Giants’ David Wilson to undergo neck surgery: Report

New York Giants running back David Wilson’s 2013 season came to an early end because of a neck injury that doctors told him carried an increased risk of further problems if he continued playing. Now his NFL future could be in jeopardy after Giants GM Jerry Reese revealed the former first-round pick will undergo neck surgery next week.

Wilson said during the season that he intends to keep playing, but he’ll need to rehab from surgery before he can do that.

Reese told WFAN Thursday, that Wilson will need to have an operation on his neck this offseason. Team owner John Mara, speaking on the same radio station earlier in the day, also touched on Wilson’s status.

“We’re hopeful that David will be able to play for us again next year. Time will tell on that one,” Mara said.

There was no timetable given for when the surgery will occur or when Wilson might be ready to resume his career. His status is murky at best, though, and that should make running back an area that the Giants address the offseason because an Andre Brown/Michael Cox combination isn’t a particularly appealing one for a team with lots of other holes to fill.

“Our medical staff thinks he will be ready to play this year,’’ general manager Jerry Reese said Thursday on WFAN while noting that dealing with the neck can be “tricky.’’

Here are the details on David Wilson's surgery: He'll have a fusion of the vertebrae to repair the herniated disc in his neck on Jan. 16.
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoNYDN) January 9, 2014

Wilson played in the first six games of the 2013 season. He started at running back Oct. 6 against the Eagles, rushed six times for 16 yards and scored his first and only touchdown before leaving the game in the second quarter of a 36-21 loss with a neck injury.

He was inactive the next three games and then put on season-ending injured reserve with what the Giants said was a herniated disk in his neck. Wilson, as it turns out, also has spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spine, which is a chronic condition he played through at Virginia Tech and in his rookie season with the Giants.

The Giants and Wilson were hoping to avoid surgery, on the chance that rest and treatment alone would reduce the herniated disk. That was always considered a long-shot scenario, and now a surgical procedure has been deemed necessary.

Mara said it is likely the Giants will have to use one of their draft picks on a running back. Reese has said previously the Giants cannot go into the 2014 season projecting Wilson as their No. 1 running back.

Wilson was not very effective even when he was healthy in his second NFL season. Coach Tom Coughlin benched him after Wilson lost two fumbles in a season-opening loss in Dallas. Wilson ended up with 44 rushing attempts and 146 yards.

This doesn't bode well for the Giants at the running back position. Their other key back, Andre Brown, faded down the stretch of the season and is an unrestricted free agent. Brandon Jacobs retired, and veteran addition Peyton Hillis, a free agent, is not expected to return. The only other running back on the roster is Michael Cox, who just completed a lackluster rookie year.

Giants' Andre Brown suffers 'tiny crack' in leg during loss to Patriots

After the New York Giants' meaningless 28-20 loss to the Patriots Thursday night at Gillette Stadium, one thing did mean something. Andre Brown, one half of Big Blue's 1-2 punch at running back, along with David Wilson, limped off the field just before halftime and was quickly diagnosed with a fractured left leg.

At the time, it seemed as if Tom Coughlin’s questionable decision to play Brown late into the first half had led to disastrous results — depleting an already skimpy Giants backfield.

But Brown said afterward that the fracture was "not that bad of a break, a tiny little crack in it." He added that he won’t need surgery, and he doesn’t even think he’ll need the team’s short-term injured reserve designation. His leg was in a walking boot after the game.

"We still got to do more tests on it. Last time when I broke it we knew immediately what the problem was,"said the essential third-down back. "Nothing wrong with me, nothing I couldn’t deal with before, been here before. They would let me know if it was serious, but it’s not. Definitely spirits are high and positive and I’m looking forward to coming back this season."

Brown knows from experience. He saw his breakout 2012 season come to an end when he fractured his left fibula in a Nov. 25 win over Green Bay. He remembers knowing instantly in that game that he’d suffered a serious injury.

"No, I would love to stay active," Brown said. "That’s how I feel. I feel I can come back from this ... in a couple weeks."

With Brown out, the Giants will look to Da'Rel Scott or Ryan Torain to serve as Wilson's backup. Scott, a seventh-round pick in 2011, spent most of last season on injured reserve with a knee injury. Torain played in two games for the Giants last year after spending three seasons with the Redskins and Broncos.

Coughlin admitted he didn’t have all the details, he did say that Brown would "take a while" to return.

That’s hardly good news for a team that hoped to rely on Brown after releasing workhorse Ahmad Bradshaw after last season.

Ahmad Bradshaw signs with Colts

New York Giants fans still hoping to see Ahmad Bradshaw rumbling down the field at MetLife Stadium with an "NY" logo on his helmet saw that scenario officially end after the running back signed a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday.

