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New York Giants tight end Evan Engram returned on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons after missing two games with a calf injury. His first order of business? Fumble the football.
That was not met well by Giants fans in attendance, who were already boiling and ready to erupt.
Engram was heavily booed, but it didn’t stop there. Every time he stepped on the field after that fumble, he was booed even louder. And when he checked out of the game? Cheers.
It was the most hostile the fans have been toward a single player in recent memory and it almost bordered on cruel.
“I think Evan’s an extremely mentally tough player,” head coach Joe Judge said of his favorite player. “I talked to him yesterday on the sideline, I talked to him in the locker room. I talk to these guys all the time. Two things on that — one, it’s our job to give the fans something to cheer about. We talk about it all the time, about you better embrace the pressure and the atmosphere in New York because it’s absolutely great. You’ve got to work for the respect of people here, but it’s that much more valuable when it’s a game.
“Secondly, in terms of the players, I’m always going to make sure our players stay focused in the middle of the game and throughout the game and understand that when things aren’t going right externally, we’ve got to make sure we show internal support for our teammates and our players and keep it moving forward.”
The boos were so loud however, they could not be ignored. Engram heard them and he felt them.
“The fans deserve to see good football, they deserve to see winning football. They’re honest fans, they’re passionate fans and they deserve to see good product on the field,” Engram said, adding that he’s never booed anyone himself.
Ultimately, Engram said, he had to tune things out and stay focused — something he feels he did well.
“Obviously, it’s not ideal and it’s something you don’t want to see or hear. But, that’s my focus – is playing better football for my teammates and my team and giving the fans and our supporters something to cheer about and something to be proud about on the field,” Engram said.
“I think I handled it pretty well. I was able to stay focused and stay locked in on my job on the field. It definitely was an opportunity to be a distraction, but I didn’t let that get to me and I just stayed focused on my task at hand and playing the game and finishing the game.”
Fair or unfair, Giants fans are done with Engram. The booing is not going to stop and it may be in the team’s best interest to trade the tight end. He’s not a match for Jason Garrett’s 7-yard curl offense anyway and isn’t being used in a way that takes advantage of his skill set.
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