David Wilson Shows Why Kick-Offs Need to Stay

Is it too late to make a Rookie of the Year campaign? Maybe, but David Wilson was pretty impressive today. The New York Giants looked great today, but one player had a stand out performance on both offense and special teams. Rookie David Wilson has had a roller coaster season. His first carry as a professional was a fumble. Not the best start if you are trying to fit in on the defending Super Bowl champion team. After that, we heard lots of rumors that coaches were not happy with his pass protection and that was why he was not being used very much. However, things work in mysterious ways.

Two weeks ago, Ahmad Bradshaw’s backup Andre Brown broke his leg leaving a space wide open for Wilson to fill. This week he finally proved just how ready he was. He was the first New York Giant to return a kick off for a touchdown since 2007, when current teammate Domenik Hixon did it against the New England Patriots. He then followed that up with two rushing touchdowns to help his team blow out the New Orleans Saints. A team that has always had Eli Manning and company’s numbers. He ripped right threw their special teams and is now in possession of the Giants’ record for total yardage in a game.

As the season comes to an end, this is exactly what the Giants need. He is an explosive player who the Giants are hoping they just saw the tip of what he is capable of doing. Captain Justin Tuck said that “he doesn’t know what took so long” and that the Giants are “going to expect this every week”. They will need it with the schedule they have ahead. Next week they are away at Atlanta and then away again at Baltimore.

Throughout the week, the NFL has talked about eliminating kick off returns as a way to reduce injuries to players, especially concussions. I think this rookie just showed how exciting kick off returns can be and why they are vital to the game of football.