Brandon Jacobs was nursing a toothache yesterday that was causing more pain than a 300-pound defensive lineman could inflict. “It’s enough to make a grown man cry,” he grumbled while rinsing and spitting into a garbage can in the middle of the Giants locker room at the team practice facility.
Though his mouth might have been hurting, Jacobs wasn’t going to let it distract him from preparing for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving night game at Denver, where two desperate teams meet to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Jacobs has dealt with his share of adversity this year, whether it’s a toothache, a short work week or criticism about his performance. All of it is background noise this week as he tries to help the Giants (6-4) generate some momentum for the final stretch of their season.
“A good finish makes everything look better,” said Jacobs, who will have to pick up the pace with Ahmad Bradshaw almost surely out of tomorrow’s game. “I just hope we can keep this winning going and end up in Miami. It’s a tough task, but we’ve done it before.”
Perhaps when the year is complete, we’ll know exactly how Jacobs feels about the 2009 season; whether he felt underutilized, over-criticized or whether he could have been more productive than he has been. For now Jacobs is only looking ahead and not back.
“I just keep on going out and do what I can do,” he said. “There’s nothing I can change about the whole thing but go out and play.”
What we know is Jacobs hasn’t been the dominating back he was expected to be after signing a $25 million extension last February. Some analysts have said he’s not as aggressive as he once was. His coaches say he’s taken on new roles adjusting for injured players.
The stats show he has yet to rush for 100 yards in a game, topping out at 92 in both the third and fourth weeks. And even though he has averaged a respectable 4.8 yards per carry over the last four games, he has carried the ball just 14 times per outing and averaged just 67 yards in those four games. His second lowest output of the year came in the Giants’ 34-31 overtime win against the Falcons when Jacobs gained 12 yards on his first carry, but finished with only 39 yards rushing and one touchdown after leaving the game late in the third quarter with a bruised right knee.
Jacobs says the knee is fine even with the short week, which is good for the Giants who know their best chance of beating the Broncos (6-4) is to control the football. That means having a successful running game. Jacobs and Danny Ware will share the load, but the bulldozer has always been Jacobs.
While the formula hasn’t been as productive as it was last season, Jacobs thinks the time is right for his 6-foot-4, 264-pound frame to be felt.
The Giants are taking precautions to deal with the altitude in Denver. But Jacobs views the challenge as more about attitude than altitude. This is no time to worry about little things like being able to breathe. The playoffs are at stake.
“You’ve just got to go out to play and not even think about that,” he said. “If you think about it, it’s going to hurt you. It’s just football.”
Jacobs has averaged just 12.7 carries per game over the last five games. He might need to double those touches. Otherwise, the toothache won’t hurt half as much as not making the playoffs.
george.willis@nypost.com