Giants' Brown returns hungry from injured Achilles

Many of the players who get their first taste of an NFL game Monday night will have waited a lifetime for the opportunity. For one, it will have been a lifetime plus one year.

Running back Andre Brown should by all rights be entering his second year in professional football. But a ruptured Achilles suffered in one of the last practices before last year's preseason opener put him on the shelf for the entire season. While the Giants were roller-coastering through an 8-8 season, Brown was recovering from surgery and trying to become the first running back that anyone can ever remember to return from such a devastating injury. In fact, even though he was still a Giant, he refused to attend any of the team's games. He wanted to wait until he was playing to see his first NFL contest.

There were times when it looked like he might not make it back, even as recently as this past spring.

"A couple months ago, I thought it wouldn't happen," he said, noting some setbacks and lack of confidence in his surgically repaired lower leg. "Now, I'm out there running and playing football again. I'm enjoying every minute of being out there."

The moment he'll enjoy the most will be Monday night, of course, when he finally gets his chance to run through an NFL tunnel and participate in an NFL game (preseason though it may be).

"I'm going to be hyped, I'm going to be amped, I'm going to be emotionally ready, nervous," Brown said. "But once I get out there, I know it's going to be all fun and this is what I wanted. I'm living my dream."

Despite not having enough strength in his foot early this spring, Brown said he no longer thinks about the injury. Not even Saturday, which was the anniversary of the play in which he went out for a pass in the red zone and couldn't get up. He said he feels strong, that he no longer even thinks about making cuts. And his speed?

"It feels a little faster out there," Brown said with a smile.

Tom Coughlin smiled, too. "I would expect him to say that."

The Giants drafted Brown in the fourth round in April 2009 and had hopes that he could help in the backfield and become a replacement for Derrick Ward as a pass-catcher who can also run between the tackles. Now that it's the 2010 season, they're still hoping to see that kind of play from him.

Not only hoping, but rooting.

"As far as his heart, his desire, you get even hungrier when you sit around all year long," running backs coach Jerald Ingram said. "It was sad. He had some spurts last year where we were like, 'Hey, this is a guy we drafted who has some talent out there,' and he hadn't had a chance to get on an NFL field and play in a game. So he's excited."

Brown said he expects he'll get some reps at kickoff return and will take some handoffs at running back in the second half. He's been working behind Ahmad Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs and D.J. Ware in the backfield in camp, but the competition between him and Ware for the No. 3 job seems very tight. Brown could wind up being on the 45-man roster for the real opening day against the Panthers next month.

"I'm looking to turn this little sad story into a great story," he said. "That's what I'm going out there to do, be the first Achilles guy to come back and make something positive out of it."