Ahmad Bradshaw just wants the Giants to give him and Brandon Jacobs the damn ball Monday night against the Rams.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride called the kind of pass-happy second half last Sunday in Washington that got the Giants offensive coordinator punched in the jaw by Buddy Ryan back in the 1990s, and Bradshaw appeared to think as highly of it yesterday as Rex Ryan’s scrappy dad once did.
Asked if he ever wanted to see a replay of Gilbride calling just seven running plays in the second half of a 28-14 opening loss to the Redskins, Bradshaw waved his hand in disgust.
“I don’t want to see nothing like that,” the veteran Big Blue back sneered. “We love to run the ball, and I think we have the best backs in the league.”
Despite being within seven points until just six minutes were left, Gilbride almost completely abandoned the running game in the second half at FedEx Field against a Washington defense that was 26th in the NFL against the run in 2010 and missing top safety LaRon Landry due to injury.
Gilbride called 17 passes by Eli Manning in the second half (including one from inside the Giants’ 10-yard line that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Ryan Kerrigan), compared to six rushes by Bradshaw and one by Jacobs.
That kind of playcalling for the Houston Oilers in 1994 by Gilbride famously got him a sideline sucker punch from Ryan because the Oilers defensive coordinator felt Gilbride’s relentless passing was putting an unfair burden on Ryan’s defense.
Bradshaw wasn’t anywhere as upset as Ryan yesterday, saying he accepted Gilbride’s explanation that the Redskins had adjusted to the Giants’ early running success by moving a safety closer to the line of scrimmage.
“We ran the ball early and we established it, and kind of got away from it,” Bradshaw said. “The defense saw that we ran the ball early, and they were more in tune with stopping the run than the pass.
But Bradshaw doesn’t want to see that offensive strategy repeated in Monday night’s crucial home opener with the 0-1 Rams at MetLife Stadium.
Asked if it is imperative that the Giants’ backs get more than the 20 carries they totaled against Washington, Bradshaw was emphatic.
“Definitely,” he said. “Just being a running back, we know what we can do with the ball in our hands. We know how much it opens the offense up, and it’s a lot better to go with second-and-5 after a run than having to throw when it’s second-and-10.”
Of course, in Gilbride’s defense, Bradshaw was unable to convert two short-yardage situations in the second half against Washington, which played a pivotal role in the Giants’ loss.
Why the bruising, 265-pound Jacobs wasn’t used instead in those situations was a question Gilbride sidestepped yesterday, but both Gilbride and Bradshaw appeared to pin the blame on the offensive line.
“We should have had that play easily, but we didn’t block it as well as we should have,” Gilbride said.
Bradshaw agreed, saying: “The linemen can solve it all by getting off the ball quicker and getting to their blocks a lot quicker.”
The usually outspoken Jacobs didn’t want any part of the second-guessing yesterday, saying he is content with whatever Gilbride decides.
“I just want to win,” Jacobs said. “Six carries or 26 carries, it doesn’t matter.”
bhubbuch@nypost.com