Just like last week when we examined the depth chart at wide receiver, the Giants will be shoring up another gap at running back as they begin their title defense.
Whether it's promoting from within or looking elsewhere in the draft and free agency, one thing is for certain: Ahmad Bradshaw will be the primary load bearer.
As the organization does its due diligence in finding a formula to complement the backfield, general manager Jerry Reese is laying out the blueprints for the Giants new-look attack.
"You just have to stick to your plan," Reese said in an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio earlier this week. "Sometimes you can't make big moves, you have to make good football decisions and we try to do that and try to stick to our plan and it worked out for us."
Before the Giants look outside, they evaluate from within. And that's what you'll see below.
**D.J. WARE
**The most experienced of the three behind Bradshaw, Ware played in every game in 2011 for the first time in his five-year career. His most productive season yielded 46 rushes for 163 yards (3.5) and 27 catches for 170 yards (6.3). Aside from getting his first career start in Week 14 and having a catch and a carry in Super Bowl XLVI, Ware converted a pair of critical two-point conversions during the championship season. The first came late in the regular season matchup against then undefeated Green Bay to tie the game, and the other had more positive results as his conversion extended the Giants' lead in Dallas by a field goal (they ultimately won by three points).
Ware knew those were big moments in his career.
"I'll do it as long as they ask me to do it," Ware said after the Dallas game. "It's a great feeling getting in that end zone. I want six points, but I'll take two all day. Those guys have a lot of trust in me to run it in that situation. It's such a confidence-builder for me. I love it."
Undrafted out of Georgia, Ware's career totals include 81 rushes for 324 yards (4.0) and a touchdown along with 37 catches for 252 yards (6.8).
**DA'REL SCOTT
**The fastest running back at his combine (he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds), Scott showed his burners immediately in the preseason. He broke a 97-yard touchdown against Chicago and then a 65-yard run off a fake punt into the end zone against New England in the final exhibition.
Scott, last year's seventh round draft choice from Maryland, played in 11 games as a rookie (none in the postseason) and had five touches for 16 yards along with a pair of receptions for 13 yards. His real impact came in the return game, taking back 14 kickoffs for a 24.4-yard average with a long of 38.
"A guy like Da'Rel Scott, he kind of showed a little bit in the preseason," Chris Snee said during a promotional appearance in Manhattan Thursday morning. "He can run, I'll tell you that. The guy can run. It’s just a matter of understanding what we’re doing.”
**ANDRE BROWN
**Brown got a ring. Now he’ll get a chance to see the field.
Originally a 4th round (129th pick overall) draft choice by the Giants in 2009, Brown had an impressive rookie training camp before rupturing his Achilles tendon that led to season-ending surgery. He then made stops in Denver, Indianapolis, Carolina, and Washington before returning to New York last season, where he spent 2011 on the practice squad. The North Carolina State product has played in four career games, including three for the Broncos in 2010 (and another for the Colts in the same year). With Denver, he recorded his only two rushes of his career (for no gain).
UPDATE: RB [Andre Brown suspended by NFL
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