ALBANY — Justin Tuck didn’t fully emerge as a player and a Giants leader until after Michael Strahan retired. Can a similar metamorphosis be taking place with Ahmad Bradshaw now that Brandon Jacobs is no longer on the scene?
“It’s probably a good analogy,’’ Tuck said yesterday. “I never had Ahmad without Jacobs so I don’t know what the real Ahmad is in that light. I know he probably has the biggest heart of anybody on this football team and we know what to expect from him when he steps on the football field, banged up or not. We didn’t necessarily need him to say anything, we didn’t necessarily need him to be vocal.
“You can just see it’s kind of like a weight lifted. I know him and Brandon are great friendsand he loves Brandon and Brandon loves him, but you can just tell it’s a weight lifted where he can kind of take on that spotlight a little bit now.’’
Coach Tom Coughlin said he’s not sure if Jacobs signing with the 49ers has anything to do with Bradshaw taking a step forward.
“I think it has to do with Ahmad really feeling ownership for this team, he was that way in the spring and he’s been that way in the fall,’’ Coughlin said. “He’s been encouraging. He can say some things that are kind of biting once in a while and I think the guys have come to expect he will say things of that nature if in fact it isn’t where it should be. He can back it up. He backs it up with the way he plays.’’
* Linebacker Chase Blackburn didn’t practice because he got hit in the thigh and Coughlin said “it gradually got worse.’’
In addition, linebackers Michael Boley, Jacquian Williams and Jake Muasau were all held out.
* Coughlin cut practice short by 30 minutes but, he said, it had nothing to do with all the wives and kids waiting on the sideline for their husbands and fathers on a family weekend, with a players day off today.
“We really don’t have many linebackers practicing, that was one of the reasons,’’ Coughlin said. “We didn’t cut any periods, we cut some plays out of some periods.’’
* Rookie tight end Adrian Robinson had a rough day, with two drops.
* After battling through injuries and deaths in his family, Tuck’s body and mind are clear this season.
“There were those kind of injuries and distractions last year for him, unfortunately,’’ Coughlin said. “This year I think he’s more focused.’’