Eli Penny is Ready to Carry the Load if Called Upon
Since Giants star running back Saquon Barkley went down with a high ankle sprain in Week 3, it has been a next-man-up mentality for the Giants running back corps.
But with Wayne Gallman in the league's concussion protocol and Barkley's status for Thursday night's game at New England still not clarified, fullback Eli Penny, who contributed 15 yards on three carries in Sunday's loss to the Vikings could see an increased role.
“Saquon went down, Wayne went down,” Penny said after Sunday's game.
“I was the next man up and probably one of the older guys in the room. So, you know, I just felt like it was kind of like my job to do.”
This season, Penny has eight rushing attempts for 30 yards and one reception for nine yards. In his three-year career, Penny has 46 attempts for 179 yards with 13 receptions and 97 receiving yards.
The Giants signed Penny at the start of last season from the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad. He played all 16 games with the Cardinals during the 2017 season, rushing 31 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns.
Penny said that his experience playing alongside other running backs has helped prepare him to play the position.
“I played behind good running backs when I was in Arizona, and I've always had a chance of being behind those guys,” he said.
“David Johnson, Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson. When I got my opportunity there, when a couple of guys went down to Arizona, I stepped up and played a big role.”
Due to his past experiences, Penny has always taken it upon himself to learn and study both the running back and fullback positions to help both his team and his chance to play.
“You always run into the trenches, and you get tackled by more than like three guys every play,” Penny said.
“So when I'm in a meeting, I'm not just learning fullback. You have to add value to yourself to play longer.”
As far as Sunday's performance, Penny said that there were some plays the team left on the field and, therefore, a lot to learn from the film before Thursday night’s matchup.
“There's a couple of play that I had personally that I didn't like,” Penny said. “But at the same time, I liked the positive things that we did. Daniel moving the ball...our receivers catching the ball. When we get down in the red zone, we've got to finish plays and not make mistakes such as penalties and, and things like that.”
Head coach Pat Shurmur has made no secret of the fact that he's a fan of Penny's.
"I thought Penny had a couple of nice runs in there," he said. "If you ask him, he’ll tell you that he’s a converted halfback. He plays fullback, but he’s like, 'Hey coach, give me the ball.' I thought he stepped in and did some good things."
Though Penny has a lot to learn if he's to fill in for Gallman and Barkley this week, he is embracing the short week as a challenge.
“It feels better than having that Monday and Tuesday off because you get a lot of time yourself to sit back and think about what you did wrong,” Penny said.
“It's always tough, but it’s a part of the business, and we just got to come up and be ready to play.”
Giants Maven Weekly Fan Friday Mailbag
Want to participate in our Friday Fan Day mailbag? Send your questions to us at nygiantsmaven@gmail.com.
Giants Maven Social Media
Follow Patricia on Twitter @Patricia_Traina and don’t forget to check out and like our Facebook page.
Sign up for our free newsletter
Sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Giants news, notes, and more delivered to your inbox!
Can’t get enough Big Blue news and analysis?
Subscribe to the FREE LockedOn Giants podcast, your daily podcast featuring all things New York Giants, available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, FM Player and wherever else podcasts are offered.
