Diehl out and so are bursts by Bradshaw, Jacobs
David Diehl suffered a partially torn hamstring and another muscular injury in his hip on Sunday, sources said. (Sept. 12, 2010) Credit: David Pokress
On a third-and-1 play against the Eagles on Sunday night, Ahmad Bradshaw took a handoff, followed a block by fullback Bear Pascoe, and sliced through the right side of the offensive line for a gain of 17 yards before he was tackled.
It wasn't the most important play of the game, coming early in the second quarter and helping to maintain a drive that ended in a Giants field goal. But it was, believe it or not, the first run of 10 yards or more by a Giants running back since Brandon Jacobs' 38-yard rumble early in the third quarter against the Seahawks on Nov. 7. It was Bradshaw's first double-digit gain out of the backfield since the Monday nighter against the Cowboys on Oct. 25. Take away Eli Manning's ill-fated scramble for 16 yards against the Eagles, and Bradshaw's mini-burst for 17 was the only time a Giants running back has gained 10 or more on a carry in two full games.
The great benefit of having Bradshaw in the backfield is that he can slither through holes, cut back against the flow of a defense, and make something out of nothing. Lately, though, nothing has been remaining nothing.
The Giants are very worried about the dilapidated state of their wide receiver depth, and rightfully so. Playing without Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks this week - and possibly next week - will be a burden on the passing game. But the real concern for them should be correcting their running attack. And that means one thing: getting David Diehl back on the field.
It seems more than coincidental that Diehl's hamstring and hip injury took him out of action just a few plays before that Jacobs run against the Seahawks. When he didn't start against the Cowboys two weeks ago, the Giants had their first game since November 2006 without a run of 10 or more yards. Then they managed just one against the Eagles, again with Diehl on the sideline.
"It really just starts up front," new starting left tackle Shawn Andrews said Monday. "Not to use that as a crutch, but we do have some injuries along the line and we're kind of nicked up. At the same time, you expect the second group to complement the first group and pick up where things left off."
How un-Giants-like is this stretch of two full games with just the one big run and none of 20 or more? Well, they were so good at doing it in their first eight games that they still lead the NFL in runs of 20-plus yards with 15. And although they have averaged just 84 yards per game and 3.6 yards per carry over the last two games, they are still fifth in the league in both categories (138.3 per game, 4.5 per carry).
Tom Coughlin pointed out Bradshaw's run against the Eagles as an anomaly. "Other than that, there was not a lot of daylight," he said.
There may be some rays of hope coming. In a radio interview Tuesday, Diehl said he expects to be on the field for practice Wednesday, although he'll likely just be doing some individual drills. He didn't rule out a return to action Sunday against the Jaguars.
If he does play, expect Andrews to remain at left tackle and Diehl to be at left guard, the spot he was at for the Seahawks game when he was injured. That may not make Diehl very happy, as he's been vocal about his preference to remain at tackle. But Diehl won't grumble too loudly.
Besides, as unhappy as Diehl would be to play guard, Bradshaw and Jacobs will be 10 times happier just to have him back.
