Glauber: Bradshaw-Jacobs tandem has Giants on roll

As much as the Giants have come to rely on the prolific right arm of Eli Manning since his arrival in 2004, it is the far less glamorous mode of ball movement that has been equally important in the Manning-Tom Coughlin era.

No change this year.

With Manning just about on pace for a second consecutive 4,000-yard passing season, it's the revitalized running game behind new starter Ahmad Bradshaw and starter-turned-understudy Brandon Jacobs that has been a major factor in what appears to be a turnaround from last year's 8-8 season.

Heading into tonight's game against the 1-4 Cowboys, the 4-2 Giants have begun the season with six straight 100-yard rushing games, the team's longest such streak since they opened the 2008 season with that many. They led the NFL in rushing that year with 157.4 yards per game on the way to a 12-4 record. The 2010 Giants are fifth in the NFL in rushing, averaging 136.3 yards.

No accident they're back atop the division.

"We've had better years, but I think we're getting better as a unit," said Jacobs, who lost his starting job this year to Bradshaw, the team's seventh-round pick in 2007. "You need to be balanced and not allow teams to know what you're throwing at them next."

Opposing defenses therefore can't accurately predict whether the Giants are throwing or running, which is always an advantage for the offense.

The only thing different this year is that it's Bradshaw leading the way in the rushing game. Giants general manager Jerry Reese took a calculated gamble in his first year on the job by taking Bradshaw in the final round, and that decision now looks like genius.

Bradshaw's talent was never in dispute; his off-field problems in high school and college, which resulted in a jail sentence in 2008 on a parole violation stemming from underage drinking and petty larceny, made him a risk.

But Bradshaw, who is 5-9, 198, has turned into a terrific player, with no off-field problems so far.

"I think Ahmad, with his understanding of this offense, is a very talented runner and he makes big plays just being an every-down back," Manning said. "Whether it's third down, his pass routes and his catches, he's becoming that full running back. He's done a great job . . . understanding what he needs to do to get better."

About the only thing Bradshaw hasn't mastered is the art of the interview; he's about as reluctant a public speaker as there is in the Giants' locker room. But the team couldn't care less. As long as he's performing so well his words - or lack thereof - don't matter at all.

It is a major role reversal for Jacobs and Bradshaw, who previously played the roles of "Earth" and "Fire" in the Giants' 2007 trio of "Earth, Wind and Fire" that also featured Derrick Ward. Back then, it was Jacobs leading the way, with Ward up next and Bradshaw thrown in for good measure.

There have been some fumbling issues early on this season, but Bradshaw's productivity has more than offset the problems. He entered Week 7 as the NFL's third-leading rusher - and first in the NFC - with 582 yards. Barring injury, he will shatter his previous season high of 778, set last year.

History says the Giants' continued success on the ground bodes well. Consider: When Coughlin's Giants went to the playoffs each year from 2005-08, the team never finished worse than seventh in rushing. With them at fifth best on the ground, it says here they make it to January again as long as those numbers hold up.