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David Wilson will undergo surgery Thursday to repair a herniated disc in his neck, making today an important day for the future of the New York Giants and for the running back's NFL future. Wilson will have vertebrae fused to repair the herniated disc, and the Giants don't know what to expect.
"You have to look at him differently, because he's got the whole neck issue hovering over him right now," general manager Jerry Reese said. "So he's got to come back and be healthy, number one. He's planning to have surgery, and we'll see how that comes out. Our medical staff feels like he'll be ready to play this fall, but the neck and back - that's pretty tricky. So you never know."
Not knowing whether or not they will have Wilson in 2014 complicates Reese's structuring of the roster, and new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo's structuring of the offense.
Cross your fingers and hope Wilson comes out of this OK, Giants' fans. Regardless of football, the neck is a serious thing to mess with and Wilson is still a very young man.
Now let's look at some of the other stories making headlines around the Giants today.
Ralph Vacchiano wrote a terrific piece on how McAdoo might help quarterback Eli Manning, including the fact that Manning should expect McAdoo to be hard on him:
But what the Giants seemed to want, and what they got, is a fresh set of eyes to look at their problem. It doesn’t hurt that Gilbride was 62 and already pondering retirement, while McAdoo is 36, filled with vigor and energy as he gets started on what many think will someday turn into a head-coaching career.
They wanted a bolt of energy injected into their sagging attack, and it sounds like that’s exactly what they got.
And maybe no one will benefit from that more than Manning, whose roller-coaster career is at another low point. He’s gone from struggling young quarterback, to bust, to Super Bowl MVP, to fluke, to "elite" to two-time Super Bowl MVP, to overrated in dizzying fashion over the years. He bottomed out last season by throwing 27 interceptions — his second season with 25 or more in the last four years.
He liked Gilbride’s offense. It worked for him. He had his best years in it. But he also had his worst years, and McAdoo is just the guy to shake him out of what might be too comfortable of a zone."I think Ben’s going to be tough on him," former Packers backup quarterback Graham Harrell said on SiriusXM NFL radio. "He’s going to coach him hard. That’s one thing I really respected about him while he was (in Green Bay). He tried to coach everyone tough. That can be tough, especially with Aaron (Rodgers) who’s had so much success, who is such a good player."
Jordan Ranaan of NJ.com looks at how McAdoo's offense will force Manning to adapt. Writing for Bleacher Report, Pat Traina breaks down what that offense might look like.
Ranaan also offered five reasons to think McAdoo might be the Giants' next head coach.
Former offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride is gone, but not forgotten. At least not by Seattle Seahawks' star cornerback Richard Sherman, who spent part of Wednesday ripping the retired Gilbride for complaining about the physicality of Seattle's secondary.
"I think he's a guy that's a little bit bitter, and his team didn't score," Sherman said, recalling the Seahawks' 23-0 shutout win at MetLife last month. "You find a way to explain that to save yourself."
Security will be incredibly tight for Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium Feb. 2. Some of the details of that security plan were released on Wednesday.
