BLUE OF A KIND
Jennings & Williams have each other’s backs
THERE WERE plenty of highlights — for once — during the Giants’ 36-7 rout over the Titans last week, but the play that seemed to really fire up Rashad Jennings came via his backup.
Early in the third quarter, rookie Andre Williams bobbled and then secured a pitch from Eli Manning, found a hole near the line of scrimmage and took off untouched for a 50-yard touchdown. Though they are both first-year Giants this season, the veteran Jennings has taken on a mentor role for the rookie and has been proud to watch Williams grow. “I’m telling you, we call each other brothers. We sincerely mean that,” Jennings said. “I mean I’m his No. 1 fan. I want him to be great. I told him from the beginning, I want him to be better than me. I’m going to give him every tip I possibly can to do that. I’m excited to see that confidence roll in especially toward the end of the year and over into next year. We’re going to need that.”
In this lost Giants season, perhaps Jennings’ nagging injuries can be looked at as a blessing in disguise as Williams continues to develop. Ideally, Big Blue can turn the friendship between the two backs into a dynamic duo in the backfield next season.
Jennings says Williams has progressively learned how to attack defenses more effectively, something that really comes only through experience. Coincidentally, that experience has come at Jennings’ expense.
“It’s more i mportant to be explosive through the hole rather than to the hole and you can see that in his growth,” Jennings said.
“Experience is the best teacher, and he’s going to get it . . . but you can minimize that gap a little bit through a lot of film study. I remember going back to my rookie year (in Jacksonville) when I was under Maurice Jones-Drew and how much I would tug on him just like (Williams) is tugging on me to learn as much as I (could) about the game and try to become a pro quickly.”
Jennings, who was brought in to be the feature back, has suffered a series of injuries this season, including a knee ailment that sidelined him for four games earlier this year. A balky ankle kept Jennings limited mostly to pass protection last week against Tennessee, but Tom Coughlin says he expects that role to expand against Washington on Sunday.
“Both (Williams and Jennings) will play,” Coughlin said.
“How they go in and when they go in — that is a big deal for you guys, it’s really not for me. We will look at it and decide, probably based on the first few plays, on how the first 15 come off. We will be relying on both of them.”