Tough to stop: Giants running back Jacobs presents one huge challenge for Browns defense
Brian Dulik | The Chronicle-Telegram
BEREA — New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 264 pounds. In other words, he’s a handful and a half on the football field.
The fourth-year pro is also one of the most productive ball carriers in the NFL, which is why the Browns have good reason to be worried about facing Jacobs and the Giants on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
“Really, Jacobs is like an offensive lineman with speed,’’ Browns coach Romeo Crennel said Wednesday. “When you give him the ball and get him started, it’s hard for one guy to bring him down. He runs over arm-tackles and through one-man tackles.
“Ideally, you need a couple of guys to stop him because when he goes downhill, he’s got momentum and he’s hard to stop.’’
Even with several defenders keying on Jacobs, stopping him is easier said than done. He rushed for a season-high 136 yards last week in New York’s 44-6 dismantling of the Seattle Seahawks, giving him 380 yards in four games this season.
Though Jacobs’ yardage total is a modest 10th in the NFL, his average of 5.85 per carry is second (just 0.02 behind Tampa Bay’s Earnest Graham).
“He’s a big running back, one of the biggest I’ve ever seen,’’ said Cleveland’s Jamal Lewis, the 27th-leading rusher in NFL history. “He is someone you have to account for and someone who will beat you up in the first and second quarters if you let him.’’
The key to limiting Jacobs’ damage? Be even more aggressive than he is in the opening periods. That was the strategy Green Bay employed in the 2007 NFC Championship Game when it held the former fifth-round pick to 67 yards.
“You have to come out and hit him in the mouth early,’’ said Corey Williams, who started at defensive end for the Packers in the aforementioned game. “That way he gets tentative later on. We need to do that on Monday night.’’
Crennel compared Jacobs’ size and skill to former Chargers bruiser Marion Butts (6-1, 248), while defensive end Shaun Smith said he played the game more like Steelers great Jerome Bettis (5-11, 255).
Jacobs, though, has quicker feet and a stronger burst than either of them. He also is significantly bigger, which is why Auburn attempted to turn him into a tight end when it had to make room for Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams in its backfield, leading Jacobs to transfer to Southern Illinois.
“He’s a big back, he’s powerful and he runs real hard, just like Jerome did,’’ Smith said. “It’s just a matter of our guys being in their gaps and making plays. It’s not just us on the line, either, it’s going to take the linebackers coming up and getting after him because you have to gang tackle a guy like that.’’
Further complicating the Browns’ task is the multidimensional offense the Giants have. Quarterback Eli Manning and wide receivers Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer are a top-notch trio, while reserve running backs Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw are each averaging 6.6 yards per carry.
At this point, however, everything New York does begins and ends with Jacobs.
“We know they’re going to try to pound, pound, pound the ball with him,’’ Smith said, breaking into a smile. “But I had no problem when I had to take down Jerome Bettis, so I’m not worried about trying to take down Jacobs either.’’
Contact Brian Dulik at sports@ohio.net.
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Filed by Brian Dulik | The Chronicle-Telegram October 9th, 2008 in Sports. Popularity: 4% |
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