The cheers for Cam Skattebo aren’t limited to one New York area arena. Already a favorite of Giants fans at MetLife Stadium, the rookie running back received a big ovation Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden during the Knicks-Cavaliers season opener.

“It was awesome,” Skattebo said. “I felt like I was welcomed in and taken in by everybody.” Skattebo was even seen flexing under the basket after an OG Anunoby dunk.

“The Knicks game was crazy,” Skattebo added. “We need that atmosphere in our football stadium.”

### Facing Hostile Territory in Philadelphia

One place that Skattebo won’t feel the love is Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. Eagles fans are notorious for their hostility.

“I’m a thick-minded, thick-souled, thick-blooded person,” Skattebo said. “I’m excited to see how different it actually is. I’m not too worried about the fan system bothering me in any way.”

Skattebo acknowledged the inevitable trash talk from opponents’ fans but offered a nuanced take on the Philly crowd.

“You’re always going to hear people talk crap. If they do it better than others, props to them, but there is a respect level at some point. I’ve heard Philly has no respect when it comes to the stadium. It’s crazy — people drinking beers and having fun, trying to have a good time, and team win or lose you’re either talking crap that we suck or talking crap that your team sucks. It’s just the way football goes.”

### Injury Updates and Player Availability

Wide receiver Malik Nabers, who tore his ACL on September 29, still has not undergone surgery.

“Down the line here,” head coach Brian Daboll remarked about Nabers’ status. Nabers has been spotted at various events on crutches since his injury. The delay in surgery could mean a delay in his rehab and recovery.

“More common to wait a month for swelling to subside,” explained Dr. David Chao, former team doctor for the Chargers and founder of SICscore.com, on X. “Although sometimes athletes have immediate surgery to beat the swelling to get a jump on next year.”

Several players did not practice recently, including cornerback Paulson Adebo (knee), outside linebacker Brian Burns (hip), defensive tackle D.J. Davidson (ankle), defensive lineman Chauncey Golston (neck), and safety Jevon Holland (knee).

Burns remains adamant about playing, but there is growing concern about whether the secondary will be fully intact.

Others were limited in practice, including wide receiver Darius Slayton (hamstring), tight end Daniel Bellinger (neck), linebacker Swayze Bozeman (ankle), right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (knee), and linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (hamstring).

On a positive note, quarterback Jaxson Dart (ankle), kicker Graham Gano (groin), and center John Michael Schmitz (concussion) participated fully in practice. Schmitz still needs to be cleared by an independent neurologist before returning.

### Controversial Play Call Draws Criticism

Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka recently defended his decision to call a max-protection pass instead of a run on third-and-5 with less than five minutes remaining against the Broncos — a play that resulted in a costly interception deep in Giants’ territory.

“Those decisions always come down to just your confidence level in the quarterback and in the players,” Kafka said. “And I have a tremendous amount of confidence in Jaxson and the ability to put the ball in his hands in certain situations, whether it’s third down, whether it’s fourth down.”

The call drew criticism from NFL personalities like Tiki Barber and Jon Gruden, who questioned why a handoff wasn’t called and noted that the Broncos used their final timeout on the play.

“Sure, hindsight, you can look at it and evaluate it,” Kafka responded. “But when we talked about it as a staff early in the week, you look at the gotta-have-its and the plays that we like, that was the one that was high on our list.”
https://nypost.com/2025/10/23/sports/giants-cam-skattebo-will-receive-much-different-welcome-vs-eagles-compared-to-roaring-ovation-at-msg/