NEW ORLEANS — Let’s start with the dance, and work our way backward.
Brandon Jacobs said it was a tribute to his roots, to the fact he was born in Napoleonville, La., which is 90 minutes west of here on I-10, and then another 90 minutes south on state road 3127.
So that’s why, with the Giants trailing 21-10, Jacobs decided to break into a touchdown dance that didn’t exactly reflect what was happening on the scoreboard.
It seemed it might have been a colorful statement for the Saints, specifically for safety Isa Abdul-Quddus, who had laid out Hakeem Nicks a few minutes earlier, drawn a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty, and danced a little of his own over Nicks’ crumpled body.
But no, it was no statement: geography. That was the inspiration.
“I’m from near here,” Jacobs said. “This is where I’m from.”
And this is where he is, 11 games into his seventh season with the Giants: Every bit as maddening as he is talented, every bit as capable of making you throw your remote control at the television as shake your fists with joy.
Jacobs actually made a few steps in the right direction last night, primarily the bruising, punishing 8-yard touchdown run that inspired his dance, precisely the kind of bull-in-a-china-shop strength Giants fans have pined for throughout much of Jacobs’ career from their 6-foot-4, 260-pound running back.
“We would have liked to run the ball more,” coach Tom Coughlin said, “but the game dictated we had to do it differently. But I thought we were better on the ground.”
“Small improvements,” is how Jacobs described it.
Still, too often, as happens so much, it seemed Jacobs was felled by situations and by tacklers he should be able to shed, he averaged only 3.5 yards a carry (with 11 of his 13 carries netting only 29 yards). Once the game got away from the Giants, it became mostly an aerial circus featuring Eli Manning and his 406 passing yards.
But it didn’t get away until the second half. It was a game for the game’s first 35 minutes. And Jacobs was little more than an observer.
But he sure can dance.