When the New York Giants won Super Bowl XLVI four years ago, Rashad Jennings had just completed his third NFL season with the 2-14 Jacksonville Jaguars. Now, the 31-year-old running back hopes to be a vital part of Big Blue’s fifth championship in the Super Bowl era.
Jennings has the most experience among the Giants’ running back corps. He ranks 21st on the NFL’s active rushing leaders with 3,638. But the veteran buys into a team-first mentality with the 9-4 G-Men.
“It’s never about one individual,” Jennings told amNewYork during during Lord & Taylor’s Guys Night Out event last week in midtown. “Our defense has been playing outstanding, [and] our special teams has been linking the offense and defense together. We believe in each other, so it’s a lot of different things that has helped us this year.”
Jennings started all 10 games in which he appeared this season, rushing 136 times for 459 yards and two touchdowns. He missed three games earlier in the season due to a thumb injury.
The Giants have gone 7-1 since his return to the lineup, defeating the Dallas Cowboys 10-7 on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Jennings credits first-year head coach Ben McAdoo for part of the team’s success this season.
“[McAdoo] earns the respect of people,” Jennings said. “He’s a first in and last out kind of guy. He does a good job of commanding the room, which is pivotal for a head coach, especially when you’re dealing with grown men.”
The Giants are 31st in rushing yards, accumulating just 1,023 on the ground this season. Jennings assures that there is no trick in finding success when running the ball.
“[There’s] no rocket science, man,” Jennings said. “It’s the NFL. You’re not going to go out and just dominate every single week. There’s different ways to winning a game. We’re talented, and we can throw the ball well.”
