Derrick Ward (1 Viewer)

[yetiknight]

I think there's a decent chance that Ward takes over and Jacobs returns to his role from last year. Laugh, joke, yell if you will, but Jacobs is not the answer at tailback.

I agree with this. At the very least it will be a true RBBC. Jacobs will not be getting 20+ carries while Ward and the others only get a few carries. Jacobs simply hasn't separated himself from the pack and if anyone has shown he is the best RB on the Giants, it's Ward.

Jacobs seperated himself from the pack all through mini camp. This thread isn't suprising with all the Jacobs hatred all summer. The guy caught a bad break with his offensive lineman blocking that dallas lineman into his leg on the 7th carry. Before that he was running with alot of authority. Its not like the Giants are 2-0 with Ward running for over 150 yards, then you might have an argument. Sjax isnt running very well, im sure he will be losing his job too?

He didn't separate himself during mini camp and if he did there wouldn't have been any "Jacobs hatred."

Apparently he seperated himself enough to be named the starter?

I would quit while you are behind.

Sorry i dont follow the herd lol. We will see soon enough who the starter is when jacobs is healthy. Matter of fact, your post is the one I plan on bumping in a couple of weeks.

Why? So you can continue to be a tool? If you are right, great. If not, great. Why are you so intent on rubbing people's noses in it if they are wrong? You aren't worth the effort, but I am sure we could bump a number of instances where you were wrong.

How do you think we measure ourselves around here?

By shoe size?

Size 12

 

[yetiknight]

Nobody has mentioned it. The defense of the Giants is so atrocious, it may be the worst in the league. As long as they can't stop anybody they will continue to be in passing mode. They were a pass first offense anyway. If Jacobs comes back at full strength he will still lose PT to Ward due to the scoreboard. Eli may step forward, which helps all players in that offense, but he can't play defense.

Unfortunately, the only thing I know about this situation is that it will be a very long year for me and the rest of the Giants' fans.

 

[Onions]

Jacobs actually looked pretty good prior to the injury. Ward has been productive and showed burst, but I think it's pretty safe to say he's not the answer either.

Why is it safe to assume Ward is not the answer?Just curious what you've seen that leads you to believe Ward can't be a productive RB1 for the Giants.

 

[JohnnyU]

Jacobs actually looked pretty good prior to the injury. Ward has been productive and showed burst, but I think it's pretty safe to say he's not the answer either.

Why is it safe to assume Ward is not the answer?Just curious what you've seen that leads you to believe Ward can't be a productive RB1 for the Giants.

 

[DoubleG]

Jacobs actually looked pretty good prior to the injury. Ward has been productive and showed burst, but I think it's pretty safe to say he's not the answer either.

Why is it safe to assume Ward is not the answer?Just curious what you've seen that leads you to believe Ward can't be a productive RB1 for the Giants.

Because he's not on his roster

 

[-OZ-]

I own ward as well. I just dont see how an 0-2 team and a backup RB who ran for 80 yards is percieved as the starter by some?

Becuase he is starting - and averaging over 6 ypc and is catching passes out of the backfield?

I guess we'll see if he is starting in a couple of weeks then.

Perhaps. or perhaps the end of the season matters more?It's not the 80 yards rushing, it's the 6.4 y/c, the 116 and 125 total yards, and what we see with our own eyes that matter.

It's going to be RBBC when Jacobs returns, we'll have to see who gets what % and how they do with their share.

FWIW, Ward is top 10 in the NFL in rushing right now.

 

[Brutis]

I own ward as well. I just dont see how an 0-2 team and a backup RB who ran for 80 yards is percieved as the starter by some?

Becuase he is starting - and averaging over 6 ypc and is catching passes out of the backfield?

I guess we'll see if he is starting in a couple of weeks then.

Perhaps. or perhaps the end of the season matters more?It's not the 80 yards rushing, it's the 6.4 y/c, the 116 and 125 total yards, and what we see with our own eyes that matter.

It's going to be RBBC when Jacobs returns

Thanks for the info coach Coughlin Hope you werent one of the posters thinking it was a RBBC with leon and Tjones too.

