When offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said the other day he does not control the Giants running back rotation -- running backs coach Jerald Ingram does -- that caused confusion and set off a bit of a firestorm around here.
So I reached out to some of the Giants beat writers for their thoughts on the situation. Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News took the bait and offers this interpretation of the lines of authority.
My understanding is that it's basically correct. Ingram sets the RB rotation and Gilbride calls the plays based on who's in. Some of that is because Ingram is on the field and knows better who is tired, who is hurting, etc. Some of that is just delegation of responsibility that's at least a little bit necessary.
Now, I'm sure before hand they thoroughly discuss who is going to be in the game when, and how many carries each guy should get. But if Gilbride is dissecting the defense and calling the offensive plays, you don't want him charting how many plays each RB gets. You want him focused on the scheme and the calls. But there is a plan. For example, Coughlin said he wanted Jacobs in and fresh at the end of the San Diego game -- which he was. It was up to Ingram to make sure of that, so he put in Bradshaw in the late third and early fourth quarters to give Jacobs a breather. But in the end, the Giants got the guy they wanted in the game at crunch time.
I'm also sure that Gilbride knows ahead of time who'll be in on what drive or in what situations -- goal line, third downs, etc., etc. I'm also guessing he probably has the power to scream into the headset "Get me Jacobs". Ditto for Coughlin. Ingram doesn't have complete authority in that regard. He's just in charge of making sure the RBs rotate in accordance with the plan that was discussed during the week.
As I have thought about the situation I figured this was largely the case. Having Ralph spell it out makes me feel a little better, though. I hope it helps you guys, too.
[NOTE: I will post an open thread later today if you guys want to use it to chat about any of today's games.]