Sports

Giants’ Wilson: Bring on the extra rushes

David Wilson’s eyes grew wider and wider as the questions came at him, fast and furious, just like the way he runs. Now that Giants running back Andre Brown is out for at least a month with another broken left leg, Wilson unquestionably is going to have an increased workload.

How will he deal with that, given he is not exactly Adonis in shoulder pads? How will he hold up with added carries in short yardage? How will his body withstand the punishment of plunges at the goal line?

Finally, Wilson had listened to enough worried speculation about him breaking.

“I’m not like a vase,” he exclaimed.

Brown was a big, big part of the picture in the Giants ground game, with specific packages to utilize his exemplary pass-blocking on third down. He also was going to get a regular turn with the offense, perhaps getting one series for every two given to Wilson, perhaps more depending on the game and the way both backs were operating.

But Brown, according to a source, will be out 4-6 weeks with the small crack near the plate that was inserted last December when Brown fractured his left fibula. There are no plans for Brown to have surgery, and the Giants were awaiting results of yesterday’s MRI exam to determine a time frame for his return.

The Giants can put Brown on injured reserve designated for return, meaning he would have to miss the first eight weeks of the season. A team can use that designation only one time, so the Giants must weigh Brown’s worth against not having that special IR spot if they need it for a star player. Players on the short-term IR do not count against the 53-man roster. Any such move cannot be made until Tuesday.

There are recognizable names available at running back, but that doesn’t mean it’s an appealing list. A source said Brandon Jacobs is in shape and could be ready “whenever needed.” But the Giants are not expected to make a call to their former punishing running back. Other former Giants, D.J. Ware and Kregg Lumpkin, are also unemployed, as are Cedric Benson, Michael Turner, Ryan Grant, Willis McGahee, Tim Hightower, Beanie Wells and Joseph Addai.

With a cast of unproven characters on the roster — Ryan Torain, Da’Rel Scott and rookie Michael Cox — expect the Giants to sign a running back with some NFL experience to offset the loss of Brown. No matter who is brought in, expect Wilson to have the ball in his hands more often in his second NFL season than was planned. The Giants will need him to provide the big plays and the small ones, to the outside and also up the middle.

“Most definitely, I run in between the tackles,” Wilson said. “Don’t get confused by my size, I’m a physical guy. I’m from the country. I grew up chopping wood and building houses with my dad. I’m well put together.

“I know I can do it. People just judge off my size. I’m looking forward to getting in there and getting those tough yards.”

Wilson is only 5-foot-9 and at times seems to disappear among the bigger bodies around him. He is short, but not small — he weighs 205 pounds and is very solidly built. Still, Tom Coughlin said he has to make sure he does not overuse Wilson, and the coach will have a rushing attempt total in mind.

“I think you have to have in the back of your mind a little idea about the number, and we do,” Coughlin said. “I’m not aware of what the number might be, but I’m sure we’ll work that out.”

The number won’t be small just because Wilson isn’t big.

“That’s not an issue for me,’’ Coughlin said. “He’s powerful. He’s compact. He has tremendous leg strength, which is his forte.’’

In the preseason game Thursday in which Brown was injured, Wilson made a big, under-the-radar play when he muscled up and picked up a blitz by safety Adrian Wilson, giving Eli Manning the time he needed to find Louis Murphy for a 37-yard gain.

“The carries, the amount of workload, all that,” Wilson said, “it’s not a big factor for me.”