Giants hope to ride the hot hand at running back

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The Giants expect to have Ahmad Bradshaw back in the lineup against the Eagles on Sunday night, but it sounds like he’s going to have to deal with the injury that kept him out of last week’s game for the rest of the season.

Bradshaw’s injury was described as a neck problem, but the running back went into a bit more detail on Thursday. It’s actually an inflamed disc that’s sitting right on Bradshaw’s spinal cord and it is an injury that Bradshaw says wasn’t caused by the hit by Buccaneers linebacker Mason Foster that directly preceded his departure from that game in Week Two.

“It wasn’t one certain hit,” Bradshaw said, via Jenny Vrentas of the Newark Star-Ledger. “I actually took a hit and felt just tingling in my hands. Then it happened again, and that’s when I sat out. I can’t say it was one certain hit that it happened. I can’t say that it won’t happen again, but I’m prepared for it, and I just cant worry about that.”

In Andre Brown, the Giants have a back that they think can help them avoid exposing Bradshaw to too many hits that could cause the disc injury to flare up and knock him out of action again this season. While Bradshaw will remain the starter, offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said Thursday that the team is going to roll with whichever back is doing a better job in a given week.

“It’s just a matter of us trying to get a feel what plays certain guys run a little more effectively than others,” Gilbride said, via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. “And you’re always hoping somebody gets hot and you feed the hot hand.”

Between Bradshaw and Brown, the Giants should be able to find enough from their running game to support Eli Manning and the passing offense that the Giants usually ride to victory.