Andre Brown had one of the best running games the New York Giants had in a while. With a running explosion, Brown brought balance to the Giants' offense and the back now has everybody's attention. Can Brown do what Victor Cruz did for the Giants in 2011?
Brown and Cruz have a lot of similarities. No, Brown does not dance salsa that we know of, but they both had big Week 3's in their early debuts with the club.
Prior to the 2011 season, Cruz had spent 2010 with the Giants, but he had no receptions. In 2011 Cruz was not even a starter, but earned respect from the team after his 110 yards receiving and two-touchdown performance against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The only sign the Giants had that Cruz could be great was his first preseason game in 2010 against the New York Jets when Cruz went for 145 yards and three touchdowns.
That season Cruz, played in three games. That was it. He did not break out until his big Week 3 performance.
On Thursday, Andre Brown got the first of his professional career. He finished the game with 113 rushing yards, 17 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers, it was close to our predictions of Browns' performance.
His performance could not have come at a greater moment. The Giants' offense was depleted as they were missing Bradshaw and Hakeem Nicks.
Prior to this start, Brown had a pretty solid game on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown. This was really a debut for Brown who came into camp as the third string running back.
Before becoming a Giant, Brown was in four organizations. He was a member of the Indianapolis Colts, Panthers, Denver Broncos and Washington Red Skins.
He did not play in 2011 and had two carries that went for -1 yards in 2010.
Brown, like Cruz, came out of nowhere.
Brown's performance proves pivotal in an offense headed by Eli Manning. The Giants know their quarterback will give them 200-plus yards with whoever is out on the field, but with a running game, the Giants become a dangerous offensive team.
The Giants had only two 100-plus yard performances in the ground last year. Bradshaw had one against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6 going 104 with three touchdowns and Brandon Jacobs finished with 101 and two TDs against the Cowboys in Week 14.
Can Brown be the Cruz of 2012 for the Giants and be a dynamic running back in a team that had no ground game coming into the season?
It is too early to tell, but Brown definitely has had a great start to his career as a Giant.
