Brandon Bing was working out, but he was also working.
After stints with the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills, the Rutgers product and newest member of the Giants practice squad returned to the gym near his Pennsylvania hometown in early October. There, he was an NFL player training for his next gig, but he was also an employee.
Working as a personal trainer at the Power Train Sports Institute, Bing received a call on Tuesday that another team wanted his services, on the field.
"I was actually going into work that day," the cornerback said. "And I had to call up (founder and president) Steve (Saunders) and those guys and let them know I've got to leave today. I said 'I'm off.'"
Bing, a 5-9, 180-pound cornerback, played in 41 games as a Scarlet Knight (13 starts), totaling 85 tackles, three interceptions, a sack and a forced fumble. The undrafted rookie was signed by Denver after the lockout and played in all four preseason games there. Waived before the regular season began, Buffalo signed him to the practice squad at the end of September, only to be waived Oct. 1.
"It's just great to be back playing football, period," Bing said. "I'm happy that I'm here at the Giants. I can't even describe what it's like to be back on the field just being home for two weeks and taking a break, and then going to a team and then taking a break. I'm a real happy man right now."
As coincidence would have it, the same facility Bing trained at leading up to his pro day (the one he would later work at) was also used by Giants fullback Henry Hynoski, another native of the Keystone State.
There's another Pennsylvanian in the Giants locker room that Bing has ties to – a fellow speedster.
Da'Rel Scott, a graduate of Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School, competed with Bing both on the football field and on the track, where both were state champions.
Bing won titles in the 200 and 400-meter races while the older Scott racked up in the 100. Scott's football team, however, was more dominant. Scott set a school rushing record with more than 300 yards over Bing's Cheltenham High School (Wyncote, Pa.).
"He was one of those guys that was the best player on his team, and I was also," said Bing, who also played against Scott twice in college while he was at Maryland. "So it was kind of like a competition between us two. I'd say 'what's up' to him before a game and stuff like that. We moved on coming from the same neighborhood."
"At first, I didn't know he was here," Scott said. "I had seen someone that kind of looks like him, and it kind of threw me off. Then I got in the meeting room and I was like, 'Oh, that is him.'"
It only took making it to the pros for the two to play on the same team.
"I just want to take advantage of any opportunity I'm given and try to make myself have opportunities," Bing said. "I'm trying to perform on practice squad and try to move my way up. But for now, I'll just help the team as best as I can and do whatever they tell me."Join other diehard Giants Fans!
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