RB Ahmad Bradshaw, Free agent

HT: 5-10, WT: 195, Born: 3-19-1986, College: Marshall, Drafted: Round 7

2013 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of May 21st. [Full ADP list]

Overall: A Jeffery (130), B Myers (131), Ahmad Bradshaw (132), S Greene (134)
Position: D Williams (125-RB46), Z Stacy (129-RB47), Ahmad Bradshaw (132 - RB48), S Greene (134-RB49), M Goodson (136-RB50)
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PPR Average draft position

Current as of May 21st. [Full PPR ADP list]

Overall: M Vick (116), A Boldin (117), Ahmad Bradshaw (118), K Wright (119),
Position: B Pierce (111-RB43), R Williams (113-RB44), Ahmad Bradshaw (118 - RB45), W McGahee (122-RB46), I Pead (123-RB47)
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2013 Schedule

2012 Game Summaries

Week 1 - For a while it looked like Ahmad Bradshaw would share time in the backfield with rookie David Wilson but after Wilson was benched early because of his fumble, Bradshaw got 100% of the carries after this and was the unquestioned RB of choice for NYG. Bradshaw had some explosive runs late in the game but had to contend with a stiff Dallas run defense early in the game. He was frequently bottled up and hit at the line of scrimmage as the Giants offensive line struggled to push back DAL and make any room for Bradshaw. Bradshaw was running into defenders almost immediately on a lot of plays but his raw grit and determination allowed him to avoid many negative plays. It was disappointing to see that Bradshaw got two carries from 1st and goal from the 1 yard line but was unable to score. However, Bradshaw finally scored later in the game on a well blocked inside run to the left. The Giants line and FB blocked terrifically and Bradshaw walked into the endzone untouched. He also had a great run down the sideline in the final possession to set up a touchdown; simply bouncing defenders off him after finding the hole gashing run up the middle. A lot of this was too little too late for NYG, as the Cowboys had the lead. The Giants passing game was lacklustre and put a lot of pressure on RB Bradshaw and the ground game to succeed. The Cowboys loaded the box frequently to combat Bradshaw and his teammates were unable to be dangerous enough in the passing game to alleviate this pressure.

Week 4 - Ahmad Bradshaw had a tough time getting anything going consistently on Sunday night. Bradshaw had very little room to manoeuvre on outside runs and they were frequently shut down by the Eagles defense. Bradshaw is a smaller, quicker RB but he found out he had to change his style and run hard up the middle of the defense against Philadelphia. The Eagles “wide 9” technique used on the defensive line gave a softer front against runs up the middle of the defense. Bradshaw was quickly taken down on outside rushing plays but found more success up the gut of the defense. The Eagles played with two deep safeties for a lot of this game to help defend the pass but this also gave Bradshaw an easier time running the football as the safeties had more space to cover before they could make the tackle. Bradshaw was also needed in the passing game for check down options due to the strong pass rush and he was able to use his quickness to pick up chunks of yards through the air. Overall there was little running room available for Bradshaw and the Giants offensive line could not create any huge holes on outside running plays that suit Bradshaw’s running style.

Week 5 - Ahmad Bradshaw had one of the best games of his career on Sunday but it started off rather ominously with an unusual fumble. A Giants offensive lineman accidentally bumped into Bradshaw’s arm and jarred the football loose on the first play while the Browns recovered it. After this minor mishap, Bradshaw and the Giants got rolling against the hapless Browns defense. The Giants were extremely balanced offensively, mixing in run and pass well to keep the defense guessing. Bradshaw ran strong, ran determined and looked angry on certain running plays, possibly to make up for the lost fumble. Bradshaw used his cutback move to find open spaces against the Browns defensive on many running plays, aided by above average run blocking from the Giants offensive line. Bradshaw was able to score rather easily up the middle of the defense in the redzone, simply running untouched for the score. He showed great vision at picking the correct hole and always made the Browns defense pay when they had poor gap control. Bradshaw bounced several running plays to the outside and turned these into big gains down the field, shaking off defenders and pushing back the defense. The Browns looked very soft in the front 7 at times and this performance was likely an aberration as everything the Giants called seemed to work against the Browns.

