Rookie Giants running back Cam Skattebo barrels through some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Q: What is it like being a fan favorite?\u00a0<\/p>\n
A: I mean, it\u2019s been nothing but amazing. Just shows you how much effort I put into this team<\/a>, and how much I put into the place I\u2019m at and continue to build and try my best to give all my effort to winning football games.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Are you recognized when you go out?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: Yeah. It depends on the part of the city or Jersey I\u2019m in. For the most part, if I\u2019m in anywhere that likes sports, yeah, for the most part.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: How do you feel about that?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: I don\u2019t mind it at all. I don\u2019t mind if people come up and say, \u201cCan I get a picture?\u201d whatever. But it\u2019s more so like when I\u2019m eating or something \u2014 \u201cJust leave me alone until I\u2019m done eating (smile).\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Describe playing on the New York stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n A: I love it. I\u2019m a very introverted person outside of football, but when it comes around football and activities outside, I\u2019m very extroverted. I love the energy. I love the hate and I love the love. Nothing\u2019s going to derail me.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: You love the hate?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: Yeah, I mean, people always been hatin\u2019 on me or underdogging me, saying that it\u2019s not going to translate one way or another. I\u2019m just going to continue to do what I do.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cam Skattebo walks off the field after the Giants-Chargers game on Sept. 28, 2025. Getty Images<\/p>\n Q: Why have you been an underdog all your life?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: I\u2019ve been short, not very fast. \u2026 There\u2019s a couple things that a lot of people say, but \u2026 there\u2019s plenty of things that other people say that I don\u2019t believe, so I don\u2019t really like to think about them.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: What other things that people say that really tick you off?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: I\u2019m slow, that I don\u2019t put enough effort in, and that I\u2019m too short to play the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Have you ever been afraid of anything?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: I was afraid of my dad growing up. \u2026 Butt-whippings and being in trouble, but there\u2019s not much that [scares] me \u2026 outside of myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: What do you mean outside of yourself?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: Kind of scare myself on what I can really do (laugh). Just in general, on the field, like I almost think I can do too much, and get away with it instead of just doing my job.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: What was the worst thing you did that caused a butt-whipping?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: Stealing probably some gum out of my mom\u2019s purse. \u2026 My dad hated stealing and lying. I snuck out a couple of times as a teenager, got in trouble for those things, but nothing too serious.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Where does your on-field mentality come from?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: I don\u2019t know, honestly. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s built-up anger from the years of all the things I\u2019ve been through, but I just love the game of football. There\u2019s a switch that gets turned on probably about 20 minutes before game time that I don\u2019t really know where it comes from, it\u2019s just time to go and time to score touchdowns and win the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cam Skattebo runs with the ball during the Giants-Chargers game on Sept. 28, 2025. Getty Images<\/p>\n Q: What happens to you when that switch gets turned on?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: I just go quiet. I go quiet and then once that first hit happens, then it\u2019s all energy from there.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: What\u2019s it like standing in the tunnel before you go out?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: I\u2019m usually the first one into the tunnel before the game starts, and I\u2019m the last one to leave the tunnel. kind of my own thing is making sure that I touch everybody before they leave the tunnel, letting them know I have their back and that I\u2019m going to be there fighting with them.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Are you a trash-talker?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: A little bit. I like to kill the opponent with kindness (smile), kind of keep them in their happy state so they\u2019re not trying to kill me the whole game, but I\u2019m able to have the killer mindset with still being a happy guy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Describe the killer mindset.\u00a0<\/p>\n A: I always explain it: Get to the end zone no matter what, no matter who\u2019s there, no matter who\u2019s in the way. There\u2019s nothing more exciting than an NFL football touchdown. So scoring a touchdown, everybody in the crowd is cheering. It\u2019s great to see other people smile and be able to spread joy when I\u2019m on the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Q: What is the hardest blow you\u2019ve ever delivered?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: Oh, man. When I was in like the fifth or sixth grade. I hit a kid, he caught a bubble route, I think I broke his collarbone. I hit him so hard he hit the ground instantly. I didn\u2019t even realize I hit him, I hit him so hard. It was kind of crazy. I hit kids hard when I was younger. Now there\u2019s too many penalties and stuff involved (laugh).\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: What position were you playing?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: Linebacker. I played offense and defense growing up.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: You seem to be perfect to play linebacker.\u00a0<\/p>\n A: Yeah, but I\u2019m 5-[foot]-9 and 220 pounds, not quite the size for a linebacker.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Do you miss defense?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: A little bit. Yeah, tackling people\u2019s always fun. The style I play with is a little bit dangerous for defense just because I really like to hit people, so I think playing offense kind of keeps that down a little bit.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: If you could go back in NFL history and block any defender to test your skills, who would it be?