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The Giants running game is a lot like 1984 Los Angeles under attack by Skynet.

Only John Conner can save it now.

Okay, so that’s one of the cheesiest things ever written on this site, but you get the point.  The running game is hopeless without the quality lead blocking displayed by Connor last Thursday night against the Chicago Bears.

I’m not giving him all of the credit for Brandon Jacobs’ incredible performance, but his presence was certainly felt all game long as he helped to open up massive holes for Jacobs to run through.

With this week’s addition of “The Albino Rhino” Peyton Hillis to the roster – giving the Giants their second Rhino-nicknamed back, the other being injured fullback Henry “The Hynosceros” Hynoski – Big Blue appears to actually be, dare I say, on the right track when it comes to running the ball.

The offensive line, bolstered by the return of David Diehl[1], has been slowly improving over the past few weeks, and chemistry seems to be developing up front.  They’re going to need to perform well going up against two of the best Defensive Ends in football in Jared Allen and Brian Robison.

Despite the good defensive line and decent linebackers, the Vikings defense has allowed 110 rushing yards per game to opponents, something the Giants must take advantage of if they want to win.

In order to take advantage of that, the team needs to run more I formation plays with Conner serving as the lead blocker, because that’s what seemed to work against the Bears.

The question then becomes, who will actually carry the load this week for the Giants?  Will it be Jacobs (who has been dealing with a hamstring injury), Hillis (who was just signed and hasn’t been particularly effective in a few years) or rookie Michael Cox (who hasn’t touched the ball in an NFL game yet)?

I’m going to go ahead and take a shot in the dark and say that Jacobs will in fact be ready to go by the time Monday’s game comes around, and Cox will be the primary backup.  Hillis will most likely serve as the number three back as he continues to learn the system.

Who knows?  Maybe even Conner will get a carry or two.

Joe’s Prediction (for Jacobs):

15 rushes, 65 yards, 1 touchdown.

Comments: I’ve been all over the place with these, but I’m feeling confident this week.

Joe Vasile | Featured Columnist

Joe Vasile is a play-by-play announcer for Widener Pride football and host of “Ball Four” on WTSR in Trenton.  Follow Joe on Twitter at @JoeVasilePBP.



[1] I too, can’t believe I just wrote that.