HOUND & POUND: It took just one fumble in last week’s 24-17 season-opening loss to Dallas for rookie running back David Wilson to find his way into coach Tom Coughlin’s doghouse. It’s taken a week of practice and extra drills to begin crawling his way out. (
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David Wilson fumbled his first NFL opportunity, but even the worst replacement referee in the NFL would be able to tell that he has recovered.
“He’s a little bit out of the doghouse,” coach Tom Coughlin said.
Now, the Giants’ first-round pick from the April draft is champing at the bit to prove his bark can be worse than Coughlin’s bite, and maybe even show the Buccaneers what they missed when they selected Doug Martin.
Because Coughlin is ready to unleash Wilson.
“I’ve fumbled before, and it hasn’t stopped me from getting here,” Wilson said. “It’s something you don’t want to happen, and I’m gonna do everything in my power to prevent it from happening again. And it might happen again. But, you know. … Take a licking and keep on ticking.”
Wilson — who didn’t relieve Ahmad Bradshaw once after his ill-fated second NFL carry against the Cowboys, and denied he cried on the sidelines — was asked what it will take to leave the Big Blue doghouse once and for all.
“I think we all know the answer to that one,” the rookie said. “Just go out there and raise some eyebrows and play well.”
Wilson, to his credit, put himself through a drill called Oddball, reserved for former culprits on the George Washington H.S. football team in Danville, Va.
“You run 100 yards, for every five yards, you drop down with two footballs,” he said. “Then you gotta get back up without untucking your arms.”
“The running back coach [Chanston Rodgers] at my high school tested me: ‘You know you got Oddball.’ We call it OB. … It was just a name for like being the oddball, like if you got in trouble at school or anything we called it ‘Oddball’ instead of conditioning or whatever.”
By yourself?
“Yeah.”
How many days did you do it?
“Just once.”
The rest of his time this week has been spent drumming into his head the same music Coughlin used to play to help cure Tiki Barber of fumbleitis.
“No matter what — high and tight,” Wilson said. “If I got the ball, it’s high and tight.”
But Wilson said he had the ball high and tight when he fumbled.
“Yeah, yeah, but you gotta drill it in and have it in your mind so it’s natural,” Wilson said. “It wouldn’t have came out if I had a tight grip on it.”
Bradshaw has been making sure the rookie is making sure.
“I told him I’ve been in the same situation as a rookie. I just told him to keep his head up,” Bradshaw said. “Just work on the small things, which is ball security, having the ball in the right hand at the right time. I just told him just get it out of his mind and keep his head up, and I think everything’ll be fine.”
Coughlin clearly likes the kid’s resiliency and determination.
“I’m getting reps in practice,” Wilson said, “so that’s a good sign.”
Wilson was in good humor yesterday, a good sign. When asked about the Buccaneers’ speedy front seven, Wilson said: “Finally!
Another question besides, he fumbled!” Then he laughed.
Asked what has been the worst part of his experience, he said without a trace of annoyance: “The media. They won’t let me forget about it.”
He said was shocked by the amount of attention the fumble has received.
“I’m definitely surprised,” Wilson said. “Quarterbacks throw interceptions and running backs fumble all the time. But as far as a week after the game and still being asked about it, I don’t think that I’ve ever heard of that.”
“I’m definitely looking forward to getting out on the field and being successful,” he said with a chuckle. “But I think even [if] I have a successful game, a question about the fumble will come back up again.”
It is time for redemption.
“Two carries, four yards and a fumble,” Wilson said. “That’ll be something … to look back at and kinda laugh like, ‘Man that was my first game.’ ”
Wilson, 5-foot-9 and 205 pounds, said he is confident he also can be a threat as a kickoff returner (three for 71 yards in the opener).
“The coaches describe me as … any play can be a big play when I have the ball,” he said.
Martin is more of an inside ground-and-pounder. Asked if there might be extra motivation competing with Martin, Wilson said: “Nah. I look across the field and say he’s a rookie running back and I’m a rookie running back and I’m as competitor, so I’m gonna try to outperform him regardless if he was picked in the seventh round and I was undrafted. I’ll still look at him and say he’s a rookie running back and I’m a rookie running back and let’s see how we play.”
Don’t fumble kid. It’s a dog-eat-dog world.
steve.serby@nypost.com