Week 6 - Ahmad Bradshaw struggled early on in this game but improved with every carry he got before exploding for a very productive game against a stiff run defense in the 49ers. Bradshaw was bottled up early as the Giants line failed to put blocks on the 49ers LB’s who frequently crashed in and dropped him for a loss or minor gain. The 49ers tackled well when they got their hands on Bradshaw and the Giants offensive line got little push early in the game. Bradshaw was the bell cow for the Giants on the ground and wasn’t much of a factor in the passing game at all. Eventually the discipline and ferocity of the 49ers defense waned and began to slowly give up chunks of yards to Bradshaw on the ground. Bradshaw got better run blocking due to the balanced offense of the Giants with QB Manning and found good success running up the middle of the defense, or by doing one cut plays before bouncing the play to the outside. Bradshaw gashed the 49ers up the middle on many running plays later in the game as the 49ers defense looked tired and dejected with how the game was playing out. Bradshaw had some very tough runs and earned his touchdown as he leapt over the defense on the goal line for the score. His offensive line deserved a lot of credit to keep the 49ers defense away from him for as long as possible but Bradshaw made a lot of men miss in the open field and ran determined all game long.

Week 7 - Ahmad Bradshaw ran hard on Sunday but had to contend with a stiff redskin defense that was prepared to slow him down. Bradshaw showed some tough running and looked recovered from his foot injury. The combination of speed and power we know of Bradshaw was present and his lack of production was not due to a lingering injury that was holding him back. The Redskins defense gave up some decent gains to Bradshaw early but put the clamps on him in the second half. The redskins had good gap control and gave up few yards up the middle of the defense, where Bradshaw looks to run most of the time. Bradshaw did not go down easy however, frequently banging hard into defenders and fighting for any possible extra yardage. He kept his legs moving at all times, even if he could not possibly move forward anymore. Bradshaw always runs determined and gave great effort on his touchdown run. Bradshaw hit the pile up on the goal line hard, looked to be stopped on the play but kept pressing on and eventually found the goal line as he extended the ball forward for the score. The Giants had to pass a lot in this game to try and keep up with the Redskins offensively, which hurt the production on the ground for Bradshaw. He was also unlucky not to score on the goal line as RB Brown was rotated in at that time. However, Bradshaw was also lucky on other hand to score his touchdown. On the previous play FB Hynoski caught a pass in the flat and was taken down just 1 yard shy of the goal line, which set up Bradshaw’s TD run that almost never happened.

Week 8 - Ahmad Bradshaw did not have great success rushing against the Cowboys front 7 despite the absence of LB Sean Lee. Bradshaw needed a lot of work to be somewhat productive and most of his yards came in the second half. The Giants could not rely on the running game for consistent production but stayed with it despite the lack of yards on the ground. Bradshaw was not a factor in the passing game but almost received all the carries on the ground. Bradshaw and the Giants tried running the ball with a variety of plays but with little success. Bradshaw even got a direct snap at one stage but for few yards. The Cowboys had a strong game plan to play close to the line of scrimmage and swarm Bradshaw/penetrate the backfield often. Bradshaw was unlucky not to score in the first half as he got taken down 1 yard shy of the goal line before being substituted for RB Brown. Bradshaw did have a poor fumble that could have easily cost the NYG however. Bradshaw carried the ball loosely and it easily popped out upon contact by a Dallas defender. Bradshaw ran tough and hard all game long, picking the correct hole and forcing his way up the field for the biggest possible gain. Dallas were disciplined however and never allowed the big gain. Bradshaw got better as the game went on, getting slightly bigger gains but the lack of early production put the brunt of the offense on the shoulder of QB Manning.

Week 9 - Ahmad Bradshaw found very little success against the Steelers on the ground on Sunday. The Giants had no balance in their offense and found no way of moving the ball. The Steelers were able to penetrate the backfield and take down Bradshaw quickly after any yards were gained. Bradshaw was the workhorse against Pittsburgh but the Steelers did not have to worry about the Giants passing game much and could key on Bradshaw on the ground. Bradshaw ran hard, got whatever yards were available and gave full effort as always but it wasn’t enough. The total lack of passing game put a huge burden on Bradshaw which was too much. The Giants could afford to run the ball as the score never got out of hand but the increased carries did not help wear down the defense. Bradshaw was also unlucky not to score as he was taken out on the 1 yard line for the touchdown run which was instead given to teammate RB Brown. The Giants offense needs to be fixed as Bradshaw will rarely succeed without a legitimate passing game to back him up and prevent 8 man boxes.

Week 10 - Ahmad Bradshaw did not have a great day on Sunday against the Bengals. The entire Giants offense was completely out of synch and the running game took a big hit. The Giants were trailing the entire game, by a huge margin most of the time, and the running game was quickly an afterthought on offense. Bradshaw had a reduced workload as a result and very little production. Bradshaw also lost out on a lot of carries to RB teammate Brown who has looked just as impressive with his touches. Bradshaw ran strong inside as he typically does but there wasn’t much room to work with on the ground and the gaps closed quickly. It took until the third quarter for Bradshaw to have a decent run on the ground and he subsequently fumbled on the same drive in the redzone which seemed to deflate the Giants and provide the final nail in the coffin. After this drive, Bradshaw was replaced for the most part by RB Brown. Brown looked just as impressive with his touches and does not fumble as much as Bradshaw. It is also possible the Giants were looking to rest Bradshaw rather than unnecessarily risk further injury.

