Giants' Running Backs: What can we expect?
by cjmulrain on Jul 28, 2009 7:55 AM EDT
in New York Giants News
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PrintLast season the Giants rode their three-headed rushing attack, nicknamed "Earth, Wind, and Fire" to a 12-4 record and an NFC East division crown, leading the NFL in both rushing yards and yards per-carry. Despite this success, the loss of 1,000 yard rusher Derrick Ward has led many to label the Giants running game as a question mark entering the 2009 season. Many Giants fans have responded that Ward is an easily replaceable cog in the machine, and there will be little dropoff in production from Ward to Danny Ware and/or Andre Brown. Initially, however, it will probably be Ahmad Bradshaw who will be asked to replace Ward's production, with some combination of Ware and Brown taking up the 3rd spot that Bradshaw covered last season.
Rather than leave it to pure speculation, I've decided to dig into the backgrounds of each player to try to determine what the Giants can expect this season. I've left Brandon Jacobs out of the equation, because he's not being asked to take on a new role and we pretty much know what to expect from him at this point. Let's begin the analysis by looking at the player the Giants will be replacing:
Derrick Ward
We all know how good he's been the past two seasons: 602 yards at a 4.8 YPC clip in only 8 games in 2007 followed by 1,025 yards at a league-leading 5.6 YPC clip last seaon. He also caught 67 passes for 563 yards over that 24 game span. The fact of the matter is that for the past season two seasons, Derrick Ward has been a star running back.
That said, where did Derrick Ward come from? Was there anything in his background to predict that he'd be such a dynamic player for the Giants? Ward started his collegiate career at Fresno St., where he was a freshman All-American. In two years at Fresno St., he played in 20 games, ran for 1,091 yards and 11 TD's, averaged 5.5 yards per carry, and caught 3 passses for 49 yards. Injuries and academic ineligibility cut his career at Fresno St. short, and he transferred to Ottawa University in Kansas for the 2003 season. As a 23 year-old reshirt senior, Ward set NAIA single-season records with 2,061 yards rushing, 28 TD's, and 7.8 yards per carry. He also caught four passes for 47 yards.
Ward's unusual college career was impressive enough to get him drafted in the 7th round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Jets, but he never made their roster. The Giants signed him off of the Jets practice squad, but in the 3 seasons prior to 2007, he had only carried the ball 35 times for 123 yards (3.5 YPC) and caught 2 passes for 13 yards, all during the 2005 season and most of those during a 36-0 blowout of the Redskins.
Other than being named a freshman All-American nearly a decade earlier and dominating an inferior college league as a 23 year old, there was nothing about Derrick Ward that suggested he would become an NFL starter, let alone a star. SI.com, which was the only website whose complete draft archives dating back to 2004 I could access, rated Ward a 2.9, or "future practice squad player."
Ahmad Bradshaw
Bradshaw has become something of a cult hero to many Giants fans, who fondly recall his magnificent game and 88-yard run against the Bills during the stretch of the 2007 season, which he followed up by becoming the Giants leading rusher during the Super Bowl run and leading all rushers during Super Bowl XLII. Just that last sentence alone is more impressive than anything Derrick Ward had accomplished before 2007.
Bradshaw was a highly-touted high school running back who was recruited by the University of Virginia, but was kicked off the team for a brush with the police. He attended Marshall University instead, where he ran for 2,982 yards and 31 TDs over 3 seasons, averaging 5.3 YPC while catching 87 passes for 697 yards. During his junior year, Bradshaw once again got in trouble with the law for stealing a Playstation and decided to take his chances with the NFL Draft rather than stick around Marshall. The Giants selected him in the 7th round of the now-famous 2007 draft. SI.com gave him a 3.23 prospect grade but projected him as an undrafted free agent. Through his first two seasons in the NFL, Bradshaw has rushed for 545 yards, averaging 6.1 YPC and has caught 7 passes for 54 yards.
Coming into this season, Bradshaw has a much more impressive resume than Ward had heading into 2007. He had a much more impressive college career, and in his rookie season alone he accomplished something many Hall of Famers haven't done, let alone Ward (Bradshaw has more career rushing yards in the Super Bowl than Barry Sanders - how's that for cherry-picking?)
