East Rutherford, NJ

New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw explained that his desire to run the ball more against the Washington Redskins was the reason behind his heated exchange with coach Tom Coughlin.

"I was just saying, 'Run the ball,' going onto the field," Bradshaw said of his exchange with Coughlin. "A lot of my emotions kicking in. I just want to help my team win as much as possible."

Bradshaw and Coughlin were seen shouting at each other in the third quarter of their 27-23 win over the Redskins. The running back also strongly slapped teammate Victor Cruz on the back of the helmet.

Despite playing on 48 of 63 offensive snaps, Bradshaw had a total of 16 touches. He carried the ball 12 times for 43 yards and a touchdown as the Giants ran the ball 19 times for 64 yards against Washington.

In Monday's news conference, Coughlin said he's ready to move on from his spat with Bradshaw, saying he already addressed the issue with his running back

"There's never been any question about Ahmad Bradshaw's toughness, his intensity level," Coughlin said. "He plays the game hard. You know, you like to have everybody play as hard as he does. He gives it everything he's got.

"And so, you want people to recognize that fact, but sometimes you do have to control yourself and control your emotions. And he's working on it," he added.

Bradshaw got frustrated when he was tackled by Redskins safety Madieu Williams and cornerback Cedric Griffin during a run in the third quarter.

He then gave a forceful slap to the back of Cruz's helmet, which startled the receiver. It appeared Bradshaw was unhappy with Cruz, who was supposed to block Williams.

"Yeah, it didn't tickle, to say the least," Cruz said when asked about Bradshaw's tap on the helmet. "But it's all fine. He just wants the best out of everyone. On that specific play, he felt like I could've done more. I agree with him, and we hugged it out later on."

Bradshaw explained that he always wants to get his teammates and the offensive line motivated during the game.

"I try to take a place in our offense and be the emotional leader," Bradshaw said. "And I feel to help and motivate our line, to go out and be motivated for a certain job, I feel like speaking up helps."

 

FOXSports.com recaps the Giants win over the Redskins

 

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