David Wilson has been benched, and the Giants are looking at veteran running backs today to either replace or supplement him.
But his teammates are trying to keep his head in the game, knowing they will need him at some point this season.
Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz told WFAN this morning that they had to rally around Wilson to help keep him out of the doghouse.
“We don’t want to mentally get down,” Cruz said. “I just want to talk to [Wilson] and keep his spirits high, and understand that we’re behind him. We’re going to need him to make plays. He’s a dynamic running back, and we’re going to need him to make plays in order for us to win ball games.
“We’ve just gotta keep his emotions high, keep his mentality positive, and we can go from there. . . . It’s definitely a tough time for him and he’s gotta get through it.”
Actually, what he needs to do first is hang onto the ball. He came into the league with a reputation as a fumbler, and was benched in the last two regular season openers for fumbling.
At some point, the responsibility also lies with the people who picked him thinking he’d become something other than a fumbler. But in the interim, his teammates are going to try to persuade him he’s not one.