In the first three quarters of the New York Giants’ season opener in Dallas against the Cowboys, running back David Wilson fumbled twice. The second fumble was returned for a touchdown by the Cowboys’ Barry Church and Wilson was promptly benched for the remainder of the evening.
But unlike last season, when a fumble in the first regular-season game (also against the Cowboys) saw Wilson land in Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin’s doghouse for an extended period of time, the second-year back from Virginia Tech will have his opportunity to redeem himself sooner rather than later.
“David Wilson is a very talented young man that we need on our football team to be productive,” Coughlin said during his Monday morning conference call with the media. “We think we can have an impact on him being a better ball carrier… a better secure ball carrier. We’ll get that done.”
Coughlin would not comment on whether or not Wilson would remain the starter, but it appears quite certain the 22-year-old will still see playing time on offense.
Pre-draft scouting reports indicated Wilson had trouble with ball security heading into the 2012 NFL draft. However, following his Week 1 fumble last season, he had not put the ball on the ground again for 19 straight contests (including preseason).
“I think it’s technique,” Coughlin said when asked about players with fumbling issues. “Basically you’ve got to get to a position where the ball is in the safest possible position, even if it causes you to have a little bit of a different stride. The ball is the most important thing of all.”
Coughlin is often noted for helping “cure” former Giants’ running back Tiki Barber’s fumbling problems early on in his tenure as head coach. Averaging nine fumbles a year the previous four seasons before Coughlin’s hiring in 2004, Barber tweaked his ball-carrying style at the coach’s insistence. Barber’s fumbles rapidly declined and he put together his three best seasons before retiring following his appearance in the 2007 Pro Bowl.
Coughlin and the Giants are hopeful they can work similar magic with Wilson, who was their first-round pick a year ago. Wilson is a lethal play-maker with a plethora of electrifying plays on his NFL highlight-reel.
Reports by Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo and ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicate that the Giants have workouts scheduled for free-agent backs Brandon Jacobs and Willis McGahee, respectively. Jacobs played for the Giants from 2005 to 2011 and holds the franchise record with 56 career touchdowns. He carried the football just five times in two games for the San Francisco 49ers last season.
For now though, Coughlin is focused on the players currently on the roster and finding the solution to Wilson’s fumbling issues.
“Early on [Wilson] had some errors last year and then he had a tremendous year as a kick returner, taking some drill shots and [he] was able to secure the ball under those circumstances,” Coughlin said. “He had the ball stripped twice and he’ll learn from it. He’s got great pride and we’ll try to get this under control.”
Louis Musto is a reporter and sports talk host for the Sports Journey Broadcast Network. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. All quotes were acquired first hand or via team press releases unless otherwise noted. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.