The New York Giants are aiming to have a smashing running game this season under new head coach John Harbaugh and special offensive assistant Greg Roman.
This week, they signed former Baltimore Ravens tough guy, fullback Patrick Ricard, to help clear the way for the running backs and to give quarterback Jaxson Dart an extra layer of security.
One of the players Ricard will block for is second-year running back Cam Skattebo, no stranger to smashmouth football himself, who said recently he is about “75 percent” done with his rehab from a serious ankle injury he suffered last year.
“I could get away from like a baby hippo, maybe, that’s about it,” Skattebo joked on The Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday. “But yeah, it’s up to a little bit over a jog — kind of just striding out, not exploding and getting into that part of the game yet, but the jog and the striding to this point.”
Skattebo knows he is in for a huge year if he can just get back to the form that made him a folk hero as a rookie in 2025. Harbaugh, Roman, and Ricard are all ready to pave the way.
“He sees the way I play the game, and he told me he respects the way I run the ball — the offense he’s implementing is obviously downhill running, and I think it’s perfect for the type of back that I am,” Skattebo said of Harbaugh. “Obviously, they had Derrick Henry in Baltimore, but if they didn’t have a running back, I wouldn’t be surprised if they came and got me — so I’m glad that he’s here and I’m a part of this because it’s going to be fun.”
Ricard also can’t wait to get started.
“I loved watching him (Skattebo) last year, and I was just thinking to myself, I’m like, man, that guy has a lot of fun. And you can just tell by how he plays and the juice he brings to the team,” Ricard told reporters on Thursday.
“I’ve had a couple conversations with him. He was recruiting me to come here. I’m close with (tackle) Jermaine Eluemunor, both in the same draft class in Baltimore. Jermaine was FaceTiming me, and right in the background, there’s Skatt just saying what’s up to me. So, I’m excited to work with them and get to know him more.”
Asked what a Ricard/Skattebo combo will look like, the six-time Pro Bowler was frank.
“It’s going to look like a lot of yards and a lot of touchdowns,” Ricard said. “It’s going to be just physicality all over the place. It’s going to just be exactly what the people want to see.”
Now, after hearing that, everyone’s excited.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants’ Cam Skattebo on recovery: ‘Could get away from a baby hippo’
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
