NFL Rumors: Andre Brown to Push Ahmad Bradshaw for Playing Time?

 

Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE

The New York Giants might soon become the subject of some interesting NFL Rumors surrounding their running back position.

Heading into this season, Ahmad Bradshaw was the bona fide number one running back with David Wilson widely believed to be the number two.  However, he went down with a neck injury early in the Week 2 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Instead of seeing David Wilson get more carries, it was Andre Brown who replaced Bradshaw.

Now, it looks like Brown might even be challenging Bradshaw for carries when Bradshaw returns.  That’s what happens when you gain 184 yards on 33 carries with 3 TDs.  In the Week 3 win over the Carolina Panthers, Andre Brown had 96 yards rushing.  Ahmad Bradshaw had accumulated only 94 yards rushing in a game and a half.

Brown has averaged 5.6 yards per carry while Bradshaw only 4.3 yards per rush.  Certainly Brown’s emergence has given Tom Coughlin something to think about.  When Bradshaw is ready to return, which will probably be next week, he will definitely see a reduction in the amount of carries he sees.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Bradshaw only rushed the ball 13 -15 times while Brown gets at least 10 carries.

It might be a little early to anoint Brown as the second coming of Frank Gifford or Joe Morris but Tom Coughlin will certainly feed the hot hand and that looks like Brown right now.

The reduction in carries might also be a blessing for both running backs who will stay fresher throughout the game and therefore be able to do a lot of damage later in games when defenses are tired.  It worked for the Giants before with Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs.  Now, Jacobs is gone and Andre Brown is ready to take on a bigger role in the offense moving forward.

This situation will bear watching if Bradshaw continues to struggle while Brown continues to shine.