Last year at this time, there were many questions surrounding the New York Giants’ offensive backfield. The team had just moved off of Saquon Barkley, and the public backlash was still fresh.
Who would fill Barkley’s shoes? Devin Singletary, the former Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans standout who was a part-time player? Or would it be the rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr., a former college wide receiver turned running back?
The answer, of course, is no one could fill Barkley’s shoes, but Singletary and Tracy didn’t exactly embarrass themselves, either. The Giants, who played from behind all year, still managed to average 4.2 yards per attempt on the ground.
But it was the late surge by Tracy that gave them hope that their backfield had a future. He played in all 17 games, totalling 1,123 yards from scrimmage with six touchdowns, and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
This year, Tracy won’t surprise anyone. He is being considered one of the NFL’s best all-around backs and has great support from Singletary and, hopefully, rookie Cam Skattebo. He also knows what to expect and is prepared to meet the challenge. He is seeing the team’s offense transforming before his eyes.
“There’s a lot of confidence going around. I feel like it’s a different energy,” Tracy told reporters on Monday. “I feel like we’ve been saying this the whole offseason; it’s a different energy in the locker room. It’s a different energy on the team. But at the same time, none of that really matters if we don’t go out there and do it.
“But it also starts in practice. Confidence is built off of your practice habits that you do every single day. So that you go out there on Sunday and let it rip and play fast. At least for me personally. I can’t really speak for everybody else, but for me personally, the things that I do throughout the week will allow me to go out there on Sunday and just play free. Be very confident with my skill set and the way that I prepare. Because if I do it the right way, you can go out there and just be a baller.”
Of course, a completely upgraded quarterback room has a lot to do with that confidence level being raised. 10-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson, backed by battle-tested veteran Jameis Winston, alone makes the Giants a better team. Then there’s the addition of first-round pick Jaxson Dart, who has given out signals that he’s the future of the franchise.
The Giants scored 107 points in their three preseason games without many of their key players on the field for any considerable amount of time. Tracy is aware of the improvements on offense but is keeping his expectations tempered.
“We don’t try to put too much into the preseason like you said, because it’s preseason, but at the same time, I think it kind of gives us the confidence to know that we can do it, because we’ve done it in the preseason,” he said. “The players that we have, our skillset, the O-line, the quarterback, running back, receivers, whoever we have on our team, it’s enough.
“We don’t have to go out and do anything extra. You’ve just got to go out there and be yourself. I think that’s what really reassured us throughout the offseason, and then obviously the work that we put in. We’re doing the right things, but we just have to make sure that we’re doing it at a consistent level when the games get here.”
On a personal level, Tracy was asked if there was anything more dominant in his mind than inflicting his will on the opponent through the running game.
“No. I think that that’s my mindset. Inflicting my will, running the ball until we can’t,” he said. “And then when you try to stop it, we throw it. I think that’s my mindset, personally… Inflicting your will on someone over and over again until they quit. I think that’s the definition when you’re talking about football.”
The vibe is the same up and down the roster. We could be looking at a whole new brand of Giants football this year.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants’ Tyrone Tracy Jr. ready to inflict his will on opponents: ‘Until they quit’
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
