There was a period in the history of the New York Giants when they were obsessed with smash-mouth young running backs who became known as the Baby Bulls.
In 1965, Tucker Frederickson was the first-round draft pick, followed by Chuck Marcein and Ernie Coy, and adding second-year sluggers Ernie Wheelwright and Steve Thurlow.
The Jets will bring in their rookie Baby Bulls in their preseason opener against the Commanders, with Braylon Allen and Isaiah Davis looking poised to provide comfortable insurance for Aaron Rodgers and Nathaniel Hackett behind Breece Hall.
Hall gave the Baby Bulls a thumbs up as he left the locker room after the Jets won 20-17.
On Allen, a fourth-round draft pick: “He played very well. Very decisive. Showed off his speed and power. He’s getting better every day.”
“Isaiah showed off the same thing, his agility and his route-running ability. It was cool to see both of them showcase their talents on a big stage in the preseason,” he said of Davis, a fifth-round draft pick.
A 16-yard run followed by a 24-yard run was impressive for a 6-foot-1, 240-pound player, and Allen’s day ended with 54 yards on six carries.
He handed the baton to the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Davis, who raced up the middle to catch a 24-yard pass from Andrew Peaslee and finished 4-of-33 receiving, 4-of-8 rushing, 1-of-29 kickoff return and 2-of-6 punt return.
“Watching them play to their heart’s content today, they’re both great, hard-working running backs,” center Joe Tippman said. “It was a great feeling to see them go out there and play to their heart’s content and have success and I was on the sidelines cheering them on.”
Allen started slowly and disciplinedly on the MetLife turf. “I feel like the more carries I get the stronger I get,” he said. “I think on my last few carries I was able to push myself a little bit and get in the flow.”
Allen smiled when asked what the biggest difference between Wisconsin and the NFL was: “The one thing that really stood out to me was it’s a lot harder to get through an arm tackle,” Allen said.
Davis also had some issues with his footing early on. “I thought it went well, but it wasn’t my best,” Davis said. “There were a couple of plays I could have gotten back. I just slipped on the ground a couple of times.”
He could be a weapon as a receiver. “I feel like a lot of people overlook my handling ability,” Davis said.
He’s also a downhill runner. “I’m 220 pounds and I have a big back, but I’m a little wobbly,” Davis says. “I feel like that helps me.”
Davis enjoys the return game. “I love it,” he said. “I’m confident and I’ve always played center field. I feel like it helps me track the ball and it just seems natural.”
Allen was impressed with Davis: “I thought he ran hard, did his job in pass protection, did a great job on special teams, kick and punt returns, everything,” Allen said.
Davis was impressed with Allen. “He’s a hard hitter, a do-it-all type of guy,” Davis said. “He had a great day.”
One enthusiastic spectator didn’t want anyone to forget about sophomore running back Israel Abani-Kanda, who scored on a 2-yard TD run.
“The rookie running backs are great, but we have four running backs, all of whom are really good,” Woody Johnson said.
We don’t need to go from Aaron Rodgers to Garrett Wilson all the time, right?
