ARLINGTON, Texas — Last weekend, Da’Rel Scott admitted he “definitely was sweating’’ as the Giants went about their business and made their final cuts.
“Yeah,’’ Scott said. “You know my situation.’’
Yeah. Scott’s situation entering this summer could be considered tenuous, at best. As training camp morphed into preseason games, it looked as if Scott was on the outside looking in at the 53-man roster. David Wilson was in front of him. Andre Brown was in front of him. Ryan Torain was in front of him. Worst of all, rookie seventh-round pick Michael Cox had moved in front of him. The Giants weren’t going to keep more than four running backs, and Scott was No. 5 on the depth chart.
Brown fell by the wayside, again breaking a bone in his left leg — he did it for the first time last November — to put him out of commission for the first half of the season. Still, as cut-day arrived, the Giants could have jettisoned Scott and the next day signed someone off waivers. After all, up until the preseason finale in New England, Scott had not done much at all to convince anyone he deserved to stay around for a third year with the Giants.
“I had my family here to kind of keep my mind away from whether I got the call or not so I definitely had strong support from my family,’’ Scott said of how he endured the roster waiting game. “So I just had to keep praying and have my faith that I would be here on Monday.’’
Scott made the cut, as Torain was waived and the Giants, at least heading into Sunday night’s season-opener against the Cowboys, opted not to sign a running back. That move could come after the first game, when the contracts of vested veterans (players with four or more NFL seasons) are not guaranteed for the entire season.
In that last chance to make an impression, Scott got four rushing attempts and produced 25 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots. There is little doubt without a positive performance, Scott would not have survived the cuts.
“You know what he did? The three times in a row where we gave him the ball and then that slip screen, I thought he showed as much of a physical presence in his running game that you’d like to see,’’ offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. “You know he’s got the speed and you know if there’s a hole there, he’s going to exploit that and he’s got a chance, speed-wise, to go the distance, as he did a couple of years ago on that fake punt. No one’s going to catch him.
“It’s like David [Wilson]. When there isn’t a hole, can you make people miss, or can you break a tackle and run through? I thought he hit it with tremendous toughness. It was three plays in a row and they just jumped off the field at you. He’s been doing a good job, from the Pittsburgh game on, with catching the ball and blocking on third down. That’s been encouraging, but I think we were just waiting to see that … just show us something special as a running back. I thought he did.’’
It’s been a long wait. Scott was a 2011 seventh-round draft pick out of Maryland but in two seasons he’s battled injuries and inconsistency. He got only 11 rushing attempts and played in only 15 games. He’s got great speed, but has only sporadically flashed it.
Scott did not hit the ground running this summer, but as he waited for opportunities he did not get down on himself, or what seemed to be a desperate situation.
“My mind-set, I prepare myself like I’m going to play every game, whether I’m third, fourth in the rotation or whether I’m first or second,’’ Scott said. “I have to prepare the same way just because of the situation. I have to make sure I’m on top of it, make sure I prepare myself and just make sure they trust me in the game.’’
The plan going into the season was for Wilson to start in the backfield and for Brown to share much of the rushing load. That plan has been scrapped now that Brown is on injured reserve/designated to return in Week 10. The Giants realize they cannot wear Wilson into the ground and so, ready or not, Scott opened the season as the second option.
“We’d like to see David go maybe a little bit more than what we’ve done in the past,’’ Gilbride said. “Da’Rel is going to play. There’s no question about that and he’s going to have to play well for us. He’s going to be a big part of what we’re doing.’’