
New York Giants running back Paul Perkins runs with the football against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a preseason NFL game at MetLife Stadium on Friday, Aug. 11, 2017. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
During the offseason, Ben McAdoo took the unusual (for him) step of naming Paul Perkins the Giants’ starting running back. McAdoo, however, appeared to crack the door open a bit for other options on Sunday.
“At the running back position, Paul Perkins has an opportunity to go out and establish himself,” he said. “I look forward to seeing him getting more carries as we go through the preseason and into the regular season.”
This a day after McAdoo griped that Perkins should have gotten more than seven yards on his first run against the Steelers on Friday night. That might not be significant, but it could seem that way to at least one Giants player. Orleans Darkwa, settling in as the second-string running back, would love a promotion.
“I think any running back, if you don’t have the mentality that you want to be the guy, then what are you doing?” Darkwa said. “Obviously, he said [Perkins] is the starter, but I try to go in with the mentality that I want to be the starter and take his job. I think that pushes everybody.”
Darkwa knows that’s a long shot but also sees it as his job to say those kinds of things and act on them.
“Obviously, he’s not going to be complacent at that position,” Darkwa said of Perkins. “He wants to make sure he solidifies that spot. But every running back in that room is trying to do that same thing.”
Manning rusty?
McAdoo has been impressed with the play of Eli Manning in camp, calling him “consistent” and “productive.” But on Sunday, after Manning had a few days away from the field and sat out Friday night’s preseason game, McAdoo saw something else.
“He seemed a bit rusty today,” he said after Manning had a few passes knocked down by the winds at the Meadowlands and was picked off to end a two-minute drill.
Any critical words associated with the starting quarterback, particularly a 36-year-old one, naturally will carry more weight, so McAdoo quickly tried to downplay his assessment.
“I don’t know if that needs to be a headline, but I’m sure most of you may use it,” he told reporters. “We need to get him back and get him some work. I know he’s excited to get back to work.”