New York Giants coach John Harbaugh insisted he wasn't trying to send any sort of message to running back Cam Skattebo on Sunday.
Skattebo, however, had a markedly different takeaway.
The Giants' leading rusher played sparingly in a 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints and did not have a single carry. With Skattebo having lost a fumble in overtime the previous week – his fourth in five contests – to shut down any chance of a win in New York's eventual 27-27 tie to the Washington Commanders, many interpreted the sharp workload shift as an intentional and perhaps punitive action.
But Harbaugh said the move had no such subtext.
"It was not by design," Harbaugh said in a postgame news conference. "All those guys were taking equal reps in the first half. We were trying to see who could make something happen, kind of get the hot hand. Nobody's really taken the bull by the horns."
Yet Skattebo seemed to contradict his coach with his own interpretation.
“I got punished for what I did (against Washington)," Skattebo told reporters after the game. "I understand it, so I gotta be ready when coach calls my name, and that wasn’t today.”
The four-man rotation in the backfield yielded six carries for Tyrone Tracy Jr. and four apiece for Devin Singletary and Najee Harris. Backup quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who took over for fill-in starter Jameis Winston in the fourth quarter, led the team with 26 yards on two carries.
Harbaugh said that opportunities for Skattebo were further diminished in the second half, when New York looked more toward all-purpose threats in the backfield as Saints built a 34-10 lead.
"When he was in there, we just didn't call any runs," Harbaugh said. "So we're not thinking about which back is in the game and how many runs they're getting."
Skattebo said he was prepared for a diminished role based on discussions with the coaching staff this week, but he acknowledged he "didn't expect to have zero (carries)."
"It’s hard, but I've made mistakes, and I got to own up to them," Skattebo told reporters. "If that's what they want to do – keep me on the sidelines – because of that, I totally understand. I can't mistakes at this level of this game, and when you make mistakes like that, consequences are to be made."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why did Cam Skattebo have 0 carries? Harbaugh, RB give conflicting answers