Improved running game is not a Fluker

LAST Friday, offensive line coach Mike Solari brought his group together and instructed his players to form a circle.

“We didn’t know what was going on,” D.J. Fluker told The Post, laughing at the memory.

Solari told the linemen to link arms and form a chain.

“At that point I could tell when I looked in his eyes he was serious,’’ Fluker said. “He wanted us to be a physical group of guys who have each other ’s back. He said, ‘I don’t care what happens, I want to you go out there, be physical, play, have fun,’ and that’s what we did. I’m thankful he said that, because it set the tone for us mentally and physically. Everybody bought in.’’

Two days later, the Giants ran for a season-high 152 yards in Denver against the NFL’s toprated run defense.

Fluker has not been on the scene very long, but he was not far off when he said of the Giants: “The last you saw them run the ball was when they had Brandon

Jacobs.” Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 1,015 yards in 2012, but Fluker’s point is well-taken. Since 2013, when Fluker arrived in the NFL as a first-round pick of the Chargers, it has been slow-sledding on the ground.

In the f irst three games this season, Fluker, 26, hardly played, getting snaps only on special teams. The Giants averaged 49 rushing yards per game. In the past three games, with Fluker starting two games at right guard and playing the bulk of the snaps in a third game, the Giants averaged 130.3 rushing yards.

“That’s what I like doing,’’ said Fluker, who is 6-foot-5 and 345 pounds. “That’s the bread and butter right there. We should be able to run the ball on any front, against any team.’’ It was just nine days ago that

Nigel Harris played for the Chargers against the Giants, making two tackles on kickoff coverage in the fourth quarter. On Tuesday, the Giants were awarded Harris off waivers from the Chargers, who released him Monday.

A spot opened up on the roster when Romeo Okwara was placed on season-ending injured reserve. The second-year defensive end suffered a sprained knee during practice Thursday.