DOME AWAY FROM HOME
Engram will have his own cheering section in Atlanta
Evan Engram remembers what it felt like down on the field at Tampa Bay as the Giants fell to 0-4 last season with another last-second loss, this one on a field goal as time expired. Engram had more than 20 relatives at that game, family members living in Florida he does not get to see very often.
“That was a tough loss,’’ Engram recalled Thursday to The Post. “I obviously was in a bad mood. I don’t ever carry that over. It definitely is hard to hide those emotions but I definitely would love to see my family and friends after a win, for sure.’’
He gets that chance Monday night on what can be described as an Evan Engram homecoming. He is from Powder Springs, Ga., not far at all from where Mercedes-Benz Stadium sits in Atlanta. There will be all sorts of Engram support in the seats as the Giants, laboring along at 1-5, look to stop the madness of losing against the Falcons, who are nearly as disappointing at 2-4.
The second-year tight end has waited for this since the Giants made him a first-round pick in the 2017 draft. He knew the Giants and Falcons were not in the same division and had a decent knowledge of how the NFL schedule worked. He knew it was only a matter of time before he got to go against his hometown team.
“I was like, whenever we cycle through Atlanta’s division, I hope they don’t come here, I hope we go there so I can play at home,’’ Engram said. “As soon as the schedule came out, it was right there, and a Monday night? It’s crazy.’’
There was no guarantee he was going to be able to keep the date with all his people back home. He went down in Week 3 with a sprained knee and at first was heartened to hear the injury was
not season-ending. The prognosis of two to four weeks meant Engram would have to miss games, but he always believed he would be able to play in Atlanta.
Engram missed the past three games, and the Giants offense — no great shakes with him the first two-plus games — missed him greatly. His knee has healed and he will make his return on national television, with plenty of fans rooting for him but not necessarily for the Giants.
“If we win, all my friends are Falcons fans so they’ll probably be pissed,’’ Engram said.
Winning has been near-impossible for the Giants. Engram running routes should help. He was not off to a flying start, with 10 receptions for 104 yards and one touchdown before leaving early in the lone victory, in Houston. He is a threat across the middle and down the field, something Rhett Ellison is not. The plan is having Engram as a target has to open the defense up for Odell Beckham Jr. At this point, it is more of a theory than a plan.
“Him being out the first few weeks can affect you,’’ coach Pat Shurmur said. “He’s got very good speed, he has some traits that a wideout might have, so that’s another guy to throw the ball to. Again, it kind of plays into: If you’re going to stop one guy, the other guy has got to make plays. That’s not to say the guys that filled in for Evan didn’t make plays, it’s just good when he’s out there.’’
Engram has had some issues with drops, but there are plenty of flashes why the Giants made him the 23rd-overall pick in 2017. He had a team-high 64 receptions as a rookie, a total that was the fifth-highest for a tight end in franchise history. Watching the past three games, he said, was frustrating, his role reduced to being a “helping hand.’’
There will be nearly 40 family, friends, relatives from Florida and Ohio and former high school teammates and coaches on hand Monday night, a whole bunch of No. 88 blue and white Giants jerseys amid a sea of Falcons red.
“They’ll be making some noise,’’ Engram said. “They probably will be easy to spot.’’
Engram said the ride to the stadium from his hometown is less than 30 minutes. He attended the college football National Championship Game in Atlanta last January, when Alabama beat Georgia in overtime. He calls the new Atlanta stadium “beautiful’’ and “crazy.’’
The Giants get into town Sunday, and Engram figures he can see his entourage for a quick bite and perhaps for a while in the evening, before bed check. Then, win or lose, after the game he will greet those who came to see him, hoping he is in a better mood for this reunion than he was last season in Tampa.