With their ground game already sputtering, the Giants listed running back Brandon Jacobs as doubtful for tomorrow’s game against Seattle.
Jacobs sat out practice yesterday, amid reports he had a sprained medial collateral ligament.
Jacobs first got hurt against Arizona, an injury the Giants are still calling “knee swelling.” But ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported it was a sprained MCL, and a Big Blue source acknowledged as much.
With Jacobs all but ruled out, Ahmad Bradshaw should get the bulk of the carries, backed up by D.J. Ware.
“I thought he would [have practiced by yesterday], but that hasn’t been the case,” said coach Tom Coughlin, whose Giants are 24th in the NFL in rushing yards per game (87.5) and 29th in yards-per-carry (3.3). “I don’t know if it’s a setback, but there is some swelling and [it] really has not subsided.”
Jacobs rode a stationary bike at the start of yesterday’s practice, walking over and showing general manager Jerry Reese how he suffered the injury on a hit. He left the practice field, and departed the Timex Performance Center without addressing the media.
Jacobs — who had 2009 surgery on a torn meniscus in his left knee, but says this new injury is to his right knee — has carried 38 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns this season. The Giants were held to just 54 yards on 24 carries last weekend in Arizona.
To compound matters, center David Baas was ruled out with a neck injury, snapping a string of 45 straight starts. Coughlin said he hopes Baas will miss just one week, but professed faith in Kevin Boothe, making his first-ever start at center.
“He’s been in there before and Kevin has done well. We like to think that we’re on course to stay basically the same. We practiced hard, focused on it, and we’ve talked about it. This is a very good run defense,” said Coughlin. “But we have to get ourselves going. It’s about our team, about our players and our team doing a better job of this.”
In the overwhelming likelihood Jacobs can’t play, Bradshaw will get the lion’s share of the workload. He has 55 carries for 228 yards and two touchdowns. Backup D.J. Ware would get some carries, and rookie Da’Rel Scott — who was a DNP in the opener and inactive the next three — could see his first action of the season.
Ware has been with the Giants since 2007, re-signing after the lockout ended, working and waiting for a chance like this.
“It was my job to take care of me and go ahead and sign and hope for one of these opportunities like I have this weekend. Now I just have to make the most of it,” said Ware. “I just stayed focused and tried to keep working and keep my nose down and hopefully come out on top. . . . It’s just a great opportunity right now and I just can’t wait to get out there and see what happens.”
Ware’s best day as a Giant was last year against the Seahawks, carrying 13 times for 66 yards in a 41-7 road victory.
“I think about that all the time,” Ware said. “I realize it was a good game, and I got a chance to get in there and get 13 carries in the fourth quarter. That’s productive, so I’m just trying to lead up to that and continue to follow up with that.”