Loading ...With the departure of Brandon Jacobs to the San Francisco 49ers this offseason, the New York Giants will spend a significant portion of training camp searching for a viable backup running back heading into the 2012 campaign. With sixth-year veteran Ahmad Bradshaw as the clear-cut starter, there are several players that will compete for playing time in a backup role.
This offseason, the team used its' first-round draft pick on running back David Wilson out of Virginia Tech. However, veteran D.J. Ware appears to have the upper hand in securing the backup role, at least for the time being.
D.J. Ware stands 6'0" while weighing in at 225 lbs. He has good size and runs the ball hard in between the tackles. However, he is not particularly fast and is neither a big play threat nor a great receiver out of the backfield.
That being said, Ware is still extremely valuable to Big Blue's passing attack. His emergence as the favorite to take over the backup running back role is heavily dependent upon his advanced knowledge of the offense compared to that of his competitors. He is not as explosive as David Wilson or as fast as Da'Rel Scott, but he has been around long enough to become an asset as a pass-blocker. The team used Ware last season primarily in passing situations and he performed well in that role. Furthermore, Ware had a few nice runs on draw plays out of the shoutgun, which proved that he is capable of making the occasional big play.
D.J. Ware's biggest competitor for the backup running back role is this years first-round draft pick David Wilson. Wilson is a fast, explosive player that was used in a multitude of roles during his three seasons at Virginia Tech. He earned 4,349 all-purpose yards for his career, while integrating himself as an indispensable aspect of the team's rushing, passing, and return games. His diversity is a major reason why general manger Jerry Reese selected Wilson with the team's first-round pick. In a post-draft interview, Reese stated the following:
"He’s fast. He’s productive. He can do anything you want him to do. He can catch the ball. He can return kicks. I think he was overall ACC Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year there. He’s an early-out junior. Terrific football player."
The other competition for the backup running back position comes from Da'Rel Scott and Andre Brown.
Da'Rel Scott is widely reported to be the fastest player on the Giants' roster (4.34 40-yard dash). Although he showed flashes of brilliance during the preseason last year, Scott only saw five carries in the regular season and he averaged a mere 3.2 yards per carry. However, because of the NFL lockout, this offseason is the second-year player out of Maryland's first opportunity to go through the full gauntlet of workouts and OTA's. With a year of experience under his belt, Da'Rel Scott could become a contributor at some point this season.
Andre Brown is perhaps the biggest mystery on the Giants' running back depth chart. In his four-year career at NC State, he averaged over 4.4 yards per carry each season. However, after being drafted by the Giants in the fourth-round of the 2009 NFL Draft, Brown ruptured his Achilles tendon in training camp the same year. He was waived by the Giants the following offseason.
After bouncing around the league in 2010, Brown was brought back by the Giants and spent most of last season on the practice squad. Although Brown saw no regular season action with Big Blue in 2011, he has has shown the capability to be both a rushing and receiving threat out of the backfield in practice. If demonstrate an understanding of the offense, Brown could make the 53-man roster.
The situation at backup running back will be one of the most contested positional battles throughout training camp. There are several players that each have their own strengths and weaknesses that they bring to the table. However, D.J. Ware is the only player being considered that has any significant experience in that role. Look for him to see the majority of the snaps as the second running back on the depth chart during the beginning of the season.
However, as David Wilson, Da'Rel Scott, and Andre Brown each learn the playbook and pass protection schemes more thoroughly, Ware will most likely see a decreased role within the offense as the season progresses.
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Ware will get more touches than his skillset warrants, but only until Wilson demonstrates the mental and physical ability to pick up blitzes. I’m sure there will be those who scoff at such a statement, but the fact of the matter is that, until he can be relied upon to either pick up the blitz or run the appropriate passing pattern out of the backfield or after the fake handoff, Wilson’s presence on the field early on could tip off defenses that the play is going to be a run. It’s sort of like who Beckum’s inability to contribute as a blocker tips the defenders that he will very likely be going out on some sort of pattern, and thus signifying that the play will more than likely be a pass.
Wilson’s a smart kid, and he will have excellent coaching and peer-mentoring, from guys like Eli, Bradshaw, Ware, Coughlin, Gilbride and even the veteran receivers. He’ll get there, but until he isn’t a liability, we’ll be seeing Ware.
*sort of like how
Well, I would like him to be an early favorite to be a surprise cut, but I think Kujo is right. The faster Wilson can learn the offense the better off the team is for sure. Ware brings next to nothing to the table athletically, never seen someone get arm tackled so easily.
Bradshaw is above average at picking up the blitz, but a terrible receiver out of the backfield. Wilson catches the ball well, but let’s assume he’ll at least start out as a poor pass blocker. Since neither of those 2 can do both, Ware’s spot on the team is secure, I think.
Don’t sell Ware TOO short. He’s not great, but he’s good enough, I suppose. I’ve always been more of an Andre Brown guy, but lest I incur the wrath of norm, I’ll just say that Ware is decent enough to be the 2nd/3rd guy on an offense that is rapidly evolving into pass-first attack.
