Remember Danny Ware? And Gartrell Johnson? We might be seeing one, or both, of them a lot more before the season ends. That's because running back Ahmad Bradshaw admitted Thursday he has a cracked bone in his foot.
Bradshaw also admitted that he is well aware that the bone could break completely at any time, ending his season.
"Well, of course, I know that. It all depends on the bone and how it is in my foot. I just plan on going out there and giving it my all and if it breaks, it does. I’ll get surgery. If not, I’ll wait to the end of the season and hopefully at the end I won’t need it, but more then likely I plan on having surgery," Bradshaw said. "Yeah, it’s a cracked bone in my foot and on the outside of my foot, which is probably the easiest bone to break. There is a chance of it breaking all the way through the bone."
Bradshaw, who went for a second opinion this week, actually has two injuries in his foot. He also has a recurring ankle injury from his collegiate days that is a constant irritation.
"The ankle is here and there. It is pretty much like an old fracture. It was never taken care of. That is just how it grew over with a couple of bone spurs and a couple of loose bones in there. It just heals like that. It is just a lot of pain. Other than that, it doesn’t slow me down at all," Bradshaw said.
My advice to the Bradshawlics -- and all Giants fans? Enjoy AB while you can. It sounds to me like Bradshaw is unlikely to make it through 9 more games, plus the playoffs.
The blitz is coming, the blitz is coming
Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride knows exactly what Eli Manning and the Giants are going to see from Philadelphia Sunday. Pressure on pretty much every play. Gilbride says the 2009 Eagles blitz more than they ever have.
"Believe it or not, they do. It has become more of a numbers blitz, if that makes sense. They have always done a great job with disguising and making it look like they come from the right and then turn around and come from the left. They back it up with some type of zone coverage, often two deep zone coverage. Even though that is part of the package now, it really is that they are more willing to gamble and you’ll see many occasions this Sunday where there is going to be eight guys up on the line of scrimmage, sometimes nine," Gilbride said. "The two other guys who are not coming are anywhere from five to six yards deep. It is an all out, here we come. ‘You have an answer for us, because we are going to pin back our ears and come after you.’ It’s been a philosophical change, there’s no question about it."
CSN Philly columnist Ray Didinger is asking the same question Giants fans have been trying to answer for the past two weeks. Actually, he is asking the same question about both teams.
The Giants lead the NFC East with a 5-2 record. The Eagles are just a step behind at 4-2. That looks good on paper. But how good are these teams, really? We’ll find out Sunday at the Linc.
Until the last two weeks, I thought I had a good feel for the Giants. I thought they were the best team in the division and one of the three best teams in the conference along with New Orleans and Minnesota.
Now I’m not so sure.
They were blown out by the Saints, 48-27, two weeks ago. I was surprised it was that one-sided but the Saints have the No. 1 offense in the league and they are rolling up big scores on everybody. I thought it was just one of those days.
But I was shocked when the Giants lost at home to Arizona, 24-17, on Sunday. I fully expected them to bounce back from the embarrassment in New Orleans – the 48 points was the most they had allowed in a game since 1999 – and maul the Cardinals in Giants Stadium.
When they didn’t – and when they struggled in so many areas – it made me wonder about the Giants. Specially, it made me ask the same question I’ve been asking about the Eagles all season: Are they really just a mediocre team that has fattened up on an easy schedule?
The Giants and Eagles have beaten three of the same teams: Washington, Tampa Bay and Kansas City. Those teams have a combined record of 3-18. The Eagles other win came at the expense of 2-4 Carolina.
The Giants defeated Oakland, 44-7, while the Eagles managed to lose to the Raiders, 13-9. But you get the point. The two teams have spent the first two months of this season wallowing in slop, basically.
The one good team the Giants and Eagles both played was New Orleans and the Saints whipped them thoroughly. The Eagles lost to New Orleans at the Linc, 48-22. So you look at the stats, you scratch your head and you wonder: Are either of these teams legit?
In all honesty, it is a great question.