Jacobs has chance; will he run with it?
Brandon Jacobs #27 of the New York Giants rushes for a touchdown during the third quarter against the St. Louis Rams. (Sept. 19, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
That was quick.
Just two days after vowing to change his attitude from the pouty, self-pitying running back he'd turned into, Brandon Jacobs will get his chance in a way he might never have imagined.
With starting tailback Ahmad Bradshaw's status in question because of a stress fracture in his right foot, Jacobs must step up in a big way. He needs to show the Giants he's ready to turn the page on his early-season petulance and become the kind of reliable, between-the-tackles running back who once was a focal point of the offense.
If Jacobs really wants to make a statement that he's ready to stop complaining and start playing, there's no better time. With the Giants facing the meat of their schedule after feasting on mostly NFL lightweights early on, Jacobs will need to carry the running game the way he did when he was a two-time 1,000-yard rusher.
More of the inept play he has produced so far -- only 126 yards on 42 carries -- and the Giants are in serious trouble until Bradshaw makes it back. Or, given the uncertainty of his latest injury, if he comes back.
Jacobs insists he's up to the task. And he'd better be if the Giants are to have a chance against New England on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots have won 20 straight regular-season games.
The formula undoubtedly will include a lot of Eli Manning passes against the soft underbelly of the Patriots' surprisingly weak pass defense, but it also should include a healthy dose of a ground game featuring Jacobs.
Not only do the Giants like to feature a strong running attack, but chewing up the clock with a capable rushing offense will serve the dual purpose of keeping the chains moving and keeping Tom Brady's explosive offense on the sideline.
That's the way the Giants played it in Super Bowl XLII after the 2007 season, when they scored that huge upset over the previously unbeaten Patriots. And they should use a strong dose of running this time, too.
But it all depends on which Jacobs decides to show up. If it's the guy who imposes his will on would-be tacklers with his 6-4, 265-pound body -- as he did in the preseason, when he averaged 6.1 yards per carry and seemed refreshed after a frustrating 2010 season -- he can be the force who once was at the heart of the Giants' top-ranked rushing offense in 2007. That's when the Earth, Wind and Fire troika of Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Bradshaw dominated opposing defenses during the Giants' Super Bowl season.
But if it's the guy who ran on his tippy-toes against the Dolphins, gaining 10 yards on four carries, the Giants are in trouble.
Jacobs was booed that afternoon for one of the only times in his career, an indication of how frustrated Giants fans have become with his inconsistency. Especially after he said the week before that he wanted the ball more.
Jacobs insists he wasn't troubled by the reaction. "I wasn't upset," he said Thursday. "That's just playing here in New York. I play for my teammates and this team. That's it."
Jacobs says he'd like to play for his teammates and his team another three years. Now is the perfect time to show he's worth the investment.
"What would be better than the opportunity that he's going to get now?" offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. "He's been clamoring for a chance. The chance is here. This is an opportunity."
Jacobs said he had "a good talk'' with coach Tom Coughlin Thursday. He wouldn't divulge details, other than to say he felt better after speaking with him.
Gilbride believes Jacobs will be the key to victory against New England. "I think in the past he's been physical," he said. "He's been a physical blocker. He needs to do that Sunday or we're not going to have much of a chance."
Gilbride's prediction: "I think he will."
If his head and heart are into the game, Jacobs has a chance. If not, it will be more of the same from a running back whose time with the Giants almost certainly will come to an end after the season.
There are only so many chances for a 30-year-old running back in decline, and that's what Jacobs will be next summer if he doesn't seize the opportunity he now faces.
It's all right there in front of him.
