They love watching Cam Skattebo run, they love cheering him with “Booo.”
And fellow rookie Jaxson Dart loves handing his kindred spirit the football.
“I just think that we play very similar, like, mentality-wise,” Dart said after Giants 21, Chargers 18. “I need to be smarter in the open field taking some hits and whatnot, but when you have a guy like that who just kinda brings the juice every single day and gives it his all, the guys around him want to play harder. And off the field we just have a really cool connection.”
Skattebo (25 rushing attempts for 79 yards, two receptions for 11 yards receiving) couldn’t get in the end zone on three tries on three separate drives but he has become a fan favorite for his reckless disregard for his body.
Daboll, asked about Skattebo, asked: “What did he have?”
“79,” he was informed.
“Well, I’d just say that the run game was important, control the game,” Daboll said. “We can do better at it, too. Again, that’s a tough defense, they’re 3-0 for a reason. They were one of the better teams in the red zone for a reason, they showed that.”
Skattebo, a fourth-round draft choice out of Arizona State, was outshined by Chargers first-round pick Omarion Hampton (128 yards rushing, one rushing touchdown, five receptions for 37 yards).
Skattebo considered himself the best back in college football a year ago, and Daboll has a similar fondness for him as he does Dart.
“That’s a good player,” Jim Harbaugh said. “It was a big challenge. He did good.”
Skattebo reminds you of a 219-pound version of Ahmad Bradshaw. Some have called him a mini-John Riggins.
“Tough, as usual,” Andrew Thomas said. “That’s just how he is. He brings that juice to our offense.”
Expect more No. 44 jerseys at MetLife from here on.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
