Coughlin happy Jacobs is healthy, surprised he's unhappy

Tom Coughlin said he was “surprised” to see the Brandon Jacobs comments about being unhappy with the way he has been used this preseason and presumably will be used in the regular season. Jacobs has been relegated to the backup behind Ahmad Bradshaw since the start of training camp, and he’s shown signs of his unhappiness but finally came out and said it after having zero carries in the Patriots game.

But Coughlin also said he spoke with Jacobs today and he’s confident that Jacobs is “well aware of where we are and what we’re doing. He’s very confident in his relationship with Jerald Ingram and he and Jerald are on the same page and I don’t think there’s an issue there.”

Coughlin also suggested that part of the reason Bradshaw has had twice as many carries as Jacobs this preseason – besides Jacobs missing a game with a neck injury – was an effort to keep the big guy healthy.

“The big thing that’s important is to realize that Brandon is as healthy as he’s ever been prior to the start of the season and that’s a good thing,” Coughlin said. “We’re looking forward to the opportunity to play with our multiple running game, with our ability to use our power back in combination with Ahmad and Danny Ware. At this point in time, I do feel good about our ability to use multiple people at that spot. As you well know, over a 16-game season, you’re going to need them.”

“The idea of having all these guys healthy has always been our first and foremost,” Coughlin added. “Obviously they’ve got to put the work in, but that’s always been one of the objectives. To the extent of how the individual is used in these preseason games, there is always a regard for how many snaps (they get) and it’s all thoroughly planned. Brandon didn’t get the number of snaps that were intended for him last night, but the end result of having him ready for this season is still in place.”