Run not done
Rashad says ‘I’ve got lot of football left in me’
Rashad Jennings got his first taste of the playoffs Sunday, and he said he believes the Giants have the pieces to get back there next season.
Whether he is a part of that future figures to be among the key decisions general manager Jerry Reese will have to make this offseason, but Jennings is convinced he could help the Giants — or any other team — next season, and beyond.
“I’m conf ident in my talent,” Jennings said Tuesday. “There’s no doubt. I’ve got a lot of football left in me. Trust me. I’ve got an even bigger chip on my shoulder to prove people wrong, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Jennings lost some playing time to rookie Paul Perkins as the season progressed, but he made it clear he supported the first-year player’s ascendance.
Jennings ran the ball well in the 38-13 loss to the Packers, but had just f ive carries, and Perkins had 10.
Jennings is slated to earn slightly more than $3 million next season, so the Giants will have a decision to make.
Regardless, Jennings likes where the team is headed — especially because of head coach Ben McAdoo.
“We’ll be moving forward,” Jennings said at a fundraising dinner for the Muscular Dystrophy Association at Chelsea Piers. “We’ve got a solid foundation. McAdoo is the guy. We’ve got the coaches, the GM, the players, everything is set up. Now we just got to make sure we key in on the details going into next season.”
Of course, Jennings might get lost in those details, but for now, he still is stinging from Sunday’s defeat.
“It takes a lot of work to get to the postseason and we fell short,” Jennings said. “I always say we have to move forward after 24 hours, but it’s taking more than 24 hours to get over this one. I know we can’t play again until next year.”
Among the reasons they’ll be staying home is the Hail Mary pass the Packers hit at the end of the first half — a play the secondary still is reliving, in part because of the absence of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
“We missed him the whole game, because he always made the big plays when we needed it,” said Trevin Wade, among the corners beaten on that play, which was hauled in by Randall Cobb in the back of the end zone. “The Hail Mary, he would have taken care of that. DRC jumps higher than anybody. We definitely could have used him on that one. He wouldn’t have let that happen.”
But Ro dg e r s - C r o m a r t i e went out with a thigh bruise just two plays into the game and was a non-factor the rest of the way.
“He brings all the energy on the field and sideline verbally,’’ rookie safety Andrew Adams said. “If we had him on field, it would have been a different game. But it’s on us to make plays in our own roles and we didn’t do it.”