Andre Brown

The truth sometimes hurts and Andre Brown admitted he was “sad’’ to learn he would no longer share the offensive backfield with Ahmad Bradshaw. It did not take long for that reality to set in and for Brown to set his sights on the No. 1 running back job.

“Oh yes, I’m going to prepare to be a starter,’’ Brown said. “That’s the dream job right there, to go out there and start and play for the New York Giants. I would love to do that. I’m going to put as much work as I need to put in to prepare for that role, if it happens to be me, put that faith in them that they can rely on me.’’

The Giants do not release key players without some tangible plan and, with Bradshaw purged from the roster, Brown and David Wilson are the obvious replacement parts. The two are completely disparate in their running styles; Wilson is a blur, Brown is a load.

Yet their totals from last season were similar. Brown had 73 rushing attempts, 385 yards (5.3-yard average) and a team-high eight rushing touchdowns. Wilson had 71 rushing attempts, 358 yards (5.0-yard average) and four TDs. Wilson as a first-round draft pick is a starter in waiting, but Brown was ahead of him on the depth chart before he broke his left fibula Nov. 25 in a rout of the Packers.