New York Giants RB Michael Cox Hopeful to Make Team as 3rd Running Back
August 9th, 2013 at 11:30 AM By Doug Rush
Four months ago,
Michael Cox nearly went undrafted in April's
NFL Draft, but with two picks left, one before the infamous "Mr. Irrelevant" spot, the
New York Giants took Cox with their final pick.But Giants general manager Jerry Reese saw a lot of potential in Cox, who first attended and graduated from the University of Michigan, and then transferred to the University of Massachusetts, where he had 198 carries for 715 yards and five touchdowns in 2012 for the Minutemen. Reese saw a lot of great things of Cox in college that would translate well into the
NFL,
as he told Kieran Darcy of ESPN New York.
"You don't see a lot of production, but if you look closely at this guy, we are excited about him," Reese said at the time. "He is big, powerful, elusive guy with speed. He has got a lot of things that we like about him."
Listed at 6'0" and 220 pounds, Cox has a similar frame to Giants starting running back
Andre Brown, who will share carries with the team's other starter,
David Wilson, With Cox's size, strength and speed, he could vie for the third running back spot behind Wilson and Brown. In camp, Cox will have competition for the spot, as he will be competing with Da'Rel Scott and
Ryan Torain for playing time and the spot on the team.
However, Torain suffered a concussion in Tuesday's practice and likely will not take the field when the team plays in its first preseason game at Heinz Field against the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the backups likely to see most of their playing time in the second half of the game, Cox is sure to see plenty of snaps and carries against the Steelers and could make an early impression on the coaches.
In the first couple of weeks at training camp, Cox has looked very impressive, even though he's currently listed as the team's number five running back on the team. Giants running backs coach Jerald Ingram thinks that with his abilities, Cox could do some special things on the field for the team if given the chance.
"He's a very talented young man," Ingram said earlier this week. "He has the ability to do certain things, but he has to, like all young running backs, they have to learn the system. You just can't toss them the ball and say, 'Go do this.' [it's] just like we went through a year ago with David in situations. He has to feel comfortable about learning our offense, and we're comfortable with him that we can trust him in most situations. But he does show us a lot of good talent out there right now."
It wouldn't be the first time for a seventh-round draft pick to make an impact and eventually, win a starting job on the team. Back in 2007, Ahmad Bradshaw was a seventh-round pick for the Giants and he was a key part of two Super Bowl championships and even scored the go-ahead touchdown in Super Bowl XLVI that won the game for the Giants over the New England Patriots 21-17.
It could also be possible that the Giants decide to use a three-back set in their offense, which worked in 2007 and 2008 when the team had Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward, who were known as "Earth, Wind, and Fire." With those three, they combined to rush for over 2,300 yards in 2008 and lead the league that season in rushing for a team that went 12-4.
If Cox can use his size and speed for the Giants and focus on what he needs to do, he could end up beating out Torain and Scott for that third running back spot and give the Giants another dimension to their already explosive offense in 2013.
http://www.sportsmedia101.com/newyorkgiants/2013/08/09/new-york-giants-rb-michael-cox-hopeful-to-make-team-as-3rd-running-back/
