After Andre Brown blew up against the Carolina Panthers, the New York Giants running back saw his "Madden NFL 13" rating hiked up by programmers in what appeared to be a harbinger of things to come.
Two weeks later, he's finding out about the importance of being a complete player in the backfield.
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Brown saw just nine snaps against the Philadelphia Eagles because offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride doesn't trust him in pass protection. (We've already seen David Wilson spend most of the season in Tom Coughlin's doghouse -- now this.) Brown is committed to winning back the coaching staff by working on his blocking technique.
"It's all about gaining the trust and keep going out there every week and letting them know that I can pass protect and picking up all my blitzes," Brown told The Star-Ledger. "I just got to keep going out there and taking advantage of all the opportunities that I have and continuing to grow on that side of the game."
Brown rushed for 184 yards on 33 carries in six quarters while filling in for the injured Ahmad Bradshaw. Tom Coughlin hinted that Brown would continue to see equal time after Bradshaw's return, but Brown sat out 58 of New York's 68 offensive plays against the Eagles. Translation: The safety of Eli Manning outshines any pet projects on this roster.
But Brown isn't giving up.
"I feel like if I continue to go out there each week and just continue to keep showing progress, I'll be all right," Brown said. "Eventually, one day I'll be out there and I'll gain their trust."
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