Danny Ware
Danny Ware attended the University of Georgia for the same three years that Bradshaw was at Marshall. Ware had a good freshman season but saw his production diminish as he was part of a running back platoon for the Bulldogs over his subsequent two seasons. He totalled 1,510 yards at an average of 4.8 YPC and caught 28 passes for 357 yards.
Ware was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent after the 2007 draft, but SI.com actually thought more highly of him than they did of Bradshaw, giving him a 3.33 prospect grade and projecting him as a sixth-round pick. Ware has spent the last two seasons with the Giants and looked very good last preseason, but he has only gotten 2 regular season carries for 15 yards. Because we've seen so little of him on the field, here's what SI.com had to say about him coming out of college:
PROS: Nice-sized ball carrier who has flashed skill during limited playing time in college. Displays a burst through the hole and solid open-field running skills. Effective receiver out of the backfield. Picks up blocking assignments and gives effort.
NEGATIVES: Not a creative or elusive runner. Does not play to his size, break tackles or move the pile.
ANALYSIS: Stuck in a rotational running back situation at Georgia, Ware decided to opt for the NFL after a minimally productive college career. Possesses the physical skills to play at the next level, yet has an unpolished game which needs a lot of work.
Andre Brown
The final running back in the Giants equation is the most recently acquired one, this years fourth-round pick Andre Brown. Brown is the only one of the four players we're looking at who played a full four seasons in college, though he is still younger than Ward was when he played his one season of NAIA football. Brown ran for 2,539 yards and 22 TDs at a 4.9 YPC clip while catching 70 passes for 631 yards, with 54 of those catches coming in his final two seasons at NC State. Brown was the most highly rated of the four by SI.com, scoring a 3.86 prospect grade and a second round pick projection. Because Brown has no NFL experience, here's what SI had to say about him:
After a sensational freshman campaign, Brown was stamped as a potential early first round pick and featured runner for the next level. He was able to pull it all together as a senior after several injury plagued seasons then really showed off his talents in the post season. He presents himself as a complete back who can carry the ball, catch it out of the backfield, or effectively pick up blocking assignments. Brown will be productive at the next level in a system that rotates ball carriers and makes the most of his versatility.
Conclusion
Looking back at all the relevant information, I think it's easy to see that Bradshaw, Ware, and Brown are at least as capable heading into this season, if not more so, than Derrick Ward was heading into his breakout 2007 season. I don't mean to belittle what Ward did -- he's been one of my favorite players on the Giants the past two years, and obviously it's possible that none of these guys put it together the way Ward did, but it's my hunch that the Giants will be just fine.
One of the most frequent talking points is that Ward was the Giants "receiving back," and that nobody on the Giants is qualified to fill that role. The thing that struck me most, however, was that Ward actually had the least receiving experience of all four backs profiled here. Between the end of his high school career and the beginning of the '07 season, Ward had caught exactly 9 passes. Bradshaw, Ware, and Brown have each had 10+ reception seasons in college - Bradshaw actually caught 56 passes as a sophomore. Somehow, I don't think that part of the Giants game is going to see too much of a dropoff, if any at all.
As much as I respect Derrick Ward and wish him well in Tampa, I have a very strong feeling that the only reason he was a 1,000-yard rusher was the big boys on the offensive line. As long as they stay healthy they will make Brandon Jacobs and whoever else is running behind them look like stars.
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Which one doesn't matter
TC will go with who can block for Eli and who makes the fewest mistakes. All of them can run and all can catch passes reasonably well. Picking up blitzes will be the key.
Giants have three solid options. Like em all. Like Bradshaw best – a gamebreaker.
Bradshaw
is not the greatest blocker though is he? Hopefully he can cut down on the mistakes (fumble prone) and tuck that ball in high (why hasn’t TC taught him this yet?). I’d really like to see him nail down the #2 spot because of that gamebreaker ability you mention. It appears we’ll be fine with whomever takes the #2 role however.
Fumbles?
