When Giants rookie running back Tyrone Tracy last played a game, he was walking off the field in tears with a towel on his head in Germany after his fumble in overtime led to the Panthers beating the Giants, 20-17.
Tracy, who has been one of the few bright spots in an 2-8 season and who was having a terrific game in Germany, took the loss hard and blamed himself.
On Sunday against the Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium, Tracy has a chance to redeem himself.
He’s the team’s leading rusher with 545 yards, a 5.1-yard average and three touchdowns.
The Tampa Bay defense is yielding a 5-yard average and has allowed eight rushing TDs.
From the moment Tracy fumbled and was in tears, his teammates and coaches began building him back up, letting him know they wouldn’t have even gotten to overtime without him.
Tracy rushed for 103 yards and a TD on 18 carries against Carolina.
Asked what he did to encourage Tracy after the fumble, Giants head coach Brian Daboll said, “Much like one of your kids, you tell him you believe in him. I have strong belief in Tracy, with a lot of the other young players, too, that we’ve got on here. He does things the right way. He cares about it. It’s good to see a guy care about it that much. I’m glad he’s on our team.
“He’s a really good young player who cares a lot about his teammates, cares a lot about his craft. He has really improved since he’s been here. He’s made of the right kind of stuff.”
Receiver Darius Slayton said players “just encouraged’’ Tracy after the fumble, saying, “I’ve been there before. He’s done a great job. He’s made a lot of plays. He’s obviously shown himself to be a talented player.”
Giants guard Jon Runyan blamed the offensive line for the fumble, saying, “That play wasn’t entirely Tyrone’s fault. The blocking, the scheme for that play, we just kind of missed our rules a little bit and he had a backer in his face immediately.
“He’s a young guy, obviously, and to try to pick him back up. We were in here right after we got back pretty much, and he was still kind of feeling hard on himself. Everyone was telling him, ‘Don’t sweat that stuff. You’ve been one of the bright spots on this team, so just keep doing everything you’re doing.’
“He’s only going to get better from here, and we’re excited for it.’’
The Giants defense will be facing Tampa Bay’s top receiver, Mike Evans, on Sunday after he missed the previous three games with a hamstring injury.
“Oh God, nightmare,” Giants defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson said Friday when asked about Evans. “Big, physical receiver, really big catch radius, athletic, smart, aware. The quarterback [Baker Mayfield] loves him. He’s an all-day problem, a really good player in this league for a long time, one of the guys that as a coach, you have great respect for as a competitor.“It’s going to be a long, hard day with him back. I was hoping that that hamstring would last one more week.”
Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux is set to return to the field Sunday after missing the past five games with a wrist injury.
“I feel great,” Thibodeaux said. “With [Brian] Burns and Azeez [Ojulari], they’ve already been doing great. They both got six sacks, so I’m just trying to get back in the mix. It’s going to be something to see. It’s been difficult watching.”
Thibodeaux said he’s unaware of whether he’ll be on any sort of “pitch count,” but he does expect to have some “rust” from the layoff.
“Some guys are kind of beat up, but I’m fresh and rusty,” he said. “With me being fresh and having a little more energy, hopefully, I can bring a little morale to whatever situations we’re in.’’
Thibodeaux said he’s been “inspired” by the way Ojulari has taken advantage of the added playing time in his five-game absence. Ojulari has five sacks in that stretch.
Asked whether he could use all three edge rushers on the field at the same time, Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen called it “a good problem to have.’’
“Obviously, with Azeez coming on and the impact he’s been able to have for us, he’s earned the opportunity to play,’’ Bowen said. “So, it’s really good getting Kayvon back out there. Optimistic with him, and we’ll see where it goes.’’