Wilson then returned to the Giants’ training facility and met with team President John Mara, general manager Jerry Reese and coach Tom Coughlin.
Coughlin was prepared for the worst before getting the official medical reports about Wilson.
“We had pretty much braced ourselves for not good news, although trying to be optimistic and not trying to go ahead and make some kind of a statement prior to getting that information,” he said on a conference call. “We were certainly excited thinking that everything was going to be OK with David. But in the back of your mind: How are you going to be affected as a team? It would be irresponsible not to give some thought to that.”
Wilson had only 146 yards on 44 carries and one touchdown in five games last season before the injury. He struggled with holding onto the ball, losing three fumbles.
Against New Orleans his rookie season, Wilson set a team record for all-purpose yards with 327. He had 227 yards on kickoff returns and added 100 rushing.
The Giants will now move on without Wilson. In the preseason opener against Buffalo on Sunday, rookie Andre Williams led a power running game. He had 48 yards on seven carries and a TD. Veteran Peyton Hillis added 36 yards on seven attempts, and newcomer Rashad Jennings gained 23 yards on seven carries and caught three passes for 20 yards.
“I’m encouraged, period,” Coughlin said. “I thought eventually we got to where we ran the ball pretty well. That might not have been their (starters) in there, but still we did have some consistency with runs there.”
