Rushing for 124 yards would have been considered a good game for Tiki Barber. That's the total the Giants managed from the running back spot Saturday night -- although it took five men to reach that number. "As a group, with the exception of the fumble at the end of the game, we got a strong performance out of the runners," coach Tom Coughlin said of his stable of backs looking to replace the retired Pro Bowler. "All the backs ran well, we all played well," added Ryan Grant, who led the way with 44 yards in the 24-21 loss to Carolina. "I think we all did a good job on pass protection, too." Grant, the former Don Bosco star who missed last season with a wrist injury, carried five times in his first game action since the preseason of 2005. He had the longest run from scrimmage, 20 yards, but was disappointed when tackled at the Panthers' 15. "I was thinking end zone on that one," Grant added. "It ticked me off. That's going to change next time." Starter Brandon Jacobs ran for 15 yards and backup Reuben Droughns added 17, plus a 32-yard screen pass reception that set up a touchdown. Derrick Ward chipped in with 29 yards and a 67-yard kickoff return that led to the Giants' first TD. Rookie Ahmad Bradshaw contributed 19 yards and a team-high three receptions, but fumbled the ball away in the final minute for the game's lone turnover. Of the five, Ward actually has the longest stint as a Giant, having joined the team in 2004. But he has played just 27 games in three seasons because of several injuries, including a fractured foot that kept him out half of last season. "The coaches must know what I can do, they've kept me around this long," said the onetime Jets draft pick. "The one thing he has been to this point is injury free," Coughlin said of Ward. "You see how quick he looks, he looks quick, he looks fast. ... You're seeing a guy who has worked hard, his weight [230] is about where we want. When you look at them you don't think he's that big, so he does pack some punch as well." http://www.northjersey.com/page.php...lRUV5eTcxODEzODAmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2
