Why did Cam Skattebo have 0 carries? Harbaugh, RB give conflicting answers

Why did Cam Skattebo have 0 carries? Harbaugh, RB offer conflicting answers.

Key points

• The Giants' leading rusher played sparingly in a 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints and did not have a single carry.
• New York Giants coach John Harbaugh insisted he wasn't trying to send any sort of message to running back Cam Skattebo on Sunday.
• Mike Tomlin discusses new life in broadcasting, reaction to his viral Minecraft city.
• The four-man rotation in the backfield yielded six carries for Tyrone Tracy Jr.
• "I got punished for what I did (against Washington), " Skattebo remarked to journalists after the game.

Why did Cam Skattebo have 0 carries? Harbaugh, RB offer conflicting answers. Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz USA TODAY.

USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell caught up with former NFL head coach Mike Tomlin regarding his new gig as a broadcaster and the reaction to his viral Minecraft city.

New York Giants coach John Harbaugh insisted he wasn't trying to send any sort of message to running back Cam Skattebo on Sunday. Skattebo, nevertheless, had a markedly different takeaway.

For context, the Giants' leading rusher played sparingly in a 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints and did not have a single carry. With Skattebo having lost a fumble in overtime the previous week – his fourth in five contests – to shut down any chance of a win in New York's eventual 27-27 tie to the Washington Commanders, plenty of interpreted the sharp workload shift as an intentional and perhaps punitive action. But Harbaugh remarked the move had no such subtext.

"It was not by design, " Harbaugh remarked in a postgame news conference. "All those guys were taking equal reps in the first half. We were trying to see who could create something happen, kind of secure the hot hand. Nobody's really taken the bull by the horns." Yet Skattebo seemed to contradict his coach with his own interpretation.

"I got punished for what I did (against Washington), " Skattebo remarked to journalists after the game. "I understand it, so I gotta be ready when coach calls my name, and that wasn't today."

For context, the four-man rotation in the backfield yielded six carries for Tyrone Tracy Jr. And four apiece for Devin Singletary and Najee Harris. Backup quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who took over for fill-in starter Jameis Winston in the fourth quarter, led the team with 26 yards on two carries.

According to Harbaugh, opportunities for Skattebo were further diminished in the second half, when New York looked more toward all-purpose threats in the backfield as Saints built a 34-10 lead.

"When he was in there, we just didn't call any runs, " Harbaugh remarked. "So we're not thinking about which back is in the game and how many runs they're getting."

Skattebo remarked he was prepared for a diminished role based on discussions with the coaching staff this week, but he acknowledged he "didn't expect to have zero (carries)."

"It's hard, but I've made mistakes, and I got to own up to them, " Skattebo remarked to journalists. "If that's what they want to do – keep me on the sidelines – since of that, I totally understand. I can't mistakes at this level of this game, and when you create mistakes like that, consequences are to be produced." SMS Facebook Twitter Email. Share your feedback to support improve our site! Share your feedback to support improve our site!

In short, why did Cam Skattebo have 0 carries? Harbaugh, RB give conflicting answers is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.