NFL

ROOKIE RB BRADSHAW BASHES BUCS

TAMPA – It was early in the fourth quarter, and Ahmad Bradshaw, the rookie from Marshall playing in his first playoff game, uttered words that certainly demoralized the wilting Bucs defense.

“I’m getting stronger, I’m getting stronger!” Bradshaw roared.

Amani Toomer smiled as he told the anecdote after the Giants whipped the Bucs, 24-14, yesterday at Raymond James Stadium.

“He’s a powerful little guy,” Toomer said. “He’s low to the ground, he has very good balance, and he’s a tough guy too. He’s out there at the end of the game letting the defense know that he’s getting stronger and stronger.”

America, meet Ahmad Bradshaw.

“It was an awesome experience, man,” Bradshaw said. “They put me out there and gave me an opportunity, and I just tried to take advantage of it.”

It was Bradshaw (17-66 rushing, 1-9 receiving) who wore the Bucs down at the end. He was the nifty, shifty kid who took the baton from Brandon Jacobs and ran with it, and ran hard with it. He had seven carries for 38 yards on the 15-play, 92-yard, 8:37 touchdown drive that gave the Giants a 24-7 lead and buried the Bucs.

“I was having a blast, man,” Bradshaw said. “The linemen did a great job blocking up front, they opened a lot of holes for me and I hit ’em as hard as I could. They made it that much fun for me, man.”

He’s listed at 5-foot-10, 205 pounds and is hard to take down.

“Brandon’s a hard, straight runner, man, that just pounds on the defense; when they bring me it’s mostly a speed changeup,” Bradshaw said. “I’m able to see the backdoor cuts a little bit more and hit those holes.”

His balance, as much as his quickness and raging running style, is what the Giants love about him.

“That’s something I always worked on, just balance and trying to stay up, and you know what, it’s all paid off in the end, and it’s helped me out a whole lot,” he said.

Eli Manning said Bradshaw’s elusive running style makes him so effective

“He’s just a quick guy; he kinda just hides in there, he gets those tough yards, he runs strong. . . . He just kinda gives that different look than Brandon [Jacobs],” Manning said. “He’s a little shiftier, and if we can keep them both in the game and mix them up, it just gives us a great 1-2 punch.”

steve.serby@nypost.com