Ahmad Bradshaw has been the best running back on the Giants through three games . Last season, Bradshaw was the biggest disappointment for me, but it hardly could be called his fault. In the 2007 season, Bradshaw showed flashes of what he could do, making one of the biggest plays of the year with that long gallop in Buffalo. Then in the playoffs that year, he was the leading rusher for the Super Bowl champs. Bradshaw had that look of a budding star. But Derrick Ward returned from injury and put together a career year in 2008, rushing for over 1,000 yard in tandem with Brandon Jacobs. There weren’t simply enough touches to include Bradshaw in a three back rotation.
When Ward left, most pundits declared it a huge loss for the Giants. But there are some things to consider. Yes, Derrick Ward is a really good back. But could we expect him to repeat those career year numbers that he had in 2008? We see this all the time, especially in baseball, a good player exceeding his normal output. Now I’m no sabermetrics expert by any means, or even subscribe to that stuff, but the point is Ward probably would have still been a good player, but not that good. So it’s not outrageous to predict Bradshaw meeting Ward’s probable output had he stayed with the Giants. And Bradshaw clearly give the Giants more explosiveness. That’s just my take.
Anyway, Bradshaw looked like a runaway fire hydrant on Sunday. Low to the ground and very physical. It seems he always is falling forward after being tackled. Bradshaw might not yet be the receiver Ward was, but I think he has more ability after the catch. Pass blocking, always an issue with young backs, appears to be an area Bradshaw is improving in as well.
The play calling was very good on Sunday, balancing the run with the pass. Defensively, the Bucs didn’t get a first down until the five minute mark of the third quarter. Enough said. With Kansas City and Oakland on the horizon, the team needs to stay focused until the real season starts.
