Cam Skattebo admitted this week that he seriously considered walking away from football after his season-ending injury as a Giants rookie. The physical toll and mental grind pushed the young running back to the edge before he decided to fight back.
Skattebo tore up his ankle in a way that required multiple surgeries and a rehab that stretched most of the offseason. He said the pain and the isolation made him question whether the sport was worth it.
That is a candid admission that you rarely hear from a young player still trying to build his brand. It also tells you how brutal this game can be even on players who look built to survive it.
The Giants need Skattebo to be right this year. Their run game was inconsistent last season and they invested a Day 2 pick in him because they believed he could be a workhorse. Losing him for the rookie year hurt more than New York publicly admitted.
Now Skattebo is healthy and reporting to camp with a chip on his shoulder. He said he wants to prove that the injury did not steal what made him a fan favorite at Arizona State.
The Giants offensive line is still a work in progress, and Malik Nabers is the only true weapon on the passing side. A functional Skattebo makes life easier for the young quarterback situation and gives the offense a real identity.
The Skattebo story is also a reminder that the running back position is more punishing than ever. Multiple young backs have hit the wall physically in their first two seasons in this era of nonstop training and shorter offseasons.
New York fans should be rooting for him not just because they need production, but because his story is the kind of thing that makes fans fall in love with a player. A back who nearly walked away and came back swinging is exactly the type of guy you want touching the ball 20 times a game.
The season opens soon. If Skattebo is anywhere close to his college self, the Giants offense will look very different very quickly.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
