There are the foot injuries that have plagued Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw, it seems, forever. There also was a neck injury this season. But Bradshaw just keeps going.
“It’s toughness. Just toughness. I feel like I can fight through a little bit of everything now with the stuff I’ve been through,” said Bradshaw, who returned to practice on a limited basis Thursday after sitting out Wednesday with a recurring foot problem. “I just feel like it’s going to take a lot to bring me down. So a lot of hits here and there, it ain’t going to do it.”
So Bradshaw, who should be earning time-and-a-half for the extra work he has endured — 316 yards in the last two games (the best two-game run of his career) on 57 carries — insisted some foot pain isn’t enough to do it. Foot amputation, maybe. Foot pain, no way.
“I feel good. There’s no setback and I’m ready to go,” Bradshaw, who ran for 166 yards and a touchdown last week against the Niners, said while indicating his latest bout of aching foot is not related to the stress fractures he suffered in the past. “I just got stepped on in the game and just hurt the bone a little bit, but I’m cool.”
It’s that toughness thing, which comes “from the heart” and “love of the game,” he said. Those around him insist it’s innate.
“He is physically very tough and mentally very tough. So if it’s at all possible, he’ll fight through it and continue to play,” offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. “Sometimes he gets to a point where he becomes incapacitated where he just can’t function well enough, and that’s when he sits down. But he’s going to try to do the right thing. … I’ve been with him so long, I don’t even think about it. I just know he’s got some problems that are persistent and will stay with him.”
Bradshaw suffered the neck injury earlier this season that knocked him out for a week, opening the door for Andre Brown (113 yards in the game Bradshaw sat). Brown suffered a concussion, was inactive Sunday, but has practiced and has been cleared to play this week against Washington. He hopes to share the workload.
“I’m feeling good. I’m ready to get back out there and play. No headaches. Nothing to worry about,” Brown said, noting of Bradshaw, “he’s the big dog. I’m extremely proud of what he’s doing. They want to give him the workload, I’ll still be out there cheering him on.”
Obviously, score and game situation will dictate the workload and coach Tom Coughlin said the “hot hand” also will dictate.
“To have a little bit different distribution is fine,” coach Tom Coughlin said. “[Bradshaw] wants it. He has no desire not to be heavily involved.”
Tough guys usually don’t.