Rare back-to-back practices for Bradshaw

INDIANAPOLIS -- It's a Super Bowl Miracle!

For the first time in more than three months, Ahmad Bradshaw practiced on back-to-back days. The running back with the cracked bone in his right foot usually spends most of his week watching practice instead of participating in it, but with the week off and the ultimate urgency of this game against the Patriots, he worked Wednesday and Thursday.

"It just gives us all a lot of confidence, me and my teammates," the running back said Thursday just before the second of his rare midweek appearances in the huddle. "It doesn't do anything but help me just to be out there, get the feel of the team, get the feel of the different blitzes the other team brings. Just to get the flow."

Bradshaw said he plans to rest Friday and Saturday.

"I just want to be healthy on Sunday," he said.

He won't be, of course. He's played the last two months with the foot injury, a painful condition that usually limits his practice reps to Fridays only. He missed four games this season, including the one against the Patriots. But he won't miss this one.

The Giants will need him, too. If the Patriots play the same kind of defense they did Nov. 6, they'll be daring the Giants to run the ball.

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"I think they wanted to see if we could win running the ball because they played a lot of two-deep against us," offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. "They mixed it whether it was two-man or two-zone, but they did not give us as many one-on-ones as a lot of people did."

The Giants also were without Hakeem Nicks in that game. With both playing, the Patriots likely will have to decide again which they'd rather stop, the run or the pass. They're facing a team that had the fewest rushing yards in the league this season, so it seems like a fairly obvious choice. The Patriots probably will give up running plays to protect against the passing plays.

Bradshaw said he's feeling "great" right now. The week between games has allowed him and others to rest and come back refreshed.

"It was a recovery phase for us," he said. "A lot of guys were able to get back healthy and get the soreness out for a week. That always helps. This week is for preparation and recovery and to focus and get a lot done."

There was one slip-up Thursday. According to the pool report from practice, Bradshaw, who was listed as limited, took a tumble while running through the offensive line on one play. He quickly hopped up, the report said, and showed no signs of limping. "It looked like he tripped over the fullback's foot," Tom Coughlin said. "But he's fine."