Brandon Jacobs unwilling to Run through walls anymore? (1 Viewer)

[Hipple Long Ware & Peete]

a very interesting piece.

Bigger Problem for Giants: Tentative Steps by Jacobs

By WILLIAM C. RHODEN

East Rutherford, N.J.

Antrel Rolle stood in the corner of the Giants’ locker room on Wednesday as 30 members of the news media asked him to clarify the critical remarks he had made about the team’s lack of leadership. Rolle criticized the Giants’ coaching staff — read Coach Tom Coughlin — for being too rigid.

This was old news for many of us, but news to Rolle, who played five seasons for the Arizona Cardinals before joining the Giants in the off-season.

When a team wins, control is called discipline. When a team loses, control becomes oppressive. In the wake of a 38-14 shellacking by the Indianapolis Colts, Rolle said the Giants’ problems were not limited to players.

“It’s not all about the players sometimes,” he said during an interview Tuesday on WFAN. “Things have to change. If you want a winning team, if you want a team that has a competitive attitude and to have that dog mentality, sometimes you have to let that team be a dog. Everything can’t be controlled.”

Predictably, Rolle was called into Principal Coughlin’s office, where he apologized for going public before coming to the coach.

On Wednesday, Rolle did not back down. “I stand by my words,” he said. “What I said is what I said.”

The reality of the young season is that the Giants have a larger problem than a veteran speaking his mind. The larger problem is Brandon Jacobs, the 6-foot-4, 264-pound power runner.

Two seasons ago, Jacobs set the tone for a grinding physical presence. He rose to prominence in 2006 and again during the Super Bowl 2007 season by using the power game. Jacobs was a pulverizing freight train, the embodiment of everything that makes football so entertaining — bone-crunching runs, a willingness to run through the proverbial wall.

There are not-so-subtle signs that Jacobs no longer wants to consistently run through that wall. The reluctance is part of a tension that indirectly led to a helmet-tossing episode Sunday night in Indianapolis — and that directly led to a $10,000 fine by the N.F.L.

The incident occurred in the third quarter shortly after Jacobs bounced outside on a second-and-8 and was tackled for a loss.

The Giants have become increasing frustrated with Jacobs’s penchant for dancing instead of running up the middle with reckless abandon, as he once did. Coughlin screamed at Jacobs as he came off the field, and the helmet was tossed soon thereafter.

On Wednesday, Jacobs apologized practically to the entire state of Indiana, but the larger issue is his running style.

Jacobs is conflicted. He understands the need for the Giants to get back to playing physical football. “I can set the physical tone when the opportunity is given,” he said.

But he does not want to be a consistent jackhammer. “I just feel that I can go straight ahead and hit some folks and that’s all people want to see: 1-yard, 2-yard gain, which I’m not absolutely happy with,” Jacobs said. “But if that keeps people off my back, sure.”

Jacobs said he would like to be put in situations “when I’m able to get out and use other styles as well as run over someone; I want to get out and showcase that.”

Jacobs has made an excruciating climb to the N.F.L. He started at a community college, transferred to Auburn and then transferred to Southern Illinois. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Giants and has done a wonderful job — up to this point — of proving that he belonged.

Like most of us, Jacobs has run through his share of brick walls when told to do so.

But with so much conclusive evidence about the cumulative effect of pounding on long-term health, even the most gung-ho football players have begun to question the wisdom of consistently running through walls.

Jacobs and the Giants have a difficult task: coming up with a balance between pile driving and dancing.

The Giants and their fans want Jacobs to go back to being the battering ram he used to be. Jacobs missed five games with injuries in 2007 and three in 2008. At age 28, he would like to play a few more seasons. How many 33-year-old power runners do you know?

The Giants’ power running back has encountered a wall he no longer wishes to consistently run through.

E-mail: wcr@nytimes.com

 

[jwb]

The problem is, that's why he's in the NFL. Because he's a pile-mover. That's his value to the team. He's a mediocre runner otherwise, which we can all see.

I feel bad for him - he's done everything he needs to, and at this point in his life, he just doesn't want to be a constant battering ram. But the team has little use for him otherwise. I don't know what his contract situation is, but if he continues down this path, he'll be cut next year.

The NFL is a tough gig.

 

[Frot]

Yeah, the cold facts are if he chooses not to run through walls that is his choice, but without that he is not good enough to be an NFL player. That's ok, none of us are good enough either. But he'll have to come to grips with that.

 

[Avery]

Believe it or not, (and I'm guessing many will say "not", but hear me out) Jacobs really isn't running all that differently than he did when he was a force to be reckoned with. The difference is the offensive line which is getting blown off the ball on most running plays.

You get Jacobs to the second level with a head of steam, like the Giants constantly did during their most recent Superbowl run, and he will plow over defense backs and even linebackers. This year and much of last, the Giants RBs are being met at the LOS at best, and behind the line almost as often. A shifty RB like Bradshaw can make some of his own hay and juke a guy or two to get some positive yardage but that's not the player Jacobs is.

Again, he's much the same player he was but that type of player can be negated much more easily with poor run blocking/good run stuffing than a shiftier type.

 

[jdubs952]

Believe it or not, (and I'm guessing many will say "not", but hear me out) Jacobs really isn't running all that differently than he did when he was a force to be reckoned with. The difference is the offensive line which is getting blown off the ball on most running plays.You get Jacobs to the second level with a head of steam, like the Giants constantly did during their most recent Superbowl run, and he will plow over defense backs and even linebackers. This year and much of last, the Giants RBs are being met at the LOS at best, and behind the line almost as often. A shifty RB like Bradshaw can make some of his own hay and juke a guy or two to get some positive yardage but that's not the player Jacobs is.Again, he's much the same player he was but that type of player can be negated much more easily with poor run blocking/good run stuffing than a shiftier type.

100% right. Get Andrews in there. Hedgecock was done last year. Jacobs actually looks fast again this year. He is also a much better pass protector than bradshaw.

 

[steelwind]

Totally reminds me of Barber. Barber does not run over people anymore. Look at his ypc now. Chances are Barber is a FA next year.

 

[SeniorVBDStudent]

The problem is, that's why he's in the NFL. Because he's a pile-mover. That's his value to the team. He's a mediocre runner otherwise, which we can all see. I feel bad for him - he's done everything he needs to, and at this point in his life, he just doesn't want to be a constant battering ram. But the team has little use for him otherwise. I don't know what his contract situation is, but if he continues down this path, he'll be cut next year.The NFL is a tough gig.

Twinkletoes needs to watch some gamefilm of Curtis Martin, Eddie George, Earl Campell and Mike Alstott and understand what it takes and what it means to be a runningback in the national football league. Or he needs to GTFO.IMO.