ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — After leading the NFL in team rushing last season, Giants running back Brandon Jacobs sees no reason why New York can’t repeat the feat, despite losing fellow 1,000-yard rusher Derrick Ward to free agency.

“I think as a unit we may be the best in the league,” Jacobs said after Wednesday morning’s practice at the University at Albany. “I’m just calling it like it is.”

A big reason for Jacobs’ optimism is third-year player Amhad Bradshaw, a 5-foot-9, 198-pound running back from Marshall. He and Danny Ware are competing for the job of backing up Jacobs, who rushed for 1,089 yards.

Ward, who ran for 1,025 yards, signed as a free agent with Tampa Bay during the offseason.

“Derrick is a big piece that we lost, but I think we’re gonna have no problem with Ahmad and Danny coming in and playing,” Jacobs said. “I think both of those guys run enough and know enough to get in there and handle their own.”

“We have all the right things, all the right people in place, the right talent between the three of us,” he added.

The Giants went 12-4 last season and won the NFC East before falling to Philadelphia in the playoffs. Jacobs, a bruising 6-4, 264 pounds, had a team-leading 15 touchdowns while turning in his second consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season. The Giants rewarded him earlier this year with a four-year, $25 million contract.

With an experienced offensive line returning, Jacobs said he expects 2009 to be much like 2008 when it comes to piling up yardage on the ground.

“I expect myself to come out and be able to hold the grind and get it done,” he said.

Bradshaw, making his first comments to the media since camp opened, said a leg injury hampered his performance in 2008, when he rushed for 355 yards and a TD while adding another 867 yards returning 39 kickoffs. He said his explosive speed will nicely complement Jacobs’ battering-ram running style.

“I just want to come in and change the game up when Brandon’s not in,” he said. “The defense plays us a lot different.”

“It’s one of the biggest years I’ve had in my life, and to have this opportunity, I just have to take advantage of it.”

Legal issues stemming from a parole violation also proved a distraction for Bradshaw last season. The 23-year-old from Bluefield, Va., was allowed to serve the first portion of a 60-day jail sentence last summer before reporting to training camp in Albany. He returned to jail earlier this year to finish serving the sentence, which stemmed from an underage drinking offense in 2004 and a petty larceny charge in 2006.

While Bradshaw didn’t discuss the matter Wednesday, Jacobs said he can see a difference in his teammate at this year’s camp.

“He’s not thinking, he’s just playing,” Jacobs said. “He knows so much this year that he didn’t know last year, which helps us out a whole lot. That tells us right there that he’s ready to play. I think the guy was ready to play his rookie year when we went on a nice run and won the Super Bowl.”

The Giants’ offensive line is the same one that helped upset New England in the Super Bowl in 2008. Offensive tackle David Diehl, a seven-year veteran, said he and his fellow linemen share Jacobs’ optimism about the team’s ground game.

“They’re two different running backs, two different sizes, obviously, and you know it’s awesome to be able to have two guys that can come in and our offense doesn’t skip a beat when running the ball,” Diehl said. “When we get Ahmad in there he’s a fireplug, and he’s so low that he does a good job of setting up our blocks because he’s able to hide behind us and see holes and squeak through things that other backs couldn’t do, that maybe Brandon couldn’t fit through.”

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