s nothing crazy about it. It’s like he’s still screaming. Whether it’s yelling stuff in the meeting room or just yelling when he goes out to practice or something like that. He’s just very noisy. I think if you paid him to shut up for a day, he wouldn’t be able to do it. That’s what I think.”

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Running back Dante Miller:

“I’ve never seen anyone chew seeds harder. He eats hard. He does everything loud. It’s quiet (in the meeting room) and he’s munching seeds and I’m like, this isn’t normal.

“What’s a crazy cartoon character? That’s a really, really good comparison. Like the Tasmanian devil. I like that. But he chews his seeds really hard.”

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TE Daniel Bellinger:

“Zero filter. The first time in a special teams meeting, he asks what is our job? Our job is to play with speed, to get the ball down. And this animal just says, ‘Physical!’ And it just didn’t make sense. (He) just shouts things. No filter at all. Whether it’s good or bad, he’ll just shout it. That’s Skatt for you. I mean, I’ve had a few characters. I feel like (Sterling Shepard) was pretty wild. Some of these guys, Ihmir (Smith-Marsette), are a little wild. But this guy is one of a kind. No filter.

“The first time I met him, we were in the sauna and then we were going into the ice bath and we were sitting there in the ice bath and this guy, right when we walk in, just starts screaming. He’s like, ‘Ahhhhhhhh! I’m like, ‘Are you okay?’ This guy is a little different. And I’ve never met another teammate like him.”

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WR Jalin Hyatt:

“We’re looking at (his big block in the first game) and we’re really trying to teach him to keep his head up, so he doesn’t get fined or anything. But it’s hard to do with him. He’s a running back, you know what I mean? He sees anybody, he wants to run through them. So it’s hard to tell a running back to keep his head up. We’re trying. It might take a while.”

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LB Bobby Okereke, defensive captain

“I love it. As a young player, that’s how you build a good team. You have veteran leadership and presence and young energy. He definitely brings it. He breaks up the huddle. He hoots and yells and gives energy to the guys. And from a physical standpoint, he brings it.”