The day David Wilson can read and pick up blitzes cannot come soon enough. He will vault from the #4 guy on the depth chart to the #1 guy within weeks of his being able to get on the field consistently. This kid is extremely talented. But we have to be patient with him. It may take until at least the last quarter of the season before he can contribute much (despite the brilliance he will almost certainly show in preseason games when he’s in along with Carr and Perrilloux, whom the coaches will expose when they won’t dream of allowing that with Eli).
Ware probably is the #2 guy come September. But I really doubt that will be the case come December.
I see very very little in Ware. I don’t think he’s good enough to be the #2 guy in any offense even if it’s a pass first offense. We’ll have some extremely talented and good football players cut when we choose the final roster. It will be a shame to see Ware stick, but he probably will.
Reese is somewhat caught with his pants down at the RB position. He’s got a very talented rookie that won’t be ready til the 2nd half, a solid but brittle #1, Brown coming off a crippling injury for a RB, Scott who might be out of the league in 2 years. It will all probably work out, but it’s the area where we are probably most exposed going into the season. I hope Wilson is as football smart as I think he might be.
Worst case scenario – Bradshaw gets hobbled, Wilson fumbles early in the season, thus TC sidelines him for way too long. Then it becomes the Ware and Brown show…yuck!
I’ve said this before, but I believe Ware is the #2 this year unless something surprising happens and it has nothing to do with David Wilson.
I think Wilson’s touches will come at the expense of Bradshaw rather than Ware.
Remember that time when Adrian Peterson burned through two quarterbacks his rookie year because he blew those blocks? I’m all for Wilson starting on the bench, until he learns how to block. After all, there’s simply no place better to learn blitz pickup than the friendly, structured environment of the practice field.
Same with Randle. How can he be reasonably be expected to beat a guy and catch a ball at this early point. Clearly, from all the NFL games he’s played, we know he has less talent than, say, did a rookie Dwayne Bowe (70 rec, 995 yards) or a rookie Julio Jones (54 rec, 959 yards). Nope. He’s gotta learn first in his position drills the fundamentals.
Safe to say, we’ll have a far better and more quarterback friendly offense in the sure hands of Danny/D.J. Ware and Domenik Hixon.
I do believe that the art of blitz pickup and the development of an understanding of the play book is best learned in the classroom and practice field first rather than in real game situations. There’s an expectation of being relied upon not to get your QB killed, at least on this team. Sure other teams, such as the Vikings or the Chiefs or Falcons might go about things differently. But our approach–more specifically, Coach Tom Coughlin’s approach–has resulted in more success in the development of masters of their craft and championships than those other teams. We have options at RB and WR, which is a good thing. We don’t need Wilson or Randle to be rushed into situations they may or may not be ready for. I hope they both come on like gangbusters and send Ware and Hixon to the trash heap. But I’m not going to disparage the time worn approach of this coaching staff. It’s yielded results, whereas fanatic impatience has not.
With all due respect, I disagree.
1. What, specifically, is so difficult to understand in blitz pickup for a running back? Certainly the responsibilities are not on the same level as say a surgeon, or requiring the same brainpower as the analysis of the Cuban Missile Crisis. You know the play, you understand the blocking scheme, you pick up the free blitzer, if he comes. If a player you’ve selected with your first pick, who has played this game his entire life, who you’ve decided to pay millions of dollars to, and you’ve had in your training program for 4 months before your first official game is such a blocking liability, either you can’t coach, you’ve chosen the wrong man or you’re overly fearful of something happening that no one here has probably ever witnessed: a blue chip running back getting his quarterback killed.
2. More importantly, because Coughlin has chosen to do things a certain way, does it make it the only and best way to do it? Sure he’s won some games and some rings. He’s a great coach. So was Bill Walsh, who played Jerry Rice as a rookie. Certainly his pedigree and lack of experience in West Coast offense at Mississippi Valley State never made the great Bill Walsh hesistate to put this potentially great player on the field. He rewarded him with a 241 yard game as a rookie as well. How about the less great but equally accomplished Mike Shanahan, who started a 6th round rookie Terrell Davis and put all the pressure of protecting the future Hall of Famer John Elway on his shoulders. Davis started the season, started 14 games, and had 1,100 yards. And shortly thereafter, just in time catapulted Elway to his only two championships. Who the hell was Terrell Davis before he showed up and made an impression at camp and the preseason?
You imply Coughlin’s approach creates better players. I respectfully couldn’t disagree more. For starters, it can’t be proved (like most provocative sports arguments!). But, more importantly, I think you get your talent on the field and let them figure it out. Maybe if Bradshaw gets a carry in the first 12 games of his career, Reuben Droughns isn’t helping to run the team nearly out of the 2007 playoffs. Sure, they won, great. Maybe they’re a 12 win team if Bradshaw plays from day 1. If Manningham has game experience to compare to his mental reps, maybe he has a clue when Plax shoots himself in the leg. Instead, he shows up in the lineup with 1 career catch (in a blowout) and all the weight in the world of his 11-1 team on his shoulders. Maybe throw him some balls in some of those other blowouts that year? Nope, and subsequently lose 4 of their next 5, including the most embarassing playoff game this blogger has ever attended.