Check stats before you post that, i know he had them in the superbowl and did a great job of ripping it away from the defender lol but he’s had 2 career fumbles in 2yrs during the season… and never lost any… BJ had 3 last year and lost 1, albeit he had 5 and 4 the year b4 but that was his first time being the guy here sooooo… I think Bradshaw nails down the #2 jsut fine this year, with BJ missing 3 games a year he will be #1 like ward was for a few games…
I have a feeling
That Brown is going to be a no-show this year. Whether it is due to Bradshaw or Ware being quite good and doing what is needed or Brown just does not get it right off, I don’t know. I hope Brown works out though, as he sounds like a fairly promising option.
still a great running game
I never felt that Ward was that great of a running back. I think Bradshaw could have put up those numbers following the beat up d lines that BJ beat up. I wish Derrick Ward the best of luck but I really dont think he will ever put up the kind of numbers he did last season. I really cant wait to see these running backs in motion! how many more days until football season?
Running Backs
Nice article. Seem like we should be good at the RB positions. Wished we had picked up a veteran receiver to beef up the offense.
Very informative post.
In the event Jacobs gets nicked up for a game or two, I wonder which of these players is most qualified to step up to the starters role, as Ward seemed capable of doing on occasion. I feel like I’m in the minority in thinking Bradshaw is not necessarily the future of the running attack for the Giants. Ware did seem like a freshman phenom in college, so it will be exciting to see if he can recapture that level of production behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. I must confess being ignorant of Brown’s career at NC State, so this was a worthwhile read.
theWenz
I wonder too if Ward was overrated from our O-line. Speaking of Ward not having much receiving experience, I was never under the impression that Jacobs had bad hands. I think Ward was a better blocker which is why we was used a 3rd down back frequently.
Honsetly I thinK JAcobs is over rated from the O-line
Im not asying he’s sucks but he’s not very versatile, can’t catch, not a great cut back runner and if he doesnt great holes not much happens. But the Giants are so good at run blocking hes bowling defenders over and no one touches him until 4-5 yards out…
E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!
I've actually heard the opposite
The O-Line plays much better when Jacobs is in the game.. he blocks well, and he cuts back much better than you think.. seeing him fully healthy (first redskins game) he truly runs the ball with finesse and uncanny power
President of the Ramses Barden Fan Club
by Hoyadestroya85 on Jul 28, 2009 8:35 PM EDT up reply actions
no offense
But you haven’t been watching him close enough. They keyed on him in that playoff game, but he’s been great. The guy you are describing sounds more like Ron Dayne
Ward
What people are forgetting about in the continual discussion about our running backs is that they need to be able to BLOCK and pick up blitzes. So many people clamor for Bradshaw and wonder why he doesn’t get more carries – the problem is – how effective can he be blocking LB’s at his size? Not very. The reason Ward and Jacobs were so good for this offense is that they both can pick up blitzing LB’s (Jacobs can HURT them) which made play-action legitimate. I think Tampa got a steal when they took Ward and if I was the Giants GM I would have kept him instead of Jacobs because I don’t feel Jacobs can stay healthy with his style, and I also think Ward is a better all-around back. But I understand that there is no way they could pass on Jacobs for Ward because Jacobs is a cult hero with the “sizz” factor. There would have been a fan mutiny.
Keeping Ward over Jacobs?!
The reason the Giants running backs have such impressive numbers is their offensive line. However, there is another factor that cannot be understated. Jacobs wears down a defense and offers an alternative running style. This allows Ward and Bradshaw to come in as the ‘change of pace’ backs, and they are running up against an already worn down defense. To pass on Jacobs for Ward would eliminate the ‘change of pace’ style, and give the Giants a group of running backs whose styles do not compliment each other in the same way.
Size
Also there are plenty of small RBs that are good blockers. Technique and desire is more important than size. That being said, you are definitely right that Bradshaw needs to become a better blocker to become the true #2.
When I think of small backs being good blockers, the image that comes to my mind is maurice jones-drew blowing up shawn merriman.
by Nine Inch Nails on Jul 28, 2009 11:36 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
westbrook
may be the best blocking running back in the league.. that’s the part of his game that gets overlooked
President of the Ramses Barden Fan Club
by Hoyadestroya85 on Jul 28, 2009 8:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Isn't Ward 30?
