The New York Giants could not hold onto their lead and lost their second preseason game, leaving their record 1-2. Despite falling to the Chicago Bears, 20-17 in game 3 at Metlife Stadium, players stepped up and made plays that caught head coach Tom Coughlin’s eye. Rookie wide receiver David Wilson’s performance lived up to expectations when he rushed for 49 yards on 5 carries, evading the Bears’ defense easily. Wilson also caught two passes, a 26 yarder and a 29 yarder.
“He has some play-making ability, which was shown tonight and that’s something that we certainly can use,” Coughlin commented in the postgame interview. “That was the plan to see those people and some others.”
“You see the potential. You see the playmaking ability. A couple of the big runs, he ran hard, and got outside, got a good chunk,” Quarterback Eli Manning said. “He also had a catch on the second play of the game, he went the wrong way. So, there’s some good and bad, but you have to go with that. So, it’s still a process of just continuing to learn the ins and outs of the offense. He’s a young guy, we’ll go slowly with him, put him in certain situations, and see if he can do some good things for us.”
Wilson was the first round pick 32 in the 2012 NFL draft coming out of Virginia Tech. Wilson, who was filling in for an injured Ahmad Bradshaw, was not the only player that shined in Friday’s game. Four-year veteran to t
he league, wide receiver Ramses Barden also had a stellar game. Barden caught an 11 yard touchdown in the first half, his first touchdown catch in his NFL career, fueling the Giants’ lead.
“Ramses played great. He had a good slant, had a couple of other catches, quick little slant routes,” quarterback Eli Manning said. “That’s what we’ve been looking for from Ramses over the past couple of years. See if he can step up and make some plays for us, and today, he did it.”
Barden credits his towering size, at 6’6” which gives him the range a quarterback would want.
“I have a bigger body, I’m a bigger target, it’s a comfort zone with the quarterback, or whomever is throwing the ball,” he said. “It kind of feels like I have a natural box out position, regardless of when they decide to throw it. Whether it’s the slant or the skinny post, being on the inside position with my size can give the quarterback a lot of confidence and a lot of range to throw the ball.”
Wide receiver Victor Cruz also commended Barden.
“I’m very happy for Ramses today. He puts in a lot of hard work in the training room and on the practice field. And he got a chance to put it all together and make some big plays for us.”
Despite good performances from both wide receivers, they will have to contend with Hakeem Nicks and Cruz, two of the many talented receivers for playing time this season.
The Giants will close out the preseason next Wednesday, Aug. 29 at 7 PM as they host the New England Patriots.
