Delvin Joyce figured his job this week would be to don the familiar No. 28 worn by Marshall Faulk and give the Giants’ defense some good work imitating the Rams elusive running back.
“I was actually looking forward to that coming in here this week,” Joyce said, “but they got somebody else this time.”
Actually, the Giants got two “somebody elses” to mimic Faulk’s moves. Both Dorsey Levens and Ron Dayne spent part of yesterday’s practice inside the bubble wearing a red No. 28 over their blue jerseys. The two veteran backs were relegated to scout-team work while Joyce, playing the role of himself and wearing his own No. 33, carried the ball with the regular offense.
In a development that did not seem possible a month or two ago, Joyce is now the Giants’ backup running back, first in line behind starter Tiki Barber, a scenario that played out without injuries factoring into the decision, the way Matt Bryant beat out heavily favored Mike Hollis for the kicker job. Jim Fassel said Joyce, fair and square, beat out both Levens and Dayne, and while moving past Dayne was no great feat this summer, gliding past Levens was indeed a shocker.
“It’s my opinion that right now [Joyce] is the second-best running back we have on this team,” Fassel said, “and everybody on our coaching staff shares the same exact opinion. There isn’t a dissenting vote on that one.”
As the shortest player on the team – several inches less than his 5-7 listed height – Joyce can look more like a ball boy than a ball-carrier, but in his time with the Giants he’s proven to be impossible to ignore. Not drafted out of James Madison, he made the team a year ago as a return specialist, a role that seemingly vanished with the signing of Brian Mitchell. Any chance Joyce could stick as a reserve running back appeared dim when Levens was signed to a three-year, $2.5 million contract.
Joyce, though, refused to go quietly against far more heralded competition. He became a useful gunner on special teams and led the Giants in kickoff returns in the preseason. He also led the team in rushing (27-107) and sealed the deal with a 60-yard performance in the preseason finale in Baltimore. Fassel informed him yesterday that he had vaulted into the No. 2 spot.
“No real ceremonial type of thing, just kind of in passing he told me, on the run,” Joyce said. “I didn’t see this coming. I was surprised at first. I was overjoyed, to say the least.”
Clearly, this is an indication that Levens, 33, hasn’t shown much. He was slowed in training camp by a pulled hamstring and Fassel continually spoke of Levens knocking the rust off his game. Levens, in no mood to discuss his diminished role, said, “I’ve got to go,” and hurried out of the locker room with no further discussion.
What is certain is both Levens and Dayne cannot be active on game days, as neither plays special teams. Fassel said there’s a chance he’ll go with only three running backs, with Barber, Joyce and Mitchell active and both Levens and Dayne in street clothes on some Sundays.
“The decisions I make, it doesn’t matter where they’re drafted, how long they’ve been with us, what money they make or whatever,” Fassel said. “The best guys are going to play.”
Joyce is a miniature version of Barber, adept at catching passes out of the backfield, but he doesn’t give the Giants the change-of-pace back most teams desire. Joyce is even smaller than Barber, but Fassel reasoned, “We’re going to have a little hole,” and thus a bigger back isn’t needed, even in short-yardage situations.
—–
FIRST AND FOREMOST
Here’s a look at the Giants’ Week 1 record during the past five years:
Year/Opponent/Result/Score
1998/Redskins/Win/31-24
1999/Buccaneers/Win/17-13
2000/Cardinals/Win/21-16
2001/Broncos/Loss/31-20
2002/49ers/Loss/16-13
Record: 3-2
