Fumbling on his second professional carry cast David Wilson the trust of his coach, and it’s no accident he’s played only 14 offensive snaps in four games.
But he’s starting to show the spark the Giants envisioned as a return man, and that could help him work his way out of Tom Coughlin’s doghouse.
Wilson averaged 36.2 yards per kickoff return in Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, with a long of 53 yards. For the season, he’s averaging 30.2 yards per attempt.
“We probably had as good a field position based on our kickoff return game that we’ve had in a long, long time,” Coughlin said, via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com. “David Wilson as a weapon is quite obvious now [and] people are really going to have to contend with that aspect of our game.”
That hasn’t translated to an offensive role, and with running back Andre Brown stepping up in Ahmad Bradshaw’s absence against the Panthers, and Bradshaw returning, the chances to carry are going to be limited.
Coughlin praised his work in practice, saying he prepped the defense by playing the role of LeSean McCoy in practice (although he may have been too good at it, since McCoy carved up the Giants in the game).
“He works hard every day,” Coughlin said. “The kid ... he works hard. He’s trying to get it all figured out. He wants you to know how much it means to him and how important it is to him. He’s gone out and proven a few things [on Sunday].
“I mean, yeah ... Is there a place for a guy that can take it at 5 yards and run it the rest of the way? Yes.”
It’s just going to take Wilson time, and hanging onto the ball, for that role to come.