Loading ...All things considered, it's been a relatively quiet offseason for New York Giants rookie running back David Wilson. Since being drafted in the first-round of the 2012 NFL Draft, he's made few public appearances and done very little in the way of drawing off-field attention. And as he tells Pat Traina of Inside Football, that's because he needs to be prepared to contribute when called upon by head coach Tom Coughlin.
"I want to learn the playbook, I want to keep myself in the best possible shape because when camp starts, I need to be ready to go," Wilson said. "They drafted me to come in here to make plays, not mess them up."
Wilson is often praised for being a tremendously hard worker with an incredible attitude, and he's already demonstrated that thoroughly. During a down time in which many NFL athletes, both veterans and rookies, are finding themselves in trouble with the law, Wilson has found himself quietly preparing for the next big chapter in his life.
"I just want to go out there, be on the field, and contribute to the team in some way. One step at a time," he added.
Following rookie mini-camp, several of Wilson's teammates and coaches were quick to praise him. Not just because of his work ethic, but because of his unique athletic ability that offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride called "explosive." Quarterback Eli Manning also raved about how quickly he was picking up the offense and playbook, but cautioned that Wilson may not see the field until he had a full grasp on everything the team was doing offensively.
Earlier this month, ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk speculated that D.J. Ware had the inside track on the job to back-up Ahmad Bradshaw, and obviously nothing has changed since then. If Wilson is to earn more reps and an increased role, it's going to happen at Training Camp in Albany which begins (first practice) on July 27th.
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Wilson is gonna be a real player for us, and Eli is right–he ain’t gonna see the field until he proves, in practice and in limited game situations, that he isn’t a liability out there. That means knowing what he’s supposed to do: where he’s supposed to line up, what the checks are, what the blitz pickups are supposed to be. It’s not rocket science, and running backs are typically able to pick that stuff up quicker than their other offensive counterparts. So if Wilson is as smart and hard-working as others seem to think he is, then we should be seeing heavy doses of him by midseason at the latest.
Sigh, hate to jump on your post, but how do you know he’s going to be a real player? Based on run throughs? I’m with you that his college resume and off-season work seem promising, but definitively, you can’t really say. And you’re right, knowing an offense isn’t rocket science, but it’s not easy. Hence the reason many backs don’t see the field on 3rd down. Not to mention the complicated Giants offense… it is difficult. It was difficult in college and high school for most, I couldn’t imagine the pros.
So, what say we all? Does Bradshaw get ALL the carries for the first few weeks? And then, say six weeks in, we see Wilson taking part of the load?
Would the Giants dare to carry only 3 RB’s on the final 53 and make room for another linebacker, or corner? Could Ware/Brown/Scott be competing for only 1 roster spot?
I’d say that it will likely start out a 60-30-10 split between Bradshaw, Ware and Wilson, respectively, with Ware’s share of the carries being encroached upon quickly by Wilson. I’d like to think that by the latter quarter of the season, we’d see something like 50-35-15, with Bradshaw still getting a numerical majority of the carries, but Wilson getting a large amount as well.
Well I hope he comes along very quickly. I love Bradshaw to death, but unless that treatment he got this offseason is actually miracle-gro for his foot, I can’t see him lasting a full season as the premier back. He’s a tough guy but he’s got a lot of miles on him. It would be nice to have Wilson at or near 100% waiting in the wings if Bradshaw’s foot starts acting up again midway through the season.
Yep.
As Mike Tyson famously said, “Everyone has a plan until they’re punched in the mouth.”
The “plan” in this case may be to give the majority of carries to Bradshaw while letting Wilson ease into the #2 role. However, the “punch in the mouth” could be an early injury to the notoriously brittle Bradshaw.
I’m sure Plan B at that point would be to turn to Ware as the #1 back. But after a week or three of watching DJ’s patented “two and a half yards and a cloud of dust” rushing attack, it would not at all surprise me to see the coaches scuttle all previous plans entirely and roll the dice with the rookie.