The Giants beat writers have tiptoed around the issue much like Brandon Jacobs tiptoed his way to the line of scrimmage last year.

Why has Ahmad Bradshaw received the first snap with the first team every day at Giants camp?

Jacobs has received first-team reps as well, but Bradshaw has taken the majority of snaps with the starters. We don’t want to overreact to training camp practices, but this is a change to the natural order of things in New York. The Giants are still trying to figure out what exactly happened to Jacobs last year.

“I don’t know. We don’t know,” offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. “He wasn’t as effective,

so I’m going to say it’s his knee. That’s the only way I can try to

begin to explain it, but with anything it’s never just one thing.”

Tom Coughlin said he wanted to see more confidence in Jacobs, presumably in the way he tests his knee. Bradshaw, who underwent more surgery this offseason, reportedly has looked terrific in practices.

The Giants’ running game can only get better this year, but it may take using Jacobs in a different role to do so.