RB Ahmad Bradshaw doesn’t think New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is so tough. “He comes off to everybody that way, but he’s kind of lightened up since my rookie year, since we won the first Super Bowl. So we’ll see what he does after this one.”
Coughlin should be fairly mellow, for him, after guiding his team to the second Super Bowl win in his tenure. Bradshaw made the comment on a return trip to his native West Virginia where he noted his role as the Giants’ premier back with Brandon Jacob’s departure to San Francisco.
Teams are evolving away from workhorse backs that carry 20-plus times per game. Even the Giants long used the one-two punch of Bradshaw and Jacobs. Coughlin will start with Bradshaw as feature back, but he must hope that first-round pick David Wilson (Virginia Tech) quickly works his way into the rotation.
Michael Vick would like to clear something up after saying the Eagles could be an NFL dynasty like the 49ers, Packers and Cowboys of old. “I think any team that wins the Super Bowl is gonna be the team to beat,” Vick said on an NFL.com video. “[The Giants] are champions throughout until somebody else claims the throne.”
Everyone is (ghost) writing books these days. Victor Cruz’ autobiography, Out of the Blue, went on sale Tuesday. He hopes it inspires kids everywhere, especially the Spanish-speaking community.
“Anyone can use my story as an inspiration to teach their students. It’s really for everyone who wants to be inspired by a kid who had his back against the wall.”
For all the concern about the Giants’ secondary, they managed to win the Super Bowl when they and the rest of the defense got hot at the right time. CB Aaron Ross has departed for Jacksonville. S Deon Grant is not with the team. The Giants could be better if two key pieces fall into place.
CB Terrell Thomas is recovered from the ACL injury, his second. Thomas’ absence for the entire season was a downgrade for the secondary. CB Prince Amukamara is rebooting his rookie year after missing most of last season with a foot injury.
“The secondary will be a competitive unit in training camp and might be deeper than last season if healthy,” writes ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “If healthy” are the operative words. Youngmisuk points out that five key players are returning from season-ending injuries, including Amukamara who he calls the wild card.
Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks received “improper academic help” during his junior year on the University of North Carolina Tar Heels football team, according to a story in the New York Daily News. I am shocked, SHOCKED, to learn such things happen in NCAA sports.
What are you going to do about it now? The Tar Heels have already been tarred. Head coach Butch Davis has already been fired. All that is left is to put an asterisk after Nicks’ college records. Shocked!
Forbes Magazine ranks the Giants ninth as the world’s most valuable sports team, and the NFL’s fourth most valuable club.
