New York Giants running back David Wilson needs to work his way out of Tom Coughlin’s dog house. The only way he can do that is if he stops putting the ball on the ground. Wilson is hoping former Giants running back Tiki Barber can help solve the issue.
Once upon a time, Barber had a major fumbling problem. Considering Wilson has lost three fumbles in just 78 career rushing attempts, I guess you can say he has one too. On Thursday, Newsday’s Bob Glauber told Pro Football Talk Live that Wilson is planning to switch to Barber’s high-and-tight carrying method in an attempt to keep the football more secure.
“He gave me some advice I can really use,” Wilson told Glauber earlier this week. “It makes sense. It felt good in practice, so I plan on using it.”
After fumbling nine times in a single season, Barber changed his approach and fumbled only nine times combined through the final three seasons of his career. Barber said holding the ball near your chest can feel awkward at first, but it paid off with a great deal of repetition.
“I held it like that everywhere,” he explained. “I even do it now sometimes. I can’t help but put it there in front of me. It became second nature. I even have to tell my kids, ‘If you’re going to carry the ball, you have to carry it like this.'”
The good news for Wilson (and his fantasy owners) is that the Giants really don’t have another option at tailback. They brought back Brandon Jacobs earlier this week, but we all know he is incapable of shouldering a significant workload. If Coughlin stuck with Barber after nine fumbles in a season, there’s no reason to believe he won’t give Wilson several more opportunities this year.
