| Jason A. Cohen. 27th January, 2009 - 7:21 pm
 As the New York Giants head into the off-season after their loss to the Philadelphia Eagle in the NFC Division Semi-Final, they face many difficult decisions. Coming off a season in which both players recorded over 1,000 rushing yards, only the fourth such occurrence in NFL history, Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward will hit the free agent market sure to garner much interest and big pay days. The only question is will they be receiving their paychecks from the New York Giants next season, or will one of them leave to become the featured back elsewhere. Assuming the Giants can only keep one, let us look at the evidence to determine which will be best to retain.
The Case For Brandon Jacobs
Jacobs is obviously an extremely imposing player for a running back, standing 6'4" and weighing 264 pounds. His combination of size, agility, and speed is extremely rare in a runner and it is conceivable that due to his size, he is less likely to get banged up as a smaller back would. Over his career in the NFL, Jacobs has gotten progressively better, and in the 2008 season, Jacobs had a break out year rushing for 1,089 yards on 219 carries with a career high 15 trips to the end zone. His presence in the backfield allows for the success of the Giants' receivers as defenses must consider him a threat on any down.
His detractors will be quick to mention that he is prone to fumbling the football due to his high center of gravity. As with any running back in the league, the threat of being stripped by a defender is a common. This is even more difficult for Jacobs to control because his height leaves him vulnerable to defenders who will try to knock the ball from his hands as he pushes for extra yardage. Jacobs, who in his young career has fumbled 10 times with 6 lost to the opposing team, certainly will need to work on protecting the football better. This being said, Jacobs' upside and his ability to run over people makes him extremely valuable and thus a key cog to the Giants' continued success on the football field.
The Case For Derrick Ward
Ward has become the Yang to Jacobs' Ying. Less physically imposing than Jacobs', standing 5'11 and listed at 228 pounds, Ward rushed for 1,025 yards on 182 attempts with two trips to the end zone. Of the two backs, Ward is certainly quicker and more elusive than the bulkier Jacobs, and he possesses that extra burst of speed which makes him a nightmare for the defense. In his young career he has shown a great ability to take care of the football, to keep the play alive, and he has also been impressive catching passes out of the backfield.
The Final Verdict
Although in an ideal world, the Giants would prefer to bring both Jacobs and Ward back, that option does not appear likely. Of the two, Jacobs certainly is the better running back given his aforementioned combination of size, strength, and quickness as well as his ability to break multiple tackles with his bruising running style. This makes Jacobs the more likely of the two to be retained. Another aspect of the equation is that the Giants would be extremely comfortable turning over Ward's duties to another solid back on the roster, Ahmad Bradshaw, who makes Ward expendable because of their similar running styles. |
