Larry Brown Sports

It has been said that Giants rookie running back David Wilson has a ton of potential, he just needs an opportunity to prove it. His costly fumble in the first game of the season — the one where he was spotted crying after the play — landed him in Tom Coughlin’s dog house and has limited his reps. To say that the early struggles have done nothing to hurt Wilson’s confidence would be an epic understatement.

“I think at the end of my career, I’ll be in the Hall of Fame,” the rookie told Newsday’s Bob Glauber. “I know myself, and I know (when) I have guys around me that feel the same way, which I feel I do. When I get my opportunity, the sky is not the limit. I think it’s past it. You have to believe in yourself to do good things. This is how I feel.

“I’m like birth control. You have to believe in me. Like birth control, 99.9 percent of the time I’m going to come through for you.”

Wow. Where to begin? For starters, there’s nothing wrong with being confident in your abilities. However, even mentioning the Hall of Fame when you have 15 career rushing attempts for 87 yards is pretty absurd. He needs a few more carries before he becomes a Hall of Fame candidate — I mean at least two or three, right?

As for the birth control comment…is there really anything we can add?

Helmet knock to Eye on Football
Photo credit: Jim O’Connor-US PRESSWIRE

Giants rookie David Wilson lost a fumble on his second career carry, and he was feeling so badly about it he began crying on the sidelines. If you look carefully at the image above (or click twice to enlarge), you can see a tear streaming from the corner of Wilson’s left eye. The first-round pick fumbled seven times last season at Virginia Tech and lost four of them, so there’s little doubt this was an issue already in his head.

Even though Wilson fumbled and may lose some ground in his competition with Ahmad Bradshaw (he didn’t receive any carries after the fumble), there are a few positives to the turnover. One, it didn’t cost the team any points. Two, at least the crying shows us how much Wilson cares. And three, he’s playing for a coach who has an excellent reputation for helping players with fumbling issues (see his work with Tiki Barber).

If it’s any consolation to Wilson, there are plenty of other athletes who have cried during or after games. You can see that full list here.

Depending on how Virginia Tech running back David Wilson turns out as a professional, the NFL may have to consider adding backflips to the scouting combine next year. Wilson is projected to be drafted within the first two rounds either Thursday or Friday, and his freak athleticism is one of the reasons why. As you can see from the video above that SI Hot Clicks shared with us, Wilson may want to consider the Olympics if football doesn’t work out for him.

If you remember, Jason Pierre-Paul also pulled off the 13-backflip routine in the months leading up to the NFL Draft two years ago. His NFL career has turned out quite well thus far, so maybe the number of backflips a player can do correlates with how successful they will be at the NFL level.

This dude can do 13 backflips and whips this sick car? Sounds like a first-round talent to me.

Late in the Sugar Bowl between Michigan and Virginia Tech, ESPN showed a video of Hokies running back David Wilson’s pimped out ride. It probably was a bad idea, because everyone watching thought the same thing: this was a sure NCAA violation. The Key Play provided us with the picture and some background on the ride:

While at home last January, Virginia Tech running back David Wilson spotted a 1978 Ford Thunderbird sitting in a Danville, Va., back yard, knocked on the stranger’s front door and negotiated a deal to buy it for $2,000.

He then took the vintage car and added about $7,000 in enhancements, including $3,000 for a vinyl interior and a new paint job, another $2,000 for 24-inch rims, $800 for new tires and an additional $800 on a customized stereo system.

“Where I’m from, it’s kind of like everybody my age got one,” Wilson explained after practice Monday, adding that he’d been saving money up for a while and his parents gave him a loan. “It’s the thing to do.”

Here is the video of Wilson showing off his wheels, plus a few more pictures:

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Virginia Tech spanked Appalachian State in their season opener Saturday 66-13. The opening weekend win was a nice change for the Hokies who had lost their first game of the season three years in a row. If you hear running back David Wilson tell it, the victory was already a given.

Wilson, who exploded for 162 yards on 16 carries, called his shot before the game. “[My running backs coach] told me I was getting the first carry and I told him I didn’t have to hear the second play because I was taking it to the grid,” Wilson said after the win.

Sure enough, he went 20 yards untouched for the first score of the game. He finished with three TD runs in the first half and already has the eye of several NFL scouts.

Virginia Tech is at East Carolina next weekend and has a relatively easy schedule after that. There isn’t much reason they shouldn’t be unbeaten headed into November, though scoring on the first play of the game will be a difficult streak for Wilson to maintain. Gotta love the bold attitude.