John Ross' 52-yard TD makes quick first impression for Giants

It’s been more than three decades since anyone made the kind of first impression that John Ross did Sunday with the Giants.

After spending the first three weeks of the season on IR with a hamstring issue, Ross, a fifth-year receiver, was activated and made his Giants debut against the Saints. The first pass in his direction turned into a 52-yard touchdown. It was the longest first catch with the Giants that resulted in a touchdown since running back Dave Meggett’s 62-yard catch-and-run in 1989.

"We got what we were looking for and D.J. put a great ball out there and I had to go get it," Ross said Monday.

Ross, it seems, does everything fast. Whether it was running that deep route for the touchdown (he was clocked at 21.1 mph) or wasting no time making an impact in the Giants’ passing game, the wide receiver’s defining quality is speed. And the Giants needed every bit of it.

Joe Judge has long been an admirer of Ross’speed.

"That dude is fast," he said after the game.

Ross’ best season (28 catches, 18.1-yard average) was in 2019 with Cincinnati.

The thing that impressed Judge the most on Sunday was Ross’s quick thinking. After he caught the deep pass from Jones and had it stripped away from him, he immediately pounced on the ball in the end zone while the two Saints defenders were still on the ground. It wasn’t clear at the time whether it was a live ball or not. It turned out it was.

"I’m all about the ball," Ross said. "I just felt that no matter what it was, whether I was down or not, I wanted to make sure I ended up with the ball. I wanted to leave no question. I thought it was a catch, but I just wanted to make sure I got up with the ball."

"That’s something we talk about all the time, playing through the possession and not just the whistle," Judge said. "He did not hesitate on if it was a touchdown or not, he hopped on the ball right away . . . Had he not played that situation through right there, that could have been a big play going the other way."

Ross’ emergence came at the perfect time for the Giants, not only in the game but in the season. Sunday was their first full contest without Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton, and C.J. Board missed the end of the game with an injury. Ross gives them experience and depth at the position.

Ross said he was more excited by the two key passes that kick-started the winning drive in overtime than the blazing touchdown in the second quarter.

"I have to show why I should be in there for multiple reasons," he said. "I never want to be a one-trick pony."

That balance is one of the reasons Ross was not eased into the offense the way his coach usually does with players who are returning. Said Judge, "We ain’t got time for that."

Notes & quotes: Judge said it probably will take a "couple days" before the team has a grasp on the severity of S Jabrill Peppers’ hamstring injury and whether he’ll be available Sunday. Judge said there was talk of putting Peppers back in the game after his injury on Sunday but "I didn’t feel confident not knowing exactly what it was." Judge also said he is "optimistic" that Board (shoulder) will be able to practice and play this week . . . Judge was pleased with how the team played in the noisy Superdome after a week of not only practicing but holding meetings amid the din of loud music. "There are a lot of teams that jump offside and have false starts," Judge said of the atmosphere in New Orleans. "We were able to operate in the game with neither."

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.