'Careless' Fumble Could Land Brown In Coughlin's Doghouse

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) — Andre Brown hopes he didn't just earn a spot in Tom Coughlin's doghouse.

Coughlin had concerns about the New York Giants' running game heading into the season and nothing has changed after the first preseason game.

The running game averaged a dismal 2.54 yards on 33 attempts in the 18-13 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night. And Brown's fumble didn't sit well with the Giants coach.

"You could be in the doghouse for a while if you put that ball on the ground here," Brown said.

Before getting overly concerned, the Giants had some excuses. The offensive line played without starting right guard Chris Snee (hip) and his backup James Brewer (concussion).

None of the Giants running backs distinguished themselves in the start of the post-Ahmad Bradshaw era. He was cut in a salary cap move after 2012 despite having a 1,000-yard season.

David Wilson, the 2012 first-round draft pick, gained 16 yards on five carries. Brown had 23 yards on four carries, but also had a fumble.

"I'm hoping that because it's so early he forgets it," Brown said. "But I know he won't. I know he's going to be on my tail this week because I did it. All I can do is go out there and make sure I step up and be more capable and show that I can hold onto the football."

Brown didn't help his cause.

"It really was careless, I don't care how much and how well he played the game, there are certain things that have to happen before you run the ball," Coughlin said Sunday in a conference call.

"Look the ball in, if it's going to be a toss or pitch or pass all first you have to catch the darn thing and put it away and cover it up before you go on to the next objective. I'm sure he's going to learn a lot from that, and to his credit, he went back in and did a lot of good things."

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