It was déjà vu all over again for the New York Giants to open the season, as running back David Wilson could not hold onto the ball in the season opener for the second straight season and now the team is at a crossroads with its rookie running back heading into a big Week 2 showdown with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
Wilson fumbled early in the game and then again later and by that time coach Tom Coughlin had enough, sitting the talented second-year player for Da'Rel Scott, who later had a ball go off his hands and into the Cowboys arms to end any chance the Giants had to win the game. The Giants held in despite turning the ball over six times and after getting the score to 30-24, the team was driving before Scott let the catch get away from him and into the hands of Brandon Carr, who was able to take it for a touchdown.
That was not the only touchdown for the defense in the game, as Barry Church scored off Wilson's second fumble and now the team is looking good on defense after trailing in every game last season. The game got off to a very bad start for the Giants, with Eli Manning throwing an interception on the first pass of the game and even though the defense held Dallas to just a field goal, the team couldn't recover and now they may have some issues at running back.
Scott is a solid option for the team to use, but he has limited experience and now the idea of using Andre Brown in the fourth preseason game looks like a huge mistake, as the Giants now have no depth at the running back position. Brown will be out for at least half of the season with a broken leg and now the team will have to figure out what to do with Wilson. The team took Wilson one pick behind Doug Martin in the draft and so far the difference has been very stark and it reminds many fans of the issues that Tiki Barber once had in the past with fumbling.
Wilson's second fumble was the fourth turnover for the Giants in the game and while Tom Coughlin was very disappointed, he at least said that the team showed him something by hanging around in the game despite the poor ball control. The team set itself up for this by not signing a free agent running back after losing Brown and despite the fact that Wilson has explosive speed and talent, which could be derailed by the fact that he can't hang onto the ball.
Wilson was looked at as a possible starting running back for the Giants and now that he is dealing with fumbling, all that could change. The team could decide to look at Michael Turner, Willis McGahee or Jonathan Dwyer, who led the Steelers in rushing last season, but it remains to be seen what type of moves they will make, if they make any.