Because teams like the Chiefs and Vikings have had less success overall, it doesn’t mean putting young bucks out there was somehow the wrong decision. You say we don’t need to put them out there for situations they may not be ready for. I can guarantee you if they’re not on the field, they have a 0% chance to prove they’re ready for it and contribute. It’s like sitting a star basketball player in “foul trouble” who finishes with 4 fouls. Sure, he didn’t foul out. But he didn’t contribute all he could. What a waste.
3. Unrelated but somewhat related to this post: norm the other day considered the one hand washing the other effect of coach and quarterback, saying how hard it is to give credit to one over the other. Respectfully, it’s not hard with this team. This team was outclassed in 3 of 4 quarters in nearly every single game this past season. The fact is, the great Eli Manning dragged his coaches and teammates out of the dumpster on at least 9 occassions (7 comeback wins, 2 near misses in Seattle and San Francisco), not to mention the comeback on the biggest stage. Fact is, if someday we ever discuss Tom Coughlin as an all time great, he owes a reach around and more to THE GREAT ELI MANNING! Coughlin is in the hall of above average without Eli. Methinks Eli’s still winning championships with Wayne Fontes coaching this squad (exaggeration for effect).
I do not think comparing Wilson to Jerry Rice is a great comparison because they play different positions and they needed to overcome different obstacles in order to see playing time. However, for every Terrell Davis who comes in as a rookie and lights it up, there is a multitude of Ron Dayne’s, Lawrence Phillips’, and Ki-Jana Carter’s. I think that Wilson should be allowed some time to develop and adjust to the NFL game. There is no reason to throw him to the wolves just yet.
Ron Dayne rushed for 770 yds and 5 td’s as a rookie and fumbled only once. Lawrence Phillips was a criminal and a head case, the exact opposite of who Wilson appears to be and Ki-Jana Carter just had the misfortune to play for some putrid Bengals squads before injuries ruined him.
Wilson is coming into a fantastic situation. Our passing attack has to be respected, teams can’t load the box or Eli will carve them up. While the Giants passing attack is complex for the receivers, it seems pretty basic for our RBs, so I’m not worried about Wilson learning his routes. Blitz pickup is always talked about with rookie RBs but as Dirt points out, it seems people liken blitz pickup to figuring out the secrets of the universe. I’ve read nothing to suggest that Wilson lacks the intelligence or the work ethic to become proficient enough at blitz pickup to surpass DJ Ware on the depth chart.
The point is that for every successful running back there are several others who fail to produce.
Thats said, Wilson will pass Ware on the depth chart eventually this season. But I do not think any of us should be down-playing how hard it is to learn the pass-protection schemes. Its probably a lot easier said than done, especially with all the checks that Eli goes through at the line of scrimmage. I think Luv2Salsa said it well the post below.
Addendum to point 1: many respected football experts claim running back is the easiest transition from college to the pros.
A couple of points:
1) The #2 spot is probably Ware’s to loose, and the coaching staff and front office hopes that either Brown or Scott out performs him in camp. Relying on Ware for 15-20 carries a game would be “disappointing”, methinks.
2) There’s only room on this roster for 4 RB’s. Bradshaw and Wilson are locks. Brown, Ware, Scott (and perhaps Martinek) will compete for the other 2 spots. Because of experience, Ware certainly has an advantage over the others. Brown may surprise. Scott needs to show more lateral movement.
3) I think we’ll see Ruben Randle take some plays at flanker in 3-wide sets very early. They can give him a few plays each week and by mid-season he’ll be a star. This is a relatively low-risk approach. If he blows his route, Eli won’t throw it to him.
4) Wilson won’t be the #2 guy right away. He may not even get many touches at RB in the first few weeks, unless he’s a real quick study, or he’s in some very vanilla ground and pound schemes. Picking up the free blitzer sounds easy. But when Eli audibles from run to pass, then checks the protection based on a defensive shift, and then multiple guys blitz, and then a lineman makes a mistake…well a young guy could have problems keeping his quarterback healthy. This is not to say they won’t make some plays for him. But don’t expect him to play a whole series, the way Jacobs did. Not at first at least.
5) Who do you want as the 2013 RB’s. You probably don’t want either Brown or Ware. Would you go with Bradshaw, Wilson, Scott, and Martinek in 2012? Probably not. Too big of a gamble experience-wise while in “win now” mode. So you keep Ware (or Brown) and try to get Martinek on the practice squad.
6) Let’s not forget that Ware has had concussion “issues.” This is why, I think, they kept Brown on the practice squad. They really didn’t expect Ware to last the whole season.