With his dad watching from the stands, rookie Alfred Blue got his first NFL start on Sunday.
Head coach Bill O'Brien was pleased with Blue's ability to fill the starting role with Arian Foster ruled out due to a hamstring injury.
"The next guy steps in and I thought Alfred Blue did an admirable job today," O'Brien said after the game. "He ran hard, he got some tough yards. It wasn't easy out there. It was a very, very good, athletic, tough defense the Giants have and for a rookie running back to come in and do what he did, I though he did okay, so he'll only get better and hopefully we'll get Arian [Foster] back as soon as we can."
While Blue's father travels to all of his games from Humble, Texas, the rest of Blue's family and friends were all in front of the television, cheering him on from Louisiana.
"It felt good - it was a dream come true," Blue said. "As a kid, you dream about this day, playing in the NFL and just to start tonight, it felt good."
Blue had 13 carries for 78 yards, averaging 6.0 yards per rushing attempt. His longest run, a 46-yarder, came in the third quarter. It was the longest of his career and the longest of the season by a Texan. Blue, who was starting for the injured Arian Foster, got some advice from his All-Pro teammate.
"He said to take advantage of opportunity," Blue said of Foster. "Be patient – don't try to force it. Let it come to you."
Blue, who wanted to get positive runs on every carry, felt good about his performance.
"I would say I was pretty patient in my runs. I think I ran pretty hard and I think I didn't get tackled behind the line too much and lose yardage. I think I got positive yards every carry."
