Loading ...The New York Giants rushing attack has seen a rebirth over the last two weeks. Despite finishing last in the NFL in rushing in 2011, Big Blue has relied heavily on their ground game over the last two contests. Third-year product out of N.C. State Andre Brown has provided a spark to the team's offense. However, today we learned Ahmad Bradshaw will be making his return against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week four.
Before injuring his neck against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bradshaw was averaging 4.6 yards per carry. With that, he never had the opportunity to play behind the Giants revamped offensive line, a unit that appears rejuvenated after the injury to David Diehl. Although Bradshaw is still listed as questionable for Sunday night's divisional bout, it appears as if the six-year veteran thoroughly believes he will be on the field.
"You can guarantee it, man," Bradshaw said. "You can guarantee I'll be out there fighting with my team."
The issue now isn't whether Bradshaw will play, but more how he will be re-integrated into the offense. Andre Brown has played well in Bradshaw's absence, rushing for 184 yards on just 33 carries, including three touchdowns.
Brown has clearly showcased his ability during his limited opportunity. However, it appears as if the Giants are planning on using Ahmad Bradshaw as the starting running back against the Philadelphia Eagles.
"Coach Coughlin knows what I can do. And so do I," Bradshaw said. "I just tell him every game, 'Just give me the ball and I'll make it happen.' He hasn't told me anything role-wise. I still have the same role I've had since I got hurt, since the start. There's no difference even though Andre had a great game last week. It's no difference with the gameplan and with me."
The Giants have a tough balancing act to carry out this Sunday. While the team clearly still believes Ahmad Bradshaw is their best option at running back, Andre Brown and David Wilson need their carries as well. Wilson needs to garner all the experience he can as he begins to transition into becoming the Giants running back of the future.
With that, Andre Brown's physical, down hill running style compliments Bradshaw's finesse game, so there's no reason the two can't coexist. For Brown, it's more about keeping up his solid production over the last two games.
"I don't expect anything different," Bradshaw said. "Andre's a great back and when I [saw] him against the Panthers, he helped out our team a whole lot and I expect him to get his carries and to help me out as much as possible. I don't know the gameplan with the Giants with me and Andre yet, but so far it's just the same."
Ahmad Bradshaw is a veteran who will get the opportunity to keep his job in the midst of stellar play from a young, physical Andre Brown. Bradshaw has looked good when healthy this season, so look for this story to stay interesting as the year progresses.
Photo Credit: Mike Gannon
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fanfor55years says:
September 25, 2012 at 3:51 PM
You know, I really don’t care if the call was correct (I think it was, but what I think is of absolutely no consequence). What I want to know is why the consensus “best player in the NFL, far and away best quarterback” couldn’t get his team a single touchdown and left them vulnerable to a discretion call on the last play of the game?
Raise your hand if you think Eli manning would have left the Giants in the same position throughout the fourth quarter? Yeah, I thought so.
I’m sick of the Aaron Rodgers deification. Yes, he is a great athlete. Yes, he has an atomic arm. Yes, he is a very accurate passer. Yes, he has a ring. But show me where he has a long track record of winning critical games under immense duress on the road. Show me where he has that second and third ring hidden. Show me where he made sure in the fourth quarter of two close games this season that his team had the very best chance to win.
You can have Rodgers. I’ll take Eli, anytime, anywhere. And I’d without hesitation say the same if comparing him to Brady, Brees, Payton or Roethlisberger (the only one of the five being compared who may actually be comparable at this point, but I hate him and wouldn’t want him on my team under any circumstances). The “ranking” of quarterbacks by the media, and even by a lot of knowledgeable people like other league QBs (who apparently think Rodgers is the King), is skewed by the fact that people cannot help looking at Eli and his mannerisms and consequently discounting his talent and accomplishments.
Reply
GOAT56 says:
September 25, 2012 at 4:31 PM
I never really thought about it but I do think Rodgers became “the best” too fast according to the talking heads. I think in some ways he has earned everything by his play. But then it seems like he’s never had that clutch come from behind win in a big spot to be at the all time great level he’s thought of to be. Rodgers is a great player but in many ways he’s like Steve Young. Both great players and great talents but it seems there is just not quite the production in big spots there needs to be. Rodgers came into the perfect circumstance like Young in SF and in many ways very similar. yes, they were both replacing all time greats but also were immediately part of a great teams. Of course Rodgers is young enough to leave no questions by the time he retires. The reason why he and a QB like Rivers have all these QB rating records and PPG records is that they sat on the bench for 2-3 years while QBs like Aikman, Peyton, Eli and countless others took their lumps and learned on the field how to be great NFL QBs.