Or close to it? You don’t let the younger guy go to keep the RB that is near that end of the road number.
A couple of points
Bradshaw is pretty strong and he’s not as small as you might think — he just looks small compared to Jacobs.
Second, even small guys can block, if they have the desire. Dave Meggett wasn’t very big, but he could blow up a linebacker when he had to.
So I think with Bradshaw, it will mostly be about his motivation level.
by Tucker Fredrickson on Jul 28, 2009 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions
bradshaw
is a gamer. I think he was aching to get out there and play more last season. I anticipate he will be extra hungry to get as many plays under his belt as possible. I think he will be a valuable pass blocker or good enough to give eli a couple more seconds.
Injuries
Ward has had just as many injuries has BJ and Ward’s injuries were alot worse… i dunno Where you get that from at all.. This is Wards first season playing 16 games… Maybe BJ does it this year.. plus he is 2 years younger then Ward and BJ got alot more TDs the Green zone means alot when getting a new contract
O-Line
Can somebody please tell whoever edits the online pics to get the OLD oline pics out of there and at least give the new guys credit? Pettigout was ages ago already.
Four headed RB
Hey if each RB can just rush for at 500-600 yards for the season we’ll still lead the league in rushing. And let’s face it Jacobs will probably get at least 1000 all by himself.
Gints will miss
Ward for a bit, but I have no doubt that most of his ability was due to the Giants O-Line.
He wasn’t all that much in a cut back runner, nor was he all that fast.
Ware and Bradshaw and Brown for that matter all are faster than Ward. They are all not as old as Ward and may not have that savvy in them tho, so it could take a little time.
Whoever is named the #2 will be the one that picks up the blitz the best. Any of these 3 can run and while I ain’t sure about Ware’s hands, I know Bradshaw and Brown have very good hands (Andre Brown has excellent hands actually), so as far as skills go there is plenty of talent to replace and even surpass Ward.
As for Jacobs, you can’t predict injury, tho with him its probable (you can list him as probable every week too…). But backs can evolve, its happened before. He can learn a thing or 2 on how to avoid the nicks and bruises that hurt him. He’s never really had a major injury, so if he learns to avoid the minor ones that could truly elevate him to elite status.
Bottom line, Giants will run the ball. No matter if all 4 of these guys are injured and Allen Patrick or whoever else is forced to be the man. The Gints will run the ball and run it effectively.
Brown
Was a bigtime HS running back recruit. Was ranked #10 in the country (AP and Marshawn Lynch are the only current NFL guys ranked ahead of him him his year.
He may not do much now, but he will be a good RB sometime, somewhere.
real thunder and lightning
tried it with tiki and dayne,and a little bit with tiki and jacobs.if the o-line is healthy,both rb’s picking up blitzers when required ,and ab learning how to use his blockers when setting up for a screen,the team will be in great shape.1100 for bj if healthy and 750 for ab.something i keep reading in all of the boards i check on"bj is a bad reciever"that is simply not true.yes he’s had some drops,but the ones i remember were usually thrown way too hard or off target enough that he can’t do much of anything because he is barely getting his fingers on the ball.people have to remember that isn’t his primary job.his job is to lug that rock 4 1/2 yards whenever he carries and to pass block for manning[at 265 lbs,it’s like having an extra ol on the field]if he gets 15-20 catches a season and averages….say 7.5 a catch,it is a huge bonus for the team.
derek de pinho
Jacobs & Bradshaw
I think that with Bradshaw at #2 the Giants will still have the most effective running game in the NFL. With Jacobs pounding and weakening the defense it will allow Bradshaw to use his cutback moves to get around and through the Dlines.
“And it’s True Blue”
Bradshaw shouldn't be receiving kickoffs
I love the combo of Jacobs and Bradshaw, and with Ward gone I think Bradshaw will have somewhat of a breakout year (although 07 wasn’t bad!). I just don’t like Bradshaw on special teams. This team needs Hixon back as the full-time return guy. A) Hixon always gets us great field position and B)It’s more important to save Bradshaw’s legs for running the ball.
by JustinTuckRule on Jul 29, 2009 10:25 AM EDT reply actions
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