At 6-foot-4, 264 pounds, Giants running back Brandon Jacobs is a powerful workhorse that also has deceptive speed. He’s tough to wrap up and even tougher to bring down — when he’s healthy, that is.
During the 2007 and 2008 seasons, Jacobs averaged five yards per carry, setting up Eli Manning with plenty of high-percentage, short-yardage passing opportunities. With speedster Ahmad Bradshaw and fellow workhorse Derrick Ward also in the fold, the Giants had an unparalleled three-headed monster in the running game.
But last year, like many of his teammates, Jacobs regressed. After consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, the 27-year-old notched just 835 yards on 224 carries, an average of just 3.7 yards each, and his touchdown total plunged from 15 in 2008 to just five in 2009.
Jacobs refused to offer excuses for his poor performance, even suggesting at one point that he’d consider retirement if he wasn’t able to improve his production. But on Friday, he revealed that a nagging knee injury may have been the source of his ineffectiveness.
According to the Newark Star-Ledger, Jacobs underwent surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus in his knee. That ailment likely hampered his ability to plow through defenders as he had in the past, which in turn resulted in his diminished production.
Still, Jacobs was unwilling to cite the injury as an excuse for his poor performance. Instead, he blames himself for attempting to play through it, and is treating the experience as a lesson learned the hard way.
"I would’ve gotten it done Week 1, missed four or five weeks, and came back and played," Jacobs told reporters at the Super Bowl media center.
Jacobs should be at full strength long before training camp, and hopes to rebound successfully from a rough season. If he does, that’s one less thing for GM Jerry Reese and coach Tom Coughlin to worry about as they look to bring the Giants back to the top of the NFC East.