 

[kensat30]

IMO, best case scenario for Ward when Jacobs comes back is:

Ward - Chestor Taylor

Jacobs - Jamal Lewis

Like it not, NYGiant's have married themselves to Jacobs. I think Droughns is the only guy there that could have won the job outright due to him being the hot offseason acquisition, but he obviously has not panned out. Even if Ward looks better than Jacobs, BJ will still get a chance to start when he comes back. Ward would have to be lights out, Larry Johnson-esque, to be the unquestioned starter by the time Jacobs is back, and I'm just not seeing that.

 

[RC94]

IMO, best case scenario for Ward when Jacobs comes back is:Ward - Chestor TaylorJacobs - Jamal LewisLike it not, NYGiant's have married themselves to Jacobs. I think Droughns is the only guy there that could have won the job outright due to him being the hot offseason acquisition, but he obviously has not panned out. Even if Ward looks better than Jacobs, BJ will still get a chance to start when he comes back. Ward would have to be lights out, Larry Johnson-esque, to be the unquestioned starter by the time Jacobs is back, and I'm just not seeing that.

The Giants, and especially Coughlin, need to win so they will play the players who give them the best chance to do that. If Ward is outplaying Jacobs, he will get more touches in the end. They aren't married to Jacobs and will probably make it a RBBC to try to keep both players healthy and go with the hot hand. Also, your statement about Droughns makes no sense. He wasn't a hot off-season acquisition. They traded a player they were probably going to cut for him. They are paying him backup money and have almost nothing invested in him.

 

[WarRedbirds]

You can certainly tell who the Ward and Jacobs owners are in this thread.

C'mon guys, try to show some objectivity.

Fact is...no one here knows how Ward will be used when Jacobs gets back. Until that happens, it is all conjecture (and wishful thinking...)

There...can you tell who I own?

 

[Big Score]

You can certainly tell who the Ward and Jacobs owners are in this thread.C'mon guys, try to show some objectivity.Fact is...no one here knows how Ward will be used when Jacobs gets back. Until that happens, it is all conjecture (and wishful thinking...)There...can you tell who I own?

Well I don't own them either, but I would say Coughlin will give Jacobs his fulltime duties once healthy.

 

[RC94]

You can certainly tell who the Ward and Jacobs owners are in this thread.C'mon guys, try to show some objectivity.Fact is...no one here knows how Ward will be used when Jacobs gets back. Until that happens, it is all conjecture (and wishful thinking...)There...can you tell who I own?

I am definitely biased - I am a Giants fan and want them to play the best players so they will win.

 

[DoubleG]

You can certainly tell who the Ward and Jacobs owners are in this thread.

C'mon guys, try to show some objectivity.

Fact is...no one here knows how Ward will be used when Jacobs gets back. Until that happens, it is all conjecture (and wishful thinking...)

I completely agree, but given the bolded part (which I realize is hardly a given), I though we could generate some insightful discussion on the situation instead of just flinging insults and "opinions" biased by FF owership. [/wishfulthinking]

 

[Loan Sharks]

I think the better Ward does the more cautious they will be with Jacobs coming back, if Ward falters Jacobs will be back sooner.

 

[a_rackowski]

Ward has proven himself to be an excellent backup RB.

Last I checked the Giants were 0-2. Part of the reason is because they dont have their starting RB.

Like I said - Ward is an excellent backup RB, "But if you want to crown his ### then crown him".

 

[DoubleG]

Ward has proven himself to be an excellent backup RB. Last I checked the Giants were 0-2. Part of the reason is because they dont have their starting RB. Like I said - Ward is an excellent backup RB, "But if you want to crown his ### then crown him".

I thought the main reason the Giants were 0-2 was because they have the 29th ranked defense overall and are 32nd (out of 32) against the pass. The Giants rushing offense is 7th in the NFC and they are 2nd in the NFL in YPC - and a large part of the fact that they are only 7th is likely because they are behind early dut to their poor defense.

