Jerricho Cotchery, for one, is not surprised one bit by running back Derrick Ward’s success with the Giants.

An early-season knee injury to Tiki Barber’s replacement, Brandon Jacobs, allowed the former Jet more touches and he’s gained a team-high 353 yards on 73 carries, including a long of 44.

Cotchery said he saw all that potential in 2004 when the two were Jets’ rookies. Roommates, in fact.

“I always knew he was a good back, that’s why the Giants have been keeping him around,’’ Cotchery said. “Unfortunately, he got hurt here and he spent the entire training camp trying to get it right. They ended up putting him on the practice squad. All along, I knew he was a good back. Jonathan Vilma used to go at him in practice.’’

Ward, a seventh-round pick out of NAIA Ottawa University (Kan.) suffered a high ankle sprain with the Jets, who cut him and signed him to their practice squad. The Giants quickly plucked him off the Jets practice squad and onto their 53-man roster.

Until this season, he’s been injury prone with the Giants, as well.

Cotchery is always a fun interview. He stays well within the boundaries of what the Jets allow him to say but he’s always got an interesting take. He’s one of the few players – Laveranues Coles and Kerry Rhodes being other prime examples – of players who let their personality come through despite the restrictive atmosphere they’re in.

One of the interesting things to watch in Sunday’s Jets-Giants tilt is whether the Giants’ secondary comes up tight in press coverage against Coles and Cotchery.

Cotchery, for one, hopes they do. He has high regard for the previously trodden-upon Giants secondary.

“That got lost in the shuffle because they did a great job of rushing the passer,’’ Cotchery said. “No doubt, a lot of times those guys had some great coverage. A lot of times (Donovan) McNabb, he was dropping back, he was looking for his guy, waiting for his guy to get open and as soon as he’d come back and read someone else, he’d get sacked. Those guys had some great coverage if you really watch it.

“If you’re a receiver, you thrive for one-on-one coverage,’’ he said. “That increases your chances of getting open. With the way they’re playing now, I’m expecting them to do what they do. I don’t expect them to look at any particular guys and switch it up.’’

Cotchery did acknowledge there’s pressure on the receivers to get open quickly if a team is max protecting the quarterback, as the Jets may very well decide to do Sunday.

“If you don’t get open, the quarterback is going to have a long day,’’ Cotchery said. “The pressure is there.

By the way, no change to the Jets’ player participation report from Wednesday, other than acknowledging S Erik Coleