Eric Gray’s Revenge game came at a great time for his career.
Gray started his second NFL season by recording two touchdowns and 98 total scrimmage yards in the first half of the Giants’ 14-3 win over the Lions in their preseason opener Thursday at MetLife Stadium.
“Last year I felt like I made the game a bit more than it should have been,” Gray said. “Today just showed what kind of person Eric Gray is.”
The highlight for Gray was a 48-yard touchdown run that included a hidden “retribution” backstory.
Three days before the game, during the first of the teams’ two practice sessions, Gray was hit hard enough by undrafted rookie Morris Norris to knock off his cleats and send Gray’s helmet flying in pieces in what some Giants players considered a dirty play.
Starting running back Devin Singletary described it as a “kill shot” and said earlier this week that Norris “hit it far.”
Speaking for the first time since then, Gray acknowledged that was problematic.
“That’s true,” Gray said. “We don’t do that in practice.”
As time ticked down, Gray broke the line of scrimmage, got Norris in his sights and charged into an open space.
He took a step to his right and then cut back to his left, causing Norris to slide to the ground and lose position, going 48 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
“It was kind of a payback thing,” Gray said. “I was like, ‘You want to do that? Come on, let’s do it.'”
Attach and instantly highlight messages.
“That’s my Eric Gray,” Gray said. “I’ve got to get back to that Eric Gray.”
Norris didn’t make any friends with the Giants, and he also punched receiver Gunner Olszewski in the helmet after the whistle during the second practice.
Norris lost his cool, prompting an infuriated Lions coach to send him to the sideline.
Gray never missed a game, which is good for the stability of his roster.
Gray had a slow start to camp and needed a boost with rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. making an early case to be the top backup to Singletary in the Giants’ first backfield since Saquon Barkley’s departure.
But the bigger surprise was when undrafted rookie Dante Miller (who spent the majority of his career at Columbia) showed the explosiveness that earned him the nickname “Turbo” to challenge Gray for the No. 3 running back spot.
Whether Gray’s roster spot is truly in jeopardy is up for debate, given that from a business standpoint, he is a 2023 fifth-round draft pick and is in the second year of a four-year contract.
But Gray’s rookie year was marred by fumble issues while being forced into the punt returner role and an injury that limited him to missing four games and just 23 touches from scrimmage.
“It’s a new season,” coach Brian Daboll said, “and I think everybody’s going to have a bit more confidence once they’ve had a season as rookies.”
Gray sprinted between the tackles from the 1-yard line and into the end zone for his fourth score.
