John Munson – USA TODAY Sports
There is no doubt that New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is the unquestioned leader on offense and the leader and captain of the entire team. However, many people know Manning isn’t an emotional guy, so he clearly isn’t the emotional leader of the team. On defense, there’s no question that safety Antrel Rolle and defensive end Justin Tuck are the emotional leaders.
However, who’s the emotional leader on offense? In years past, it was easily running back Ahmad Bradshaw. One needs to look no further than the Giants’ game against the Washington Redskins at home last season. On a particular play, Bradshaw had a decent gain on a run, but he felt as if there were more yards to gain had wide receiver Victor Cruz blocked his guy. Bradshaw promptly let Cruz know about it, slapping Cruz on the helmet rather hard.
That’s the kind of guy Bradshaw was for this team during the past couple of seasons. Bradshaw is only 5-foot-10, but he runs through tackles better than most running backs in the game. His ability to take the field despite nagging foot and leg injuries inspired the team, especially the offense. Bradshaw is now gone, being released this offseason mainly because of those nagging injuries he played with. His release was mostly due to the fact the Giants wanted to be more flexible financially.
Running back Brandon Jacobs was another player on the team who was an emotional leader. Jacobs was a huge running back who sometimes put fear in opponents. However, he was released shortly after the team’s Super Bowl XLVI win. When glancing at the offensive players who are most likely to start now, there isn’t anyone similar to Jacobs or Bradshaw.
Cruz definitely displays tenacity whenever he’s making plays, but for him to fill that void left by Bradshaw, he needs to be more encouraging of the other guys as well. The Giants just may have to go this season without having that type of player on their offense. While Bradshaw’s contributions were huge, the Giants will be just fine not having an emotional leader on their offense.
