By Ryan G. Murphy, WNBC.com
Giants head coach Tom Coughlin stressed the importance of Brandon Jacobs not fumbling like in last Sunday’s game against the Jets. During Jacobs’ second carry of the game, Jets safety Kerry Rhodes stripped the ball from Jacobs and ran it back 11 yards for a touchdown.
A criticism of Jacobs’ bruising running style is that he refuses to go down even when the play appears to be over.
“It certainly isn’t very pleasant to have [a fumble like that] take place. We talk all the time about ball security. He comes back in and it is a critical third and short and, quite frankly, he gets himself in not a very good position and the second people on the ball strip the ball and it comes out,” Coughlin said.
Coughlin said he talks endlessly to Jacobs about defenses ripping for the ball out since he stays up so long during runs.
“He is up a lot because he is a powerful man and the power is moving,” Coughlin said. “Whenever that occurs, you obviously give the opposition a chance to get more people in grabbing for the ball and stripping for the ball, which is something that will happen this week, which Atlanta does. You have to be very careful.”
Coughlin said he doesn’t encourage Jacobs to ever go down, because the play might not really be over.
“He might come out the other end,” Coughlin said. “You saw what Ward did the other day when it looked like a pile that he wasn’t going to come out of. He came out of that.”
Coughlin noted that he’s been pleased so far with the two-back effort from Jacobs and Ward.
NOTES:
Coughlin said Osi Umenyiora would return to practice on Friday after nursing a sore back for much of the week. On Monday night, Umenyiora will line up against Falcons’ rookie left tackle Renardo Foster. Umenyiora leads the NFL with seven sacks.
