Jasper Brinkley always wore number 54. It’s so much a part of him that it remains imprinted on his mouthpiece.
But when he came to the Giants at the end of last year’s preseason, that number already was taken by Jonathan Casillas. Brinkley had to change his identity. And he did it by switching to a number that carries a lot of history with the Giants.
“I know who has worn this number,” he said of the 53 he now sports, a number that always will be associated with Hall of Famer Harry Carson. “I see Harry around the building every now and then and I make sure I go over and speak with him.