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If you didn’t know by now that John Ross is really fast, you would be the only one.
The fifth-year wide receiver set a record running a 4.22-second 40-yard sprint at the 2017 NFL Combine, a tidbit that followed him through several stints on Injured Reserve and landed him a one-year contract. with the New York Giants this March.
But to evolve as a pass catcher, Ross knows he has to be more than just the deep, fast-paced threat that sometimes appears on the highlight reels.
“I feel like every facet of my game is important because I have to keep showing why I should be there for a number of reasons,” said Ross. I’ve always said that, I never wanna be a one-ride pony. I don’t want to go into the game and the defense is like – I think I went there yesterday, and the defense kind of waved me back, like ‘Come back’. I want to be more than that. It was good to put ourselves in a different position and keep moving the ball in different ways, and not just down the pitch.
“It’s kind of what I like to work on during the offseason. Trying to add different elements to my game more than just speed, as this can easily be removed with different covers. You want to improve yourself at some of those short distance things.
Still, Ross’s speed was the main topic of discussion after the Giants’ 27-21 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, and for good reason. He finished with three receptions for 77 yards in his first game with New York and his first appearance since October 2020. The climax was a strange 52-yard touchdown recovery turned fumble between two Saints defensemen who gave a 7-0 lead to the Giants. in the second trimester.
“I’m all about the ball, so I just felt that no matter what it was, whether I was down or not, I wanted to make sure I ended up with the ball,” said Ross. “I didn’t want to leave any doubt as to whether someone else tried to get it back or not, I wanted to make sure I got down to it no matter what it was. I thought it was a trap, but just wanted to make sure I got up with the ball no matter what.
In four years with the Cincinnati Bengals, Ross has never lived up to his status as a ninth overall pick in the 2017 Draft. He missed 37 games with repeated knee and groin injuries before the Bengals didn’t decline his fifth-year option this offseason and missed most of the Giants’ training camp.
Ironically, Ross was fortunate to be on the court in a starring role on Sunday due to injuries to wide receivers Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton – an opportunity he doesn’t take for granted.
“It’s really big, given the numbers we have and the guys that fell, we needed a few people to step up,” he said. “I was grateful for the opportunity to be one of those guys who had to step up.”
Combined with a breakout game from rookie Kadarius Toney (six receptions, 78 yards), the Giants’ receivers brought an element of play that the team’s offense often lacks on Sunday. Ross agreed that the pair’s speed is forcing defenses to focus more on protecting the deep ball.
“You can kind of see it, even at the start of the game. I think it’s no secret that I’m fast, so I would expect when teams release a screening report, or whenever my name is called, the first thing they think of is speed. So I would expect to get softer coverage often and guys to play deeper.
“I think it’s something that’s hard to train against. Once you use it, this is something you really need to focus on. I think what Kadarius and I can do opens up a lot of things.
Sunday was the running match that opened. Saquon Barkley finished with 52 rushing yards, 74 receiving yards and two touchdowns in his most impressive game since returning from an ACL tear.
“We’re trying to get the attention of the guys on the pitch,” Ross said. “The most important thing is when you have someone as talented as 26 (Barkley) you never know. You want to make sure you block as much as you can, for as long as you can, because you never know where that ball is going to go when that ball hits their hand. It’s always essential for us to be proud of it because this ball can start on the left and end on the right and you never know. We just want to make sure that we try to get our man out as best as we can. “
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