Kelley L. Cox- USA Today Sports
With the apparent fumble problems that David Wilson has exhibited this season, the New York Giants were forced to push the envelope and sign a veteran running back.
The process started last week, after they placed Andre Brown on short-term IR. The Giants brought in a slew of running backs to work out. This past Tuesday, the Giants brought in Willis McGahee and Brandon Jacobs. According to reports, Jacobs had a fantastic workout. I, however, still feel McGahee would have been a better option.
Do the Giants really feel that Jacobs can contribute as a runner and help them win? Only the organization can answer that. Personally, it seems that they signed Jacobs because he already has a grasp of the offense (it hasn’t changed much in the last year), and the learning curve would be shorter.
Though the learning curve is not that great, think back to Jacobs’ last season with the Giants and the way he left. In 2011, Jacobs had 152 carriers for 571 yards and seven scores. The numbers themselves aren’t that bad, but his role was drastically diminished that year because of his attitude and decreasing performance. Though he is now eager and excited to be back in New York, he was just as eager to leave for greener pastures after the 2011 season.
He spent 2012 wasting away on the San Francisco 49ers roster, and made it known via Instagram, where he began to post pictures of himself in a Giants uniform. As a result, he was abruptly suspended and then released. Does Jacobs have a new outlook on playing for the Giants again? Will he be able to step up and perform, and not be afraid of banging with the “Bigs”? Only time will tell.
It does, however, look as though this was an extreme reach made by a desperate team, and it’s only Week 2! Let’s hope that the Giants can once again find the diamond in the rough, and that this move pays off. Jacobs doesn’t have to put up huge numbers for this to be successful, he just has to be able to pick up first downs on short yardage plays, score on short yardage runs, and pass block, because Wilson is terrible in that aspect.
All-in-all, welcome back big fella. We hope this works out and you can solidify the back field.
