Cam Skattebo hints at difference coaching makes for the Giants

Cam Skattebo has straightforward take on John Harbaugh's impact

Giants running back Cam Skattebo had a strange but very productive day. He recorded 100 all-purpose yards (60 yards rushing and 40 yards receiving), but scored no touchdowns. The offense overall never quite came together, as it got into the red zone multiple times but couldn't find the end zone. 

On their second possession of the 2nd quarter, the Giants ground their way to within five yards of the end zone and ran a wildcat play with a direct snap to Skattebo. The trick play was blown up for a seven-yard loss and ended in one of the four field goals rookie kicker Dominic Zavda made. 

Last season, a strange decision like that would have been seen as one of the many mistakes that led to a late collapse. But this year feels a little different, even after losing Skattebo's best friend, quarterback Jaxson Dart, to season-ending knee surgery.

"That was a great win, you know, a year ago we lost that game 100%, and this year we were able to pull through," Skattebo said. "As [the Titans] kept driving and there was 15-seconds on the clock, the crowd was silent, and that is the biggest moment of the game. I know you want to watch the game and see what's going to happen, but we need the crowd as loud as possible. If they can't even snap the ball, they have no chance of winning. So I was just trying to give energy to the crowd, get them going a little bit, and I think this crowd has a lot more in them towards the end of the game. Especially in a rainy game like this, if we have energy and we make home-field advantage, home-field advanatge, we got a real shot at this."

A year ago, the Giants were just talking about getting better and salvaging a lost season. A year ago, the Giants were dropping double-digit leads and unable to field a reliable kicker. A year ago, an ugly game would be even uglier in the loss column.

This year, despite a long, uncertain road ahead, the Giants are playing with belief in themselves and the organization. The reason for that? All it takes is one good change at head coach.