Week 12 - Ahmad Bradshaw had a big game against the Packers on Sunday and it could have been even more productive if the game wasn’t so one sided. Bradshaw started the game off with a huge screen pass play that almost went for a touchdown. Bradshaw caught the ball, set up his blocks well and blazed down the sideline as he fell just one yard shy of the goal line. Bradshaw was then unfortunately taken out as RB Brown scored the touchdown. Bradshaw ran powerfully on the ground, pushed back defenders and was helped by a good push up front from NYG. Bradshaw had a very impressive run on the ground for his second TD on the day. Bradshaw set up defenders in the hole and then made a great juke move on a Packer that allowed him to walk into the endzone untouched. Bradshaw found holes all over the defense on the ground and showed via the screen pass that he is still a very explosive player. He was unlucky to lose a touchdown to RB Brown but showed how effective he can be in this offense. He will also be needed even more now that RB Brown was lost for the rest of the season.

Week 13 - Over the past several weeks, Bradshaw saw his touches decrease as the Giants sought to involve halfback Andre Brown in their offense. With Brown out for the year due to a broken fibula, Bradshaw dominated the touches out of the backfield, receiving twenty-four of the Giants twenty-nine carries. The veteran back responded with a solid effort against a strong Washington run defense, totaling one hundred and four yards rushing on his twenty-four carries. Bradshaw’s vision, quick feet, and leg drive were on display from snap to whistle on Monday night. He hit holes hard and sought out contact. Often running right into the Washington defense – the Giants’ offensive line did not give Bradshaw too much to work with – Bradshaw dug in his heels, spun, and pushed himself forward on numerous carries to gain extra yards. He fully embraced his role as the bell cow and opted to pound the ball through the middle of the defense in lieu of attempting to find the edge. With rookie David Wilson far below him on the running back depth chart and newcomer Kregg Lumpkin learning the playbook, it seems likely that the Giants will continue to lean on Bradshaw as they compete for a playoff spot in the NFC.

Week 14 - Ahmad Bradshaw will likely be nervous after last night’s performance by rookie RB Wilson. Bradshaw accomplished very little on the ground and nothing in the passing game as RB Wilson stole the show. Bradshaw found no running room up the middle against New Orleans and was not afforded the time necessary to bounce plays to the outside. Bradshaw was taken down swiftly and easily near the line of scrimmage and the Saints never let him get many yards up the middle. Bradshaw ran tough as always but the Saints were a lot less stellar on outside runs as opposed to up the middle, as RB Wilson showed. RB Bradshaw will not lose his job this easily but will likely see a slightly decreased role as Wilson is given some more opportunities to prove his worth as a first round pick.

Week 16 - Ahmad Bradshaw ran hard as always on Sunday but the offense was completely lifeless. Bradshaw used his toughness and quickness to get as many yards as possible up the middle against the Ravens. He found decent success at times running between the tackles but the Giants offense could not stay on the field to allow Bradshaw to get into a rhythm. The Giants fell behind on the scoreboard very quickly and began throwing the football most of the time. Bradshaw showed some burst also on a checkdown pass from Eli Manning but this was his only catch on Sunday. Bradshaw simply did not get enough carries to be productive and the Giants were rarely in the redzone which reduced the opportunity for goal line carries for Bradshaw. Bradshaw cannot run the offense alone and needs a balanced attack with a dangerous passing game to allow him to flourish. He has not been getting this in New York with the Giants now for the past two weeks.

Week 17 - Ahmad Bradshaw had a very successful final game in the 2012 season for NYG. Bradshaw ran hard, physical and ripped off many big gains for his team that kept drives alive. The Giants could easily afford to give many carries to Bradshaw as the gained a huge lead on PHI early in the game and they could run the ball more then they had to pass. Bradshaw got great blocking against a soft Eagle front on many inside runs. This allowed Bradshaw to work with a lot of room as he ran out of the backfield. Bradshaw was allowed to get into the second level of the defense on a lot of his carries which greatly helped his production. Bradshaw was also explosive in the passing game as he beat his defender on a wheel route and hauled in an excellent pass in stride from Manning for a big catch and run down the sideline. Thanks to a penalty, Bradshaw easily scored from the 1 yard line as he ploughed his way up the middle for the touchdown. Bradshaw also made several nice jukes to elude defenders in open space and gouged the Eagle defense consistently for big gains which made life for everyone else on NYG easy.