LONDON – As much as anyone, Brandon Jacobs is embracing the idea of bringing his sport to a new continent.
“It will be interesting to see how people react to us,” Jacobs said prior to the Giants’ charter flight here, where on Sunday they will face the Dolphins in the first regular-season NFL game outside of North America. “I’m very excited to play in front of a European crowd.”
For the uninitiated, the sight of Jacobs at 260 pounds taking a handoff and, instead of plowing between the tackles, cutting outside with speed someone his size is not supposed to possess, might be startling. The good citizens of Great Britain should not feel badly, though, as many fans in the United States aren’t yet accustomed to the direction Jacobs and the Giants’ running game has taken.
There was a belief that the playbook would have to be altered or at the very least modified because Tiki Barber was not in the backfield for the first time in a decade. One look at Jacobs seemingly that was needed to determine that what worked for the smaller Barber probably was not going to cut it for the mammoth Jacobs.
The Giants coaching staff did not concur.
“From our first meeting, they said we’re going to keep doing the same things offensively,” guard Chris Snee said.
Through seven games, the running game has picked up where Barber left off. The difference is, this is more of a collaborative effort, with Derrick Ward taking the ball when Jacobs was injured, Reuben Droughns getting the call when both Ward and Jacobs were hobbled and, as of late, Jacobs getting the bulk of the work load.
This does not bode well for the 0-7 Dol phins, who have the 31st-ranked run defense (156.4 yards per game).
To the wonder ment of some, Jacobs is finding the same running lanes to the outside that Barber made a living locating over the years. With David Diehl at left tackle or Kareem McKenzie at right tackle creating an edge and tight end Jeremy Shockey or pulling guards Rich Seubert or Snee bulldozing a path, Jacobs has been able to turn the corner and begin a downhill assault at the underbelly of the opposing defenses.
“I think the guys block it well and we really haven’t changed our running attack a whole lot,” Eli Manning said. “When you get Brandon and those guys outside, they have speed, and those corners don’t like seeing him coming around the edge (and) those safeties really don’t like to, either.”
Jacobs missed three games with sprained knee ligaments, and in the three games since his return has gained 100, 86 and 107 yards. He’s averaging 5.6 yards a carry, often taking the ball to the outside and not getting touched until he is several yards downfield.
“The first six, seven yards, that’s all the O-line,” Jacobs said.
“Tiki was able to run some misdirection plays on the edge of the offense,” Plaxico Burress said. “We got some guys who can get out there and run the ball too. I guess everybody’s starting to see that our offensive line had a lot to do with everybody’s success.”
Mostly, opposing corners try to take out Jacobs’ legs, but he has attempted to counter by slowing himself down, patiently waiting out the defender.
“Let them make the decision if they want to stick their head down there and try to hit low or try and stay up because I’m not going as fast and I can make the move on ’em,” Jacobs said.
Either way, it’s win-win for the Giants.
“You see (Jacobs) coming around the corner you don’t feel as bad when you miss a block on a cornerback because you know he’s gonna run through the tackle,” Burress said. “They don’t want to come up and tackle him, I know they don’t.”