Will David Wilson ever play football again?
The answer to that question remains a mystery, even with the news on Thursday the second-year running back will undergo neck surgery next week, attempting to correct a problem that limited him to five games this past season.
“You have to look at him differently, because he’s got the whole neck issue hovering over him right now,” Giants general manager Jerry Reese said in an interview on WFAN. “So he’s got to come back and be healthy, number one. Our medical staff feels like he’ll be ready to play this fall, but the neck and back — that’s pretty tricky. So you never know.’’
On Jan. 16, Wilson will have a fusion of the vertebrae to repair the herniated disc in his neck. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Frank Cammisa at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
Wilson started at running back Oct. 6 against the Eagles, rushed six times for 16 yards and scored his first and only touchdown of the season before leaving the game in the second quarter of a 36-21 loss.
He was inactive the next three games and then put on season-ending injured reserve. Wilson, as it turns out, also has spinal stenosis a narrowing of the spine, which is a chronic condition he played through at Virginia Tech and in his rookie season with the Giants.
The Giants and Wilson were looking to avoid surgery, hoping that rest and treatment alone would reduce the herniated disc.
When Wilson was healthy, he was not very effective in his second NFL season. Coach Tom Coughlin benched him after Wilson lost two fumbles in the season-opening loss in Dallas. Wilson ended up with just 44 rushing attempts and 146 yards.
Other Giants news:
- Co-owner John Mara, who also appeared on WFAN, on Tom Coughlin: “The guy is still as good a coach as there is out there and let’s see if we can help him by getting him some better personnel.’’
- Reese on Hakeem Nicks: “Nicks didn’t have the year he wanted to have, but I still think he could be a good football player. He just has to stay healthy and focus more on what he’s doing.’’
- Reese on Justin Tuck: “Justin Tuck played better than he’s played in two or three years. I think he’s got some tread left on his tires and there’s going to be some tough decisions to make on those type of players. That’s probably the hardest part of my job here, when do you walk away from a player and when do you try to keep a veteran player like those guys.’’
- Reese on tight end Brandon Myers: “He caught a bunch of balls out in Oakland, and we felt like he would be quarterback-friendly for Eli [Manning]. He gave us the same production the tight ends had given us pretty much the last two or three years. We thought he’d be a guy that you really didn’t have to coach that much and he’d catch on quickly and learn the offense and give us more catches at that position. It didn’t materialize like that, for whatever reason.’’