NY Giants Hope They've Found Their Next 'Power Duo'at Running Back

The history of the New York Giants has seen its share of “power duos” at running backs– Joe Morris and Maurice Carthon (1986), Ottis Anderson and Rodey Hampton (1990), Tiki Barber and Ron Dayne (2000), and Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw (2008) all come to mind.

So, after a hiatus of sorts in which the Giants' running game was for about six seasons the Saquon Barkley show, New York is going back to what they hope will be their newest power duo in second-year man Tyrone Tracy, Jr., and rookie Cam Skattebo.  

The pairing, which is still a work in progress, is intriguing. Tracy is the slippery one–think in terms of Barber or Bradshaw–while Skattebo is the thumper like Jacobs and Dayne were in their days.

The two complement each other well, but at the same time, they do enough things on an equal level that when one is on the field over the other, it’s not a dead giveaway as to what’s possibly coming. 

“He can do anything, just like I can do anything,” Tracy said. “So, it’s a really good addition to our running back room because when you add a player like that, that can give that power element–not necessarily saying we didn't have it last year, but when you watch his film, you can see it on film what he's bringing to the table. So, when you add that, it puts emphasis on it in our room.”

It’s important to remember that both players are still fine-tuning their crafts. Tracy, who converted to running back from receiver when he got to Purdue, is still picking up little intricacies that will eventually elevate his game, while Skattebo is learning that while he certainly talented enough to be in the NFL, the competition is at a whole other level requiring some additional fine-tuning of his game if he’s to find success.