Giants Teammates Call Tracy 'Paul Pierce' After Injury Scare

While preparing for their second preseason game against the Houston Texans, the New York Giants were basking in newfound excitement for the backfield. Backup running backs Eric Gray and Tyrone Tracy Jr. played well in the preseason opener and seemed poised to add an explosive element to the offense behind Devin Singletary in the backfield .

Last Tuesday almost ended that excitement. Tracy muffed a kickoff and, in doing so, went down in a heap. An air cast was immediately applied to his ankle and he was carted off and sent to the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Miraculously, Tracy emerged with just a low ankle sprain, beating the best-case scenario and dodging a career-threatening bullet.

But returning to the Giants’ facility meant acknowledging that he had scared his coaches, training staff, and teammates alike for an injury that might not hold him out of Week 1’s festivities against the Minnesota Vikings.

His teammates let him hear it.

“They were pretty hyped for me,” Tracy told reporters on Tuesday. “They were pretty hyped for me when I was coming in. A lot of the folks around the building started calling me Paul Pierce. They said I pulled a Paul Pierce. But it's all good. I know there is very genuine love around the building and I'm happy to be here for real.”

Pierce, famously, was taken off the court of the 2008 NBA Finals in a wheelchair, only to return a few minutes later. Whether he sustained an injury or simply needed a dramatic bathroom break is up for debate, but the legend lives on.

Needless to say, Tracy was just as scared as the rest of his teammates.

“At that point, we're all human,” he said. “When things happen, you definitely have thoughts in your head. I'm trying to be faithful and I'm trying to be positive in the moment. But it was definitely hard just because I didn't know what was wrong. I didn't know what happened and everything kind of happened really fast.

“So, when things like that happen, thoughts start creeping in. You start thinking, 'The season's over,' or, 'You're not going to play this year,' or whatever. I have high hopes for my rookie season. So, at that moment, I'm thinking all that kind of went down the drain. So, I thank God that I was able to come back and be able to play again.”

Related: What Did Giants Learn About Gray, Tracy in Preseason Opener?

As an older rookie and a work in progress at running back – having spent the majority of his collegiate career at receiver – a season-ending injury would have been catastrophic. His game is predicated on explosiveness, and these summer reps have been critical for developing the technique necessary to create big plays and ultimately earn playing time.

The short-term losses for New York and the long-term uncertainties for Tracy would have been significant. Fortunately, Tracy seems on track to return to practice in a full capacity sometime soon.