Giants’ Secret Weapon Is Forgotten Man
RB Andre Brown Is Ready To Fulfill Promise
At this year’s draft, there was a buzz that the Giants were going to take a running back high in the draft. C.J. Spiller of Clemson was a very tempting target and the rumors were that the Giants had coveted the speedster.
Those rumors may have been true, for all we know, but Spiller was long gone by the time the Giants were ready to make their first selection. They ended up not taking any running backs at all.
There are two theories behind that. The first is the fact that the RB pool in the draft this year was very shallow. The other is that the Giants were waiting to see how well second-year RB Andre Brown had progressed from Achilles’ surgery.
Brown blew out his Achilles’ in the last practice before the first pre-season game last summer. He’s never played in a game for the Giants. Outside of the TIMEX Center, very few people have ever seen him run, or even know that he exists.
That is all about to change for this humble 23-year-old from Greenville, North Carolina. This week at Giants’ mini-camp, it was hard not to notice #22.
Giants’ coach Tom Coughlin, always cautiously optimistic, says that Brown is doing better but by the tone of his voice he sounded like a man who has to see some more before he makes his final decision.
Coughlin did admit that Brown “runs with power” and “catches the ball well” out of the backfield. which was something the Giants have been working on during this mini-camp.
Since Brown hasn’t ever worn a Giants’ uniform in anger, he calls himself a “super rookie” because much of this process here is still new to him.
In an interview after practice yesterday, Brown was very candid with reporters about his injury and the disappointment of missing his rookie season. Brown suffered a rare injury for football players – a torn Achilles tendon – and his rehab was a lonely one with few players to commiserate with.
He said there weren’t any running backs any of the the trainers could recall that ruptured their Achilles’. There were some defensive players, but most of them were well into their careers when they got hurt.
By his actions, he’s seems to have studied and rehabbed very well. He looked like Terrell Davis on some plays, Adrian Peterson on others. No lie.
Even though Brown is still conscious of his injury, and admitted he was sore after the double-practice on Tuesday, he looked fine yesterday and claimed he’s not thinking about making cuts anymore. He just doing it.
Brown is currently fourth on the Giants’ depth chart at RB. He was asked if he thought there was a need for -and a role for – a third running back. He wouldn’t know the answer to that since he wasn’t here when Derrick Ward filled the role of change-up back / receiver.
“I think there is,” he said, “But I just want to get out there and hit somebody. Special teams, whatever. I don’t care where I’m at as long as I’m helping the team.” 
Brown is working on special teams as a kick returner. He may be tried out as a punt returner now that Domenik Hixon is gone for the season, but his name did not come up as an immediate candidate for that in Jerry Reese’s press session yesterday.
As for the third back in the offense, it’s Brown vs D.J. Ware, who also saw a lot of reps this week. Brown has the better upside and if he continues to build on his strong spring, it may be hard to keep the ball out of his hands this season.
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