 

[Squinting Cyclops]

Ward has proven himself to be an excellent backup RB. Last I checked the Giants were 0-2. Part of the reason is because they dont have their starting RB. Like I said - Ward is an excellent backup RB, "But if you want to crown his ### then crown him".

I thought the main reason the Giants were 0-2 was because they have the 29th ranked defense overall and are 32nd (out of 32) against the pass. The Giants rushing offense is 7th in the NFC and they are 2nd in the NFL in YPC - and a large part of the fact that they are only 7th is likely because they are behind early dut to their poor defense.

You tell 'em Double G!

 

[Squinting Cyclops]

You can certainly tell who the Ward and Jacobs owners are in this thread.C'mon guys, try to show some objectivity.Fact is...no one here knows how Ward will be used when Jacobs gets back. Until that happens, it is all conjecture (and wishful thinking...)There...can you tell who I own?

My bias is that I have Jacobs in the subscriber pool, but I STILL think if Ward continues his good performance, Jacobs return will be delayed and likely when back will be RBBC.

 

[a_rackowski]

Has anyone considered how poor the GMEN have been in the redzone? Jacobs will be the man. Ward is a nice backup. He is doing his job.

 

[RC94]

Ward has proven himself to be an excellent backup RB. Last I checked the Giants were 0-2. Part of the reason is because they dont have their starting RB. Like I said - Ward is an excellent backup RB, "But if you want to crown his ### then crown him".

I thought the main reason the Giants were 0-2 was because they have the 29th ranked defense overall and are 32nd (out of 32) against the pass. The Giants rushing offense is 7th in the NFC and they are 2nd in the NFL in YPC - and a large part of the fact that they are only 7th is likely because they are behind early dut to their poor defense.

There are some players on defense (Corey Webster, for example) who are downright stealing money every time they collect their paychecks.

 

[corpcow]

Jacobs actually looked pretty good prior to the injury. Ward has been productive and showed burst, but I think it's pretty safe to say he's not the answer either.

Why is it safe to assume Ward is not the answer?Just curious what you've seen that leads you to believe Ward can't be a productive RB1 for the Giants.

Because he's not on his roster

Uh, no. I don't own either in any of my few primary leagues, and I own both in other periphery leagues (in most cases on the same roster). Believe me, I'm being objective here. Over the past two years, Ward has been on the same Giants team with Jacobs. Granted, he's less of a complement to Tiki than Jacobs is, but he got very little action in either season outside of PR/KR duties. There was talk that Ward might win the short-yardage role during Brandon's rookie year, but that clearly wasn't the case. Last year, Jacobs averaged 4.4 YPC even when many of his runs were short-yardage and obvious running downs. Of course, this also includes 14 rushes inside the 5 yard line, where he scored 7 TDs and averaged "just" 1.1 YPC.

Everyone likes to talk about how Jacobs can't carry the full load and is injury prone, but Jacobs didn't end the last two seasons on IR. In fact, the only noteworthy injury that Jacobs had before this present one was an ankle injury late last year, and he still played the following game.

If the Giants thought Ward was "the answer", they wouldn't have made Jacobs the unquestioned starter, and they probably wouldn't have brought in Droughns. I'm not saying Ward can't be a productive RB nor that he can't be productive for your fantasy team. I don't see him as the type of guy you build an offense around, and I don't think he's "the answer" to the Giants NFL franchise.

Let's put it this way - if Ward wins this job outright, I can all but assure you the Giants will draft or bring in a feature back next year. I don't think the same holds if Jacobs keeps it.

And let me offer another counterpoint to those who say that Ward would have put up better numbers if not for the porous Giants defense - that means that other teams are expecting the pass. While Ward has looked solid, many of his runs have come off nickel and dime defenses playing and expecting the pass.

 

[DoubleG]

If the Giants thought Ward was "the answer", they wouldn't have made Jacobs the unquestioned starter, and they probably wouldn't have brought in Droughns.And let me offer another counterpoint to those who say that Ward would have put up better numbers if not for the porous Giants defense - that means that other teams are expecting the pass. While Ward has looked solid, many of his runs have come off nickel and dime defenses playing and expecting the pass.