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: Probably Ray Lewis or Ronnie Lott. I always used to watch TV, like, \u201cOh I could block those guys if I was on the field.\u201d Obviously, that\u2019ll never happen, but I always told myself that.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Why do you love football so much?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: It brings me happiness and joy, and continues to make the people around me happy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cam Skattebo celebrates with a backflip after scoring a touchdown during the Giants-Chargers game on Sept. 28, 2025. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n Q: What drives you?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: The happiness of the people around me, making sure that I\u2019m not letting anybody down.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: When did the backflip start?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: The backflip started this year, just because back in the day being a kid and being in high school that was a penalty growing up, just excess celebrations after touchdowns, but I\u2019ve been able to do a backflip since I was probably 6 years old.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Who are running backs you\u2019ve admired over the years?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: I didn\u2019t watch a ton of football growing up, but Reggie Bush, Frank Gore \u2026 Niners were my team growing up. I watched a little bit of LaDainian Tomlinson growing up. Really the running backs from the 49ers, probably 2010 to 2020.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: How good do you think you can be?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: I know I can be the best. It\u2019s just a matter of how much I put into it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: What is the biggest adversity you\u2019ve had to overcome?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: Probably my parents\u2019 divorce my sophomore year of high school. Them getting divorced just kind of tore me up. I actually just started grinding football even harder. I was working out twice a day making sure that I got out of the situation that I was in. That kind of pushed me to just become better.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tGo behind the scenes with Big Blue\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for Inside the Giants by Paul Schwartz, a weekly Sports+ exclusive.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThank you\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Q: Sacramento State was your only Division I offer. Do you still have a chip on your shoulder because of that?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: Yeah, 100 percent. Honestly, if the Giants didn\u2019t pick me in the fourth round, there might have been a couple of other teams that picked me up in the fourth round, but I could have seen myself falling to [Round] 6 or 7, you know? So, I always think that there\u2019s only one team that really wanted me. Coming out of Sacramento State, [Arizona State] was the only team that really, really showed interest. So they gave me their heart, and I gave them mine, so coming here and them giving me an opportunity to play at the highest level, I\u2019m going to give them everything I got.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Do you maintain even now that you were the best college running back last year?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: I\u2019m going to always say that. And even being in the league, I\u2019m going to continue to say I\u2019m the best running back in the league. I know my limits of what I can get to, so I just got to continue and show that.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: What are your limits?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: I don\u2019t know (laugh). I\u2019m not too sure.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Rookie Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty, whatever comes to mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n A: I love the way he plays. He\u2019s physical. He plays hard. He runs with passion. You could see it. He knows the game of football. The situation he\u2019s at, I don\u2019t know what it is, but he\u2019s going to continue to do great things. I\u2019m excited for him. We\u2019re in the same [draft] class, so we\u2019re gonna be in the league hopefully around the same time and retire around the some time.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: The Chargers\u2019 Omarion Hampton.\u00a0<\/p>\n A: He runs really hard, he\u2019s a strong physical back, catches the ball well out of the backfield. I met him at the Combine, very quiet kid, very to himself. You can tell that he plays this game for one reason, and it\u2019s probably because of his family, so he\u2019s got something to fight for every day, you can see it in his eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Skattebo.\u00a0<\/p>\n A: Physical, downhill, can catch the ball, can do really anything on the football field if you give him the opportunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Do you consider yourself a throwback?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: Yeah, 100 percent. The way I play, for the most part, is definitely throwback style.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Do you follow what the running backs in your class are doing?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: A little bit, not too much.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cam Skattebo runs with the ball during the Giants-Chiefs game on Sept. 21, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg\/New York Post<\/p>\n Q: What is Jaxson Dart like in the huddle?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: Very calm. \u2026 I think there\u2019s a big reason why we haven\u2019t huddled a lot this past game, I think he likes to play fast and not think too much. He\u2019s very calm, he gets the play out and he\u2019s ready to go play ball<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Who\u2019s more intense on the field, you or him?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: It\u2019s pretty close. He loves the game probably just as much as me. I can just feel it playing next to him. It\u2019s an intense backfield back there when we\u2019re both back there.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Why would I have fun going out into New York City with him?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: He\u2019s really the same person but in a different style. But he\u2019s super energetic, he has a great time. He can be himself no matter what and have fun no matter what situation you put him in.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Why would I have a good time with you in the city?\u00a0<\/p>\n A: Same thing. Me and him can have fun without any of the extra stuff.\u00a0<\/p>\n