If this was 2010, the Giants would have added a stud running back in Peyton Hillis and a three-time Pro Bowl linebacker in Jon Beason, giving them impact players on both sides of the ball. The thought of acquiring these two difference-makers on the cheap during the season would have been, well, unthinkable.
It is not 2010 and no one is heralding Hillis or Beason as reason to believe the Giants can find their way out of the 0-6 hole they dug for themselves just because they were less lousy than the Vikings in their 23-7 victory Monday night. But, as the Giants prepare for a strange encounter in Philadelphia — they have lost eight straight on the road and the Eagles own a nine-game losing streak at Lincoln Financial Field — there’s no doubt the newcomers have shed some light amid the darkness.
Hillis was back home in Tennessee hanging out with his wife, going hunting, when the Giants lifted him from the ranks of the unemployed. Beason was wasting away on the Panthers bench in Carolina, fallen from grace, supposedly damaged goods with a bum knee, when the Giants sent a late-round draft pick down south for him.
No, time has not stood still for either player but maybe, just maybe, there’s enough tread on their tires to enliven the Giants, give them an injection of energy and a new vibe to overtake the staleness that conspired to turn a supposed contender into an NFL bottom-feeder.
“To be able to come in a short amount of time and complement your team and play well and contribute, it’s a huge positive,’’ coach Tom Coughlin said on Tuesday, his first day-after of the season that was not a postmortem. “I think it does breed confidence and it does breed the idea that there is something perhaps we didn’t have that now we have. I think the two young men have both, in their own way, inspired others and I hope that will continue.’’
Of the two, Beason clearly appears to have more left in the tank. He makes a statement simply by walking through the locker room, bare-chested, appearing taller and more statuesque than his listed 6-foot, 232 pounds. He arrived on Oct. 4 and his new teammates are already quoting him and viewing him as a player to be followed. His huge hit on Adrian Peterson in the second quarter resulted in a 1-yard loss, helping to force the Vikings into a 53-yard field goal that fell just short.
Beason may not be the player he once was as far as dropping in coverage, but he remains a terror against the run and, at 28, could be a player the Giants think about re-signing, depending how the remainder of the season goes.
“He’s been a godsend for us,’’ Justin Tuck said. “That guy, just his passion for the game and the knowledge. There is so many times out there on the football field he sees things before they happen. He is getting guys in the right spots and he is very vocal. That leadership is something we needed.’’
Coughlin called Beason “A pro’s pro. He’s excited. He loves the game, he loves the competition. He’s physical. When you listen to him you know there’s confidence there. He is bright-eyed, he’s energetic. He’s done a very nice job in a short amount of time.’’
Hillis is only 27 yet he admits he was mentally prepared to call it a career after the Buccaneers released him earlier this season. He was signed last Wednesday and five days later was asked to shoulder a heavy load, with Brandon Jacobs sidelined by a hamstring strain and rookie Michael Cox the only other healthy running back. Cox got the call first but the coaching staff felt Cox at times was too hesitant to hit the hole and so Hillis received 18 rushing attempts and caught five passes for 45 yards. He managed to gain only 36 rushing yards and said his legs early on felt “like Jell-O’’, but he did power in on a 1-yard touchdown plunge and he stayed on the field for 48 offensive snaps.
Once he gets his legs in shape and learns more about the offensive system, perhaps Hillis can be a more-than-adequate alternative to Jacobs until David Wilson and/or Andre Brown returns in the second half of the season.
“He was a very welcome addition and I think he went out on the field, fit right in and did some good things,’’ Coughlin said of Hillis. “That was very encouraging.’’