Nick Gates Makes Triumphant Return to Field Following Gruesome Leg Injury

New York Giants offensive lineman Nick Gates waited for an eternity for that special moment.

Eventually, his patience, which at times was sorely tested, paid off. That special moment--his triumphant return to the field a little more than a year after suffering a horrific broken leg that required seven surgeries, came in the Giants' Week 8 game against Seattle.

“It definitely feels good. Good fun to get back out there with the team and be out there with the guys," said Gates, who played five snaps on offense and three on special teams after being activated last week from the PUP list. 

"It sucks we lost, but it was a little moral victory for me.” 

Gates, a team captain last year, was on the field for the Giants' lone touchdown of the game and threw a key block with his signature nastiness and efficiency. After the score was official, he was on his back, waving his arms and legs in the air in excitement, his family cheering him on from the stands.

"Yeah, cool moment, just to see him suit up and run back out there today, and knowing what he's been through, knowing what he had to overcome, really not that long ago, a little over a year from now," said quarterback Daniel Jones, who is close friends with Gates. "So much respect for him and how hard he's worked, and it's cool to see that and see him out there today. He played well."

Head coach Brian Daboll agreed. 

"It's special, coming back from the injury, well-documented," he said. "Just want to be part of the team and do what he can. He's a great young guy to work with, and I wish we could have had a different outcome today." 

Gates came into the Week 8 contest unsure of how many snaps he would get but ready nonetheless for whatever was asked of him. 

"I knew I was going to get some on field goal or go in for heavy type stuff, but I was just going in there open-minded because I didn’t know how many I was going to get,” he said.

But like the leader he's always been, Gates tempered his triumph given that the team lost. So when asked what the goal was for the team moving forward, he said, "Keep winning after this. We’ll get this bye week and get our studying in. We need to correct some stuff and try to get the win the next week.”