N.Y.Giants: The Long Successful Run To Daylight Is Over

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

 

JOE MORRIS

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Big Blue's Long Proud Contiguous Chain Of Running Backs Has Snapped.

Just so you know, former G-Man Ahmad Bradshaw will undergo neck surgery, and miss the rest of the season.  So, in all likelihood, he would have been of no use to the Giants had they retained him.  In essence, the Giants would have been in the same situation they find themselves at this very moment.  Think of it this way, by letting Ahmad Bradshaw walk to Indianapolis, the Giants were able to retain Victor Cruz.  The reality is, that equated to a personnel net gain of zero, which circles back to the current state of running game, doesn't it?  Meaning - Net Gain Zero.

In David Wilson's defense, he's been attempting to rush behind the Giants worst offensive line of the last fourteen years.  He's no doubt a partial victim of bad timing in that respect.  The front five couldn't push a refrigerator right now.  There is no taking away the marvelous season Wilson had returning kicks last season.  Over 1,500 yards led the entire NFL.  In fact, his career is starting similarly to Tiki Barber's; returning kicks, fumble issues, and accused of being undersized.

Wilson should only be so lucky.

Potential talent aside, David Wilson is now stored energy.  He will miss Thursday night's game against the Bears with a neck injury that threatens to keep him out longer - maybe even the entire season.  That still remains to be determined.

What if I said David Wilson also represents a glaring break down in the system?

I'm afraid the long successful rush towards daylight is over.  The torch passed from Joe Morris, to O.J. Anderson, to Rodney Hampton, to Tiki Barber, to Brandon Jacobs, to Ahmad Bradshaw, has been dropped and extinguished.  Even guys like Ron Dayne, Gary Brown and even Charles Way did their part to keep things moving down field.

The difference between all those guys and David Wilson is this - Every single one of those running backs overlapped each other.  Since Joe Morris, the Giants have always smoothly transitioned from one back to another.  Morris played with O.J., Otis played with Rodney, Hampton played with Tiki, Barber played with Jacobs, and big buddy Brandon played with his little buddy Bradshaw.  Then..., Jerry Reese handed Brandon Jacobs his walking papers two seasons ago, and opened the door for Ahmad Bradshaw last season.  In this long succession of backs, David Wilson was the first one to go into a regular season solo.  At this point, I beg you please - Andre Brown is inconsequential.  I'm not even inclined to say the injured Andre Brown and David Wilson would, or could have formed a formidable duo.  Unless you blindly see life through Big Blue colored glasses, I respectfully ask, who the hell is Andre Brown that we should rue the day he got injured?  And so I reiterate, the search for daylight just went dark.  There is a failure in the system, and it's not necessarily with David Wilson.  He is a byproduct.

For the moment, let's leave Brandon Jacobs out of this.  The Giants will enter Thursday night's game against Chicago with a backfield of Da'Rel Scott, who they cut last week, and a rookie, Michael Cox.  In the name of Frank freakin' Gifford, have you ever recalled such a circumstance?  I have!  And it was a long time ago.

I hope I'm clear in making my point, which is, the contiguous chain of running backs has been snapped.

The O-Line is indeed as bad as perhaps fourteen years ago, and deserves rightful blame for much of the current offensive dysfunction.  Jerry Reese did not transition this unit with the urgency it demanded.  The offensive line had long ago peeked and was already in steep decline entering the 2011 SB season.  Now that Chris Snee is done for the season, that means four of the original Big Five record setting linemen inherited by Jerry Reese are done.  David Diehl is the last man standing.  Reese replaced Shaun O'Hara with an ineffectual, and expensive David Baas, and Rich Seubert with a growing question mark and equally expensive Will Beatty.  Rookie Justin Pugh replaced Kareem McKenzie, and now the Giants will juggle Jim Cordle and James Brewer to accommodate the loss of Snee.  The Giants offensive line was allowed to grow old together, and these are the consequences.

Should I pile on and speak of the tragedy which is tight end?




Mike.BTB