The Giants have been carving out quite the success story this season.
Based on recent history, the Giants’ 6-1 record seems like one of the unlikeliest events taking place in this NFL season this side of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers having more trouble leading their respective teams into the end zone than Geno Smith.
On the Giants roster, though, is a quiet 27-year-old contributor whose background story makes the team’s eye-opening record seem rather mundane.
Just ask Mike and Terri Breida, the white couple who adopted Matt Breida, the Giants’ backup running back who is black, when he was two days old in 1995.
Breida, who’s playing in the shadow of Saquon Barkley and his career renaissance, is doing exactly what he told his adoptive parents he wanted to do when he was a child.
“This is what he always said he was going to do,” Terri told The Post on Tuesday. “When he was 6 years old, he said, ‘I will play in the NFL and go to a Super Bowl.’ Well, he’s playing in the NFL and he’s played in a Super Bowl [in 2020 with the 49ers]. We’re so proud to see him living his dream.”
Mike recalled a reporter, when Matt was playing high school ball, asking him, “How did you know that he was going to become a football player and be so successful?’’
“You never know,’’ he said. “It’s luck of the draw.’’
The Breidas, who watched Matt play as a Giant for the first time Sunday in Jacksonville, know about luck of the draw. A year after adopting Matt, they adopted a second son, Josh, who went down a different path, got caught up in gangs and crime and is currently incarcerated in Florida for a litany of charges that include grand theft auto and burglary.
“We’re so proud of Matt,” Mike said. “He’s been focused and driven since he was a child. He’s amazing.”
That focus and drive are two of the reasons that, when Brian Daboll was hired as the Giants head coach, one of the first things on his to-do list “absolutely” was to sign Breida, who played for him in Buffalo last season.
“He’s the kind of guy that you’d like your kid to be like,” Daboll told The Post. “He puts the team ahead of himself. No role is too small for him. He’s got really good leadership qualities to him that people gravitate toward. He’s a great teammate. I can’t say enough good things about him. He’s got a good heart.”
Much of what makes Breida who he is comes from being appreciative of everything he has, thanks to Mike and Terri adopting him.
“Growing up, I was always of the mindset to make them proud, because they gave me a chance in life,” Breida told The Post.
Breida never met his birth mother who, as he later learned, already had two children, was single and realized this was not a life she wanted to bring a third child into.
“I’m very grateful for that now, because I could have been with my birth mom and I could have been homeless or who knows?” he said. “She thought there was a better life for me, so before she had me, she already knew she was going to put me up for adoption.”
He’s drawn inspiration from his adoptive parents, who’ve dealt with issues of their own over the years. His mother, through a series of car accidents, is wheelchair-bound.
“Through life, they really haven’t let things get them down with all the stuff they had to go through,” Breida said. “They continued to provide for me and my brother and I think that made me want to one day be able to provide for them.”
Breida is in the process of buying his parents a handicapped-accessible van so they can travel. There’s a hope if they have the vehicle in time, to drive north to the Giants home games against the Texans and Lions in back-to-back weeks next month. He, too, has offered to either renovate their home in Florida or buy them a new one.
“Being able to help provide for them means a lot to me,” Breida said. “Me playing in the NFL has allowed me to be able to do that.”
Daboll, who was raised by his grandparents, is a devoutly devoted family man. Between him and his wife, Beth, they parent six children who are the focal point of their lives.
“I just think what a blessing for Matt to have people come along in his life at a very young age and become the parents they were for him,” Daboll said.
“We couldn’t have kids of our own,” Terri said. “It was what we were missing. Matt needed love. We got to name him. ‘Matthew’ means a gift from God.”
In the selfish world of sports these days, when players are complaining about touches and playing time, Breida quietly and efficiently goes about his business.
He knows his touches will be few and far between playing behind Barkley, but he seizes his opportunities.
In the Giants’ 23-17 win over the Jaguars on Sunday, Breida had a 14-yard catch-and-run that led to a field goal and also sprung quarterback Daniel Jones on a run with a key block.
“I’m glad you’re writing about him, because he’s not one of those players who typically gets a lot of credit,” Daboll said. “He’s a very selfless player. He’s playing behind Saquon and has carved out a role for himself with a great positive approach, a great attitude and a team-first mentality. He’s a pro. You can’t have enough pros around you.”
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