Found this on the New York Daily News Website about Ahmad Bradshaw. Ralph Vacciano fielded a few questions about the Giants running back situation and the following questions focused on Bradshaw.
NY Daily News, Emptying the rest of the mailbag
@ebolacolas: How do you think the roles will be for the NYG RBs behind Jacobs?
I don’t think it will be much different from last season as far as how the carries are split up. Ideally, Brandon Jacobs would probably get the majority of the workload - 15-20 carries per game. The No. 2 back will get 10-15, and maybe the No. 3 back gets a couple. The No. 2 back will obviously be Ahmad Bradshaw, whom the coaches love. The only concern is his durability. He had 90 carries in his first two seasons, and the Giants’ No. 2 back last year - Derrick Ward - carried 182 times last year. That’s a huge increase in the workload, and there’s no way to tell if Bradshaw can handle it until he has to. Behind him, I don’t know who to expect yet as the No. 3 back. The coaches seem to like Danny Ware, who has performed well against fourth-stringers in the preseason. But they drafted Andre Brown and his ability to catch passes out of the backfield could give him the edge. Either way, history shows the No. 3 back won’t do much unless one of the first two get hurt. Of course, with Jacobs as the No. 1, that’s likely to happen at some point.
@Mike Costelloe: Can Ahmad Bradshaw pick up Derrick Ward’s mantle and be a 1,000 yd back behind Jacobs? If he’s not, is that a problem?
The Giants think he can. Jacobs thinks he can. And Bradshaw is sure he can. Everybody loves his talent, and there are a few members of the organization who believe he’s better than Derrick Ward. But again, it’s a huge jump in workload. Who knows if his body can take the extra pounding? Lots of guys think they can, but until he actually does it there’s no way to know. Is it a problem if he can’t? Absolutely. As much as everybody seems to be excited about Ware, he has no experience at all. Same with Brown, who seems like a good pick, but doesn’t figure to be immediate starter material. And remember, with Jacobs as the lead back, the No. 2 back on this team will probably have to start 2-3 games or maybe more. If Jacobs gets hurt and Bradshaw isn’t capable of picking up his slack, who knows what will happen to the running game?
@gman31: The Giants need to improve their screen game. Who do the Giants plan on using this year? Ward led all RB in catches.
Well, Brown was drafted in part because he’s a pretty good pass-catcher. But I talked with Bradshaw at length during the offseason about what he can and can’t do, and he said people will be surprised at how good a receiver he is. He believes he can easily step into that role and succeed. Clearly Jacobs won’t be the guy. I don’t have the number in front of me, but I remember the ball bouncing off his hands and pads a ton last season. And I know they liked throwing to fullback Madison Hedgecock at times, but that’s not really a good option either. So for screens, my guess will be Bradshaw will be the guy. One intriguing option, though, is rookie tight end Travis Beckham. Remember, he’s really an H-Back, which means he might line up in the backfield at times, which could put him in position to run a screen, too. And he’s an outstanding receiver with great speed. I don’t know that they’ve got that in the playbook, but it’s an option to consider.
