Cam Skattebo got back on the field Thursday and gave the Giants two touchdowns. The touch I’d take into the Jacksonville game is the one he caught. New York has a back who can turn an ordinary completion into a first down without making the quarterback wait for a route to open downfield. I’d call that throw on purpose.
Skattebo had 18 carries for 78 yards in the 24-21 loss to Washington. He also caught three balls for 44 yards, with 34 coming on the longest reception of his career. He’d missed the Philadelphia game with a hamstring injury. After seeing him play, I’d focus less on his carry count and more on which touches give the offense something it couldn’t get from a standard handoff.
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Four days earlier, Devin Singletary had 21 carries for 31 yards in Philadelphia. That’s not a clean comparison of the backs. The fronts were different, and John Harbaugh liked the offensive line’s run blocking better against Washington. Still, those two games show what happens when the offense asks its back to get every useful yard between the tackles. If the front holds the line, there isn’t much room left to change the result.
Put Skattebo in the flat on second-and-medium. Have him show the same path he would take on a handoff before he turns upfield. The read for the quarterback can be simple: if the linebacker steps forward and turns his shoulders toward the run, throw outside him. If he follows the back immediately, run the ball or work the space he left. New York doesn’t need the catch to go for 34 again. Catching it on the move can turn second-and-six into third-and-one.
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I’d use a screen as the alternative if the pass rush gets upfield or the edge defender keeps looking inside. Make it a called play with blockers out front, rather than a late throw after the first two reads are covered. If Jacksonville stays patient and refuses to chase, go back to the run. The short pass shouldn’t become a rule that takes a good handoff out of the plan.
The offense can change the picture without changing personnel. Keep the same tight end and receivers on the field, leave the back at his normal depth and make both plays look the same for the first two steps. Substituting for an obvious passing group would give away the one thing the Giants are trying to buy: a defender taking a step in the wrong direction.
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Two shorter catches totaling 10 yards are part of Thursday’s result, too. The long one is evidence of what he can do once he has room, not proof he’ll routinely find it. The first test I’d set is whether he can force a linebacker to respect the route on a normal second down. Once the defense has to do that, it gets harder to crowd the box and play the rest of the offense the same way.
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