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The Eric Gray Revenge Game was well-timed for his career.
Gray started his second NFL season by running for two touchdowns and totaling 98 yards from scrimmage during the first half Thursday for the Giants in their 14-3 victory against the Lions in the preseason opener at MetLife Stadium.
“Last year, I felt like I was making the game too much than what it was,” Gray said. “Today, I was just showing who Eric Gray is.”
The highlight for Gray was a 48-yard touchdown run that contained a hidden “payback” subplot.
Three days before the game, during the first of two joint practices between the teams, Gray was de-cleated by undrafted rookie Morice Norris so forcefully that Gray’s helmet popped off on a hit that some Giants thought was a dirty play.
Starting running back Devin Singletary described it as a “kill shot” and said earlier this week that Norris “took it far.”
Speaking for the first time since then, Gray agreed he had a problem with it.
“For sure,” Gray said. “We’re not doing that in practice.”
Flash forward and Gray found himself bursting through the line of scrimmage to open territory with Norris in his sights.
He took one step to his right before cutting back to his left, causing Norris to slip to the ground and be out of position as the play went for a 48-yard go-ahead touchdown.
“It was kind of like a payback,” Gray said. “Like, ‘You want to do that? Here we go.’”
Instant highlight with a message attached.
“That’s the Eric Gray that I am,” Gray said. “That’s who I have to get back to being.”
Norris made no friends with the Giants. He also punched receiver Gunner Olszewski in the helmet after the whistle during the second practice.
A heated Lions coach sent Norris to the sideline after he lost his cool.
It’s a good thing for Gray’s roster security that he didn’t miss any time.
Gray was in need of a boost after a slow start to camp that saw rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. stake an early claim to be the top backup to Singletary in the Giant’s first post-Saquon Barkley backfield.
But the bigger surprise was undrafted rookie Dante Miller — who spent most of his career at Columbia — challenging Gray to be the third running back by showing some of the burst that earned him the nickname “Turbo.”
Whether Gray’s roster spot was truly in jeopardy or not — from a business standpoint, he is a 2023 fifth-round draft pick who only is in the second year of a four-year contract — is up for debate.
But Gray’s rookie year was marred by fumbling issues when he was shoehorned into the punt returner role and an injury that caused him to miss four games, leaving him with 23 touches from scrimmage.
“New season,” head coach Brian Daboll said. “I think everybody has more confidence when you go through a season as a rookie.”
Gray powered into the end zone for his second score on four carries by running hard between the tackles from the 1-yard line.
