Earth, Wind, And Fire: The Giants Running Game?

When you can boast of having one of the most feared ground games in the league, which The New York Football Giants certainly have, and you feature a trio of running backs whom, in most cases could each be legitimate starters on different nfl teams, what more could you ask for? The giants offensive line opens up holes for their runners on a consistent basis, Brandon Jacobs bruises defenders into submission day in and day out, Derrick Ward burst out of his precise cuts like a bolt of lightning, and Ahmad Bradshaw scraps his way through every kind of defender igniting a spark in the offense every time he touches the ball. But despite being among the elite teams in all of football, their true potential still lays far out of reach.

    Earth, Wind, and Fire has been the common theme used to refer to the giants running game. The obvious element (Earth) being Brandon Jacobs, Wind being Derrick Ward, and Fire being Ahmad Bradshaw. But does the coordinator agree with this theme of earth, wind, and fire? Although I believe Kevin Gilbride is an excellent coordinator, with a brilliant mixture of play calling throughout football games that helps to enable ball control, there is still big plays left on the field. As a fan of the ground game i must point out that a 265 pound running back should run between the offensive tackles! With watching each game this season it is easy to notice the frequency of sweeps that are run with Brandon Jacobs, and often with little success. The idea behind these play calls of coarse is to use the quickness, and toughness of the offensive line to seal of the defenders to the inside in order for Jacobs to get the mismatch of facing a defensive back in the open field. But the reality is defenders are MUCH more eager to pursue a runner of his side when he is going left or right rather than straight at them, especially when it is unlikely for him to use a cutback lane. If the play callers want to isolate Jacobs in the open field with a defensive back then simply throw him a pass into the flats. Furthermore; if the giants are looking for a big gain on the ground using a sweep or a pitch Ahmad Bradshaw would be the more logical choice.

    Im also not a fan of the not only lack of misdirection running plays, but also the plays that almost direct the defense the where the runner is going. For instance, when the giants motion a tight end across the line in order to overload a certain side that they are running to, it is a play that begs to be sniffed out in the back feild. Afterall, the most effective way to move the ball is keep the defense guessing. If this play were maybe designed to produce a cut back lane for either Bradshaw or Ward, it would certain slow the pursuit of the defense and keep them honest.

    Also if no offensive rhythm is established in more than three consecutive drives with the same runner, there is no reason to be reluctant to go with one of the other three runners. In last weeks game against the Bengals Jacobs was left in for the majority of the carries in the game (14) despite his dismal yards per carry average (2.5), when Derrick Ward with (9) carries had much more success on the ground (8.9 yards per carry for 80 yards). If ward had taken more hand offs then he did i am convinced that game would have been won much easier.

    With these adjustments in the play calling and the personnel, the giants could even improve on the outstanding rushing statistics they already have. The main focus of the ground game needs to be on highlighting each players attributes, and not selfishly going beyond that. If this committee of runners works together selflessly, the sky is the limit for this teams ground game!