ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -An injury to Adrian Peterson gave Allen Patrick his shot at running back at Oklahoma.
His chances of making the New York Giants got a boost late Friday night when fourth-round draft pick Andre Brown was lost for the season with a ruptured left Achilles’ tendon.
Until the freakish injury, Patrick looked like one of the odd-men out in a backfield led by Brandon Jacobs. Ahmad Bradshaw moved into the No. 2 spot with the loss of Derrick Ward to free agency and Danny Ware seems entrenched as the No. 3 back.
Brown was almost certain to be the fourth man in the backfield, simply because of his draft status.
Now, that spot is open and Patrick, who might be the fastest back on the team, seems to be the front-runner to get the job with the only other backs on the roster being fullbacks Madison Hedgecock and Dwayne Wright.
e of my teammates we lost the other day.”
Patrick spoke with Brown on Saturday and told his fellow running back, who is scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday, to hang in there and work hard to get back next season.
“It’s happened to me before,” said Patrick, who has had leg injuries in his career. “I know the feeling he is having. It will be difficult with the injury he has, but he’s a tough guy and I think he’ll fight through it and come back fast.”
Patrick has had an interesting career. He played safety for Independence Community College in Kansas before transferring to Oklahoma in 2005, where he was switched to running back early in the season.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder gained 136 yards on 25 carries in that first season and got his big chance the following year when Peterson broke his collarbone.
Patrick started five game and finished the season with 761 yards and four touchdowns. He started 13 games the following season and had 1,009 yards rushing and eight touchdowns.
He was drafted by Baltimore Ravens in the seventh round in 2008 and cut in late August. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 11 but never played in a game. The Giants signed him as a free agent in May, less than a month after they took Brown in the NFL draft.
same time that doesn’t mean anything. You have to come in here and bust your butt.”
The most immediate benefit for Patrick is that he will probably get more chances to carry the ball in training camp and in the preseason games.
His first test will be Monday when the Giants host the Carolina Panthers in their nationally televised preseason opener.
“We’re all out here fighting for the position,” Patrick said. “I mean, unfortunately things happen like that. You never know when things will come up and occur, that is something that went down. We’ll have to deal with it and roll with it.”
Patrick has shown flashes during training camp, particularly with his ability to break runs to the outside.
“I am probably one of the fastest backs we got and I try to use that to the best of my ability, and go out there and contribute to the team and bring a lot of speed to the table,” said Patrick, who has not missed a practice since camp opened.
Patrick also has shown at times that he is learning a new offense.
“We are all good friends,” Patrick said of the running backs. “We’re just taking pity on each other when things get bad or when you’re doing something right, we tell each other what we see. We are all good friends so are going to keep working.”
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