Back in 2011, Weston Richburg got his right hand — the one he snaps with — caught in a defender’s jersey, causing a fracture that seemingly should have put him on the bench.
Instead, Richburg began snapping with his left hand.
“You don’t see a lot of guys doing that,’’ Richburg said Friday night from his home in Bushland, Texas.
No, you don’t. Richburg, with what he called “a big, old goofy-looking cast club,’’ on his right hand, didn’t miss a game. All did not go smoothly, as he put one on the ground snapping with his left hand, ending a stretch of 1,179 successful snaps for Colorado State.
The Giants hope their new center, taken in the second round of the NFL Draft, does not have to make such drastic adjustments, but they do anticipate him getting on the field rather quickly. They signed former Broncos starter J.D. Walton as a free agent, but Walton has not played an NFL game in nearly two years because of a serious ankle injury. With physically beaten-up David Baas off the roster, the Giants need a new starting center to anchor their offensive line and let the battle begin between Walton and Richburg.
“Last year we had a couple injuries early on the offensive line and it was pretty devastating, we had to bring some guys in that struggled some at those positions,’’ general manager Jerry Reese said. “So we’re trying to make sure we have enough depth at every position. This guy will help provide that for us.’’
In the third round, the Giants made a kid from Jamaica, Queens very happy, taking Syracuse defensive tackle Jay Bromley. Instead of watching the draft, he was in a grocery store with his girlfriend and was so shocked to be selected this high — expecting rounds 4-6 — he thought the Giants scout on the phone was lying to him.
“Oh, the home team, my favorite team, this is crazy,’’ an excited Bromley said. “Big Blue! And then I get picked by them, it’s amazing.’’
As expected, the Giants are loading up to improve an offense that broke down in 2013, as they used their first-round pick on receiver Odell Beckham Jr. It was clear the Giants wanted to upgrade their offensive line, but it was a mild surprise they went for a center rather than a tackle. Richburg was a four-year starter at Colorado State, a team captain and he entered the draft with a singular goal: “I wanted to be the first center selected,’’ he said, “and it turns out I was.’’
Both Reese and coach Tom Coughlin mentioned the center position as in integral spot in new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo’s system with Coughlin stating the center will have increased responsibilities in calling the protection schemes. That Richburg is a natural center who started a school-record 50 games in college and is considered a cerebral player will work in his favor.
In what Reese called “a bonus,’’ the 298-pound Richburg is quick enough to get out and pull, something most centers are not required to do.
“He was terrific,’’ Reese said. “He was an ideal pick for us, a clean pick. A lot of things we liked about him.’’
Bromley is the third player taken by the Giants who was a team captain in college, something Coughlin said “is always an emphasis,’’ but maybe more so this year. The Giants like that Bromley had 10 sacks this past season, but even more than his production they are drawn to his attitude.
“He’s been an underdog all his life,’’ said Marc Ross, the Giants’ vice president of player evaluation. “You’re going to have to kill him to get him off the field.’’
Bromley, who graduates from Syracuse on Saturday afternoon, said he and his girlfriend were planning on watching “Gravity’’ before movie night got postponed by the call from the Giants. He thinks it is “surreal’’ to be a member of the Giants.
“I know, the defense … that’s the thing,’’ Bromley said. “The defensive line, that’s why I love the Giants. Osi [Umenyiora] and [Michael] Strahan, it’s like, man, I grew up watching that, when they beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl, the sacks they get and the pressure, it’s so exciting because I love to sack the quarterback. And like that’s what they do.’’