STEPPING UP: David Wilson (right) said he and Andre Brown “have big shoes to fill” with the loss of Ahmad Bradshaw. (N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg)
At the end of last year, Ahmad Bradshaw knew his sixth season with the Giants might be his last.
The veteran running back told rookie David Wilson it would likely be the case, but naivete prevailed.
“I was surprised. I really wasn’t expecting that,” Wilson told The Post of his reaction upon learning Bradshaw was released in February. “Towards the end of the season he was talking about it a little bit, but I didn’t believe it. He was hurt, and he still had over 1,000 yards and he did whatever he could to help the team win. He’s the one who taught me what I know about this offense.
“We got big shoes to fill because he’s a tough running back, and he did all the things necessary for the Giants to win games. He got two Super Bowls while he was here. He left a great impression behind for us to follow.”
Wilson said Bradshaw called him right after he was released to wish him luck in his future with the Giants. The 21-year-old now enters his second season likely slated to start and share carries with Andre Brown, after Bradshaw signed with the Colts on Tuesday.
Wilson, a 2012 first-round pick, lost a fumble on the second carry of his pro career and struggled in pass protection. So, despite his seemingly superhuman speed and success as a kick returner, he only saw 18 carries in his first 10 games.
But with injuries to Brown and Bradshaw, the rookie received 43 carries in the final four games of the season and averaged 5.7 yards per carry. He rushed for three touchdowns and caught another.
Opportunity came, but for most of last season, Wilson felt like it could be snatched away at any moment. This season, he is looking forward to returning to how he has always played, no longer thinking it’s an ultimatum between six points or a substitution.
“Mentally, it helps a lot, knowing that you can go in there and get four yards on a carry and you’ll get another carry,” Wilson said at yesterday’s minicamp. “Last year it felt like four yards on a carry was a negative for me, so I was trying to score every time.
“I had to find a place on special teams for over half the season. I had my shots here and there and I took advantage of them, I felt. I showed I can be productive.”
Brown was drafted by the Giants in the fourth round in 2009, but was released the next year. He then bounced around four different teams in a three-month span.
Not until the Giants’ second game of last season did Brown get his third-career carry, but he seized a share of the spotlight with eight touchdowns and 5.3 yards per carry on the season, which ended for him in Week 12 with a broken fibula.
“Getting injured and all the trials that I went through to even get there and show what I can do in the league, it was disappointing, but I’m just happy to be back out there,” Brown said. “I still feel like I got a lot to prove. … I’m really anxious to get some pads on and hit somebody. It’s a lot of buildup for that and I’m looking forward for this season.”
Tom Coughlin said he has liked the consistency he has seen from both backs during organized team activities and minicamp, and Wilson thinks their speed-power combination will benefit both backs.
“We bring some of the same things and different things and I think that’s where it sets us apart,” Wilson said. “When you balance out the two, that’s how you win games and we definitely need to win games because the Super Bowl’s here this year. That’s where I want to be.”