They'll probably get to see Bradshaw run in the Meadowlands — when the Giants host Indy in an exhibition game August 18 — but the popular player will be wearing the Colts horseshoe on the side of his head bucket.

Bradshaw, though still only 27-years-old, was released by the Giants back in February in what was considered a cost-saving move even after gaining over 1,000 yards in a injury-plagued season. The Giants saved $2.75 million in cap space by cutting the often injured Bradshaw.

Surgeries to repair broken bones in both of his feet have been the bane of Bradshaw's stellar career with the Giants.  He underwent another procedure following the 2012 season.

The one-year deal with the Colts reportedly includes a $250,000 signing bonus, $1.1 million salary plus per-game incentives that could push his total earnings to over $2 million for the 2013 season.

The 2007 seventh-round draft pick rushed 221 times for 1,015 yards in 14 games last season. His history of injuries made him a risky proposition for the Giants. It helped that they had David Wilson, their 2012 first-round draft pick, ready and waiting on the Giants depth chart.

Wilson is expected to be the Giants' No. 1 back this season, with the emerging Andre Brown as their 1-2 punch. 

Bradshaw, meanwhile, will have a chance to compete for playing time in a crowded Colts backfield with Vick Ballard and Donald Brown.

Bradshaw's last game in Indianapolis, Big Blue fans will remember, was Super Bowl XLVI when he famously fell backwards into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown in the Giants' upset of the New England Patriots at Lucas Oil Stadium.

It's an image that Bradshaw will live forever in Giants lore.

Brandon Jacobs hints at Giants return via Instagram

How much does Brandon Jacobs miss playing for the New York Giants?  Enough for the running back to post a photo of himself as a Giants player bowling over a Patriots player on Instagram with the caption: "Trying to get back in this uniform."

Jacobs — who spent the first seven years of his career with the Giants before being released after the 2011 season and getting picked up by the San Francisco 49ers — is no stranger to making his feelings known via Instagram. Last December, Jacobs was suspended for the final three games by 49ers head coach John Harbaugh for a series of posts criticizing his situation with the team.

“I am on this team rotting away so why would I wanna put any pics up of anything that say niners.” A disgruntled Jacobs said on Instagram on Dec. 9. “This is by far the worst year I ever had, I’ll tell you like I told plenty others.”

Maybe this time Instagram will work in his favor.

Last season, Jacobs appeared in two games (rushing for seven yards on five carries) for the Niners after gaining 4,849 career yards rushing for the Giants.  His best year was in 2008 when he rumbled for 1,089 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Whether or not the Giants even have an interest in the 31-year-old bulldozer remains to be seen.  The G-Men released Ahmad Bradshaw earlier this offseason, leaving only 2012 first-round pick, David Wilson, as the primary running back.  Andre Brown showed some potential and is expected to see increased time as the backup.

Jacobs signed a complicated one-year deal with the 49ers after the Giants felt what he was asking was about $500,000 too rich for their blood.  Even that kid who mailed $3.36 to keep Jacobs in MetLife Stadium couldn't help.

Always a fan favorite with Big Blue fans in the Meadowlands, Jacobs' popularity seemed to taper off as fast as his stats during his last few years with the Giants.

Jacobs tweeted Monday that he's headed to New York this weekend — so who knows?

I am excited to come to NY this weekend.
— Brandon Jacobs (@gatorboyrb) April 8, 2013

Like the Jersey band Bon Jovi says — who says you can't go home.

Giants Super Bowl rings called "tacky" and ladylike

A couple of Manhattan jewelers— who took a look at the design for the New York Giants Super Bowl XLVI ring— gave it a thumbs down and called the championship bling by Tiffany "tacky" and ladylike.

Photos of the the white gold and platinum band— encrusted with four Lombardi Trophies (for each Super Bowl victory) with a diamond in each football— were tweeted out by Giants linebacker Clint Sintum and running back Andre Brown Thursday for a sneak peek.

The Diamond District jewelers peeked, and weren't bedazzled.

"If this is Tiffany's work, they could have done a lot better," said Marc Hernandez, a jeweler for 15 years.  "We're talking the Super Bowl— this looks like a high school ring."

Eric Aranbayez, another experienced jeweler, called the design too effeminate for a Super Bowl ring.

"I could have done better," he said.  "I don't know if the Giants are going to like this.  It's flowery — for a lady."

Both players quickly took down the photos of the ring— with its bejeweled Giants logo and valued at between $25,000 to $30,000— down because it wasn't supposed to be unveiled until a private ceremony at Tiffany's on May 16.

Giants defensive end Justin Tuck called an audible to play downplay the photos, insisting the design had not been finalized.

"We haven't decided on the final ring yet," he said.  "Still working on it."

Think anybody will be stupid enough to tell one of the Giants players he's wearing a girl's ring?