While due to age, I’m not sure I trust some of those other QBs either but it’s fair to question Rodgers some. He has been given king status and king critique should accompany such a status.
Who is saying Rodgers can’t be criticized? I totally agree that he has been given undeserving legendary status with a small sample size. But what does that have to do with the call? The argument people are making that Rodgers shouldn’t have had the packers in that position is ridiculous. It’s like saying that Eli is a lousy QB because he has to come from behind in the 4th quarter every game?
The logic is mind boggling.
Nothing. The Packers scored 12 points last night with the “NFL’s best offense”. And the Rodgers probably shouldn’t have had that much bc they were helped a lot by a bc illegal hansd to the face on the other side of the field from the play and a bc PI both that kept drives alive on 3rd down. This is after needing 7 special teams points in both of the first 2 weeks to add to meager point totals.
Rodgers wasn’t an innocent bystander last night. Yes his OL sucked but just like Vick he was holding on to the ball too long in some cases causing sacks. I give him credit for not turning the ball over but Rodgers so far this year has been more like Alex Smith than the best QB in the game.
Rodgers has looked off all season so far.
that team looks like a mess right now.
You’re preaching to the choir. Tell that to Trent Dilfer you said last night ( before the game) that Rodgers may well be the best QB of all time.
And then of course went on to pick Seattle.
+1
My argument wasn’t “he shouldn’t have had them in that position”. It was why, if he’s so great, didn’t they score enough points to win anyway? I’m sorry, the Seahawks defense isn’t the 1985 Bears, the 2000 Ravens, the Steel Curtain, the 1990 Giants or even the 2012 Arizona Cards.
Being unable to score a touchdown against any defense in the NFL woulod seem to indicate that green bay’s vaunted offense, which revolves strictly around Aaron Rodgers, isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and quite possibly he’s not either.
Rodgers is a terrific quarterback. It’s handing him the putative title of “Best Quarterback in the NFL” that I object to, and not just on behalf of Eli. IMO Eli Manning is the best of them (and the league MVP), but even that absolute creep Roethlisberger deserves, IMO, to be considered Rodgers’ superior, and Brady fits that category too.
Rodgers might be the best but my point is that it’s not as clear as “talking heads” make it seem. Certainly so far thsi season he hasn’t been close to the best. I think there is a group of elite QBs that are fighting on a yearly basis to be the best. Then you have younger QBs like Flacco and Ryan plus vets like Romo and Shaub trying to get into the mix as well.
Now I do think Seattle has a top defense so I don’t think Rodgers is playing badly with the 3 top defenses he’s faced. But not nearly at the level of the no doubt top player in the NFL as proclaimed.
I know Ahmad thinks this is good news.. It really isnt
this.
I feel bad that I agree because I have always like bradshaw. But Brown looks better now and I want to see a few more games to confirm Brown is real.
hahahaha!
Bradshaw was averaging 4.6 YPC before getting hurt? Wow. I would have thought it would have been 2.6.
He was 4.6 against the cowboys, that might be what hes talking about…
he had one long run against the Cowboys when we were down 2 scores and they were playing soft; skewed his numbers up
I’m sorry, but I think anybody subscribing to the theory that our run game suddenly got better primarily by the removal of Diehl from RT is smoking something. Did his terrible play somehow infect the line clear across to the LT such that not a single hole would open anywhere?
No my friends, the holes are mostly the same (yes the RT spot is now better with Locklear there)…it’s the fact that there is a back running through them that has changed.
I think it’s a combination. Though I do think Lockear has more improved the pass blocking.
Been saying Bradshaw’s the problem all offseason and through the week before TB. Where I was wrong was that it’d be Wilson who would prove the OL is good enough.
With that being said, I can’t say Diehl being out isn’t at least a part of it. As you say, it’s not the primary factor.
Agreed. Beatty >> Locklear >> Diehl.
That however, does not account for the INSTANT improvement of our run game across the board.
Dirt says:
September 25, 2012 at 2:02 PM
2 points that haven’t been made about last night’s game, both with a common thread:
Blame ESPN.
1. It was their immediate and uninformed screaming that stirred up this whole mess. Not once in the hour of coverage after the play did anyone appropriately assess all aspects of the play – namely, the rules for what it means to complete a catch: possession, in the field of play, and through the entire pas he alights on the ground. They only quoted the simulateous possession rule. Never what it means to have possession. Whether it’s closer to one’s stomach or not has nothing to do with it.
2. The created false legitimacy of their claims at the time by trotting a retired ref on the set who clearly did not know the rules (which the NFL correctly stated today that the play *is* reviewable in the end zone).
I’m at work and can’t expound, but there are some unhappy suits mad at ESPN on Park Ave
—–
When I wrote this, I hadn’t even considered this. But it all makes sense now:
@sportsguy33: Also: ESPN’s 90-minute SportsCenter that followed MNF last night cracked a 5 rating. Highest rated SC in 17 years. Those are crisis ratings!
Well I have a job and thus haven’t seen the coverage, but ESPN just used the correct rules and footage to show the call was right, and at the very least not able to be overturned with clear evidence that only the defender having the ball.
So, everyone in America complaining about something they clearly have no clue about.
The PI is worth rage, though. Sadly, the commentary is on a correct rule interpretation.
I agree that overall, the hysteria over the actual calls themselves (not just this one, but every game) is overblown. EVERY game the announcers say “the flag came in really late” about 10,000 times, despite the fact that 9,994 of those times the flag was not in fact unusually late…and even if it was, who cares? They immediately say almost every call was bad, even when it wasn’t. More often than not they won’t bother to correct themselves when replay shows that the call was in fact spot on.
However, I still do believe that the real and tangible problem is that the games are simply getting out of control. Whether the calls are correct or not isn’t the biggest issue in my opinion, it’s that the inmates are running the asylum and they’re getting bolder each week.
Yeah, this is just the last straw, but it’s just an incorrect straw. Anger over 7 weeks of BS. With the sheep (as sheep do) following just any argument, regardless of the facts.
In fact, this reminded me of that Calvin Johnson no-TD last year or whatever. By the book, he clearly did not complete the catch, but because “it felt” like a catch, the refs somehow blew it.
Because “it felt” that Jennings made the catch, apparently rules should not matter.
And as I argued last year, I’ll offer the sheep an alternative: you can have black and white rules as they exist today, or you can have gray rules where we leave everything up to individual judgement. Because that’d be smooth.
I’ll take the black and white.
Wow; mind = blown:
Is it a coincidence that NFL refs wear black and white and NBA refs wear gray?
And Russell Wilson … HOFer after 3 games … played like garbage. All these running QBs eventually get pounded down. Once the shine wears off they’ll be starting Matt Flynn.
Bradshaw … is a victim of the curve.
The talent curve for a running back drops off quick and steep. Jacobs was our close-to-home example. But how’s Chris Johnson doing? I’m sure we all can find other examples. It’s the pounding … the wear and tear. And when it starts to slide it’s not pretty. I’ll always think fondly of Ahmad … but this is his last year as a feature back … probably his last as a Giant too.
Just throwing this out there, but is it possible that the actual reason the players and coaches are acting out so much in just to deliberately help the refs union in their fight due to an “us vs. them” mentality? Us being the players, refs, coaches…the people who have unions under Them, the NFL?
I mean, these guys are all professional football people. They couldn’t possibly have lost all knowledge they once had of the rule book just because the refs got locked out. Most of the players, and especially the coaches, have to know damn well that most of the calls they’re crying about are actually correct.
I’m glad someone else finally brought up the other side of the refs story up.
1. By the time Jennings gets 2 feet down Tate seems to have both hands on the ball, which would indicate simultaneous catch. And honestly the more you watch the replay, the more it looks like it could go ether way. This was far from a clear cut call.
2. The perception of the replacements is not close to what the reality is. Yes they do seem to lack control over the game and seem unsure, the Regular officials are better. But these guys have not been as bad as the media and fans would lead you to believe. But the commentary surrounding them is so one sided and negative, it’s almost hard to think objectively about any call they make.
3. The regular refs weren’t that great. I remember a Packers game last year where people were on here screaming. 55 even suggested that the league had a conspiracy to keep the Packers undefeated.
4. I guarantee at some point this season once the regular officials return, at some point people will start asking if the replacements were better, just wait for a game with a lot of questionable calls.
5. The biggest thing these replacements have proven is that if given the chance, people will complain. Human beings love to complain, particularly when theres an easy target ie replacement officials, and the government.
6. Blame the right person. Roger Goodell is not responsible for the refs. That is on the owners, and them not wanting to pay. You can blame Goodell for discipline issues and not leading his owners the way Rozelle did, but this strike is about the NFL owners, John Mara included.
Also, and this is attacking Goodell, how can you not suspend Bellicheck for bumping an official. The NBA has a clear cut policy to protect the refs, you can’t touch them. And if you do you are automatically suspended.
If anything that’s the problem with goodell, the fact that every discipline matter is a case by case basis. There needs to be some sort of standard.
Last comment re: last night.
There are two schools of thought on how to defend a hail mary. Neither is better.
Knock away, and you might swing and miss or knock the ball right into a receiver’s hands (see Lions/Titans game).
Try to catch it, you allow the ball to come down closer to the ground, and may get into a simultaneous possession in what is always going to be a crowd (see Packers/Seahawks game).