While that is undoubtedly true, it's really a wash. What I mean is, that explains his gaudy 6.4 yards/carry, but also is the same reason he is only getting 14 carries/game. My point is simply that if you increase his carries (say to 20 - a conservative numbers for a starting primary RB) but bump is YPC down to a more "normal" 4.5 - you'd still end up around 90+ yards rushing per game. I guess the real questions are:1) Could he hold up given an increased workload?2) Could he maintain a 4.5 ypc with defenses that weren't playing the pass?3) Could BJ do either of the above better? (The answer to 1 seems to be the issue for BJ right now)I'm not trying to suggest that Ward is going to be the next LT. I'm just not so sure that Jacobs is that much better - and if he's more injury prone...Another factor to keep in mind is that Ward has 8 receptions so far. Jacobs had 11 all of last year. Is pass catching part of Jacobs' skill set? (This is a legit question - NY homers help me out here). As you correctly pointed out, Ward was not a complimentary player to Tiki - for one reason is that he seems to have a similar skill set - albiet a little bigger and not as experienced. In other words, it wouldn't make sense for the Giants to spell Tiki with Ward as he's basically a similar style player (hence Jacobs' role last year).Jacobs is a physical freak. He's big, he's fast, etc. I realize that - and IF he could stay healthy, he could be very good. I am not disputing that. In regards to Droughns - he's still there and playing FB. The loss of their FB forced Droughns to take over that role, but even an article on Rotoworld back in August said:

Newsday doesn't believe Reuben Droughns is in danger of being passed on the depth chart.Ahmad Bradshaw, Derrick Ward, and Ryan Grant have all outperformed him in the preseason, but the Giants like the idea of having a proven player behind first-year starter Brandon Jacobs. NBC's John Madden recently threw out the idea that Tom Coughlin would prefer Ward to be his second-stringer.

For those saying that the Giants have too much "invested" in Jacobs to let Ward play over him, keep in mind this:Ward's contract situation: 2007-$360,000---2008-Restriced FAJacob's contract situation: 2007-$435,000---2008-$460,000---2009-FAHardly a huge difference.

 

[corpcow]

I'm not trying to suggest that Ward is going to be the next LT. I'm just not so sure that Jacobs is that much better - and if he's more injury prone...

I still don't understand how you can say Jacobs is "more injury prone". Ward has been on IR more times than Jacobs has been hurt. Just because Ward is healthy now and Jacobs is not does not make Jacobs any more or less injury prone.

Another factor to keep in mind is that Ward has 8 receptions so far. Jacobs had 11 all of last year. Is pass catching part of Jacobs' skill set? (This is a legit question - NY homers help me out here). As you correctly pointed out, Ward was not a complimentary player to Tiki - for one reason is that he seems to have a similar skill set - albiet a little bigger and not as experienced. In other words, it wouldn't make sense for the Giants to spell Tiki with Ward as he's basically a similar style player (hence Jacobs' role last year).

I can't find his full draft scouting report, but here's his scouting report on ESPN. No mention of his receiving skills, but I know he was generally not viewed as a great receiving threat - entering the preseason, there was a lot of talk of Bradshaw taking over that role for exactly that reason.

Comment: Ward is a three-year veteran that was a seventh-round draft pick out of Ottawa College in 2004. He has had a hard time getting much playing time as he has been buried behind both Tiki Barber and Brandon Jacobs. He has also had some health issues and has never been active for all 16 games of any year since he got here. He had no carries in the eight games he was active in 2006 and had just 35 carries in the 14 games when he was active in 2005. He has better measurables with his size and workout numbers than what translates to the football field. In spite of being the ideal size for a power back he does not run behind his pads great and does not break many tackles or appear to wear opponents down. He has a decent burst through the hole but will get run down from behind at times. He is pretty much a one cut and hit it upfield type of runner and lacks the power and explosion to pull it off. His fourth year is going to be critical in that he has to show the ability to be productive on the field. At this point he is just a marginal backup that is not real dangerous as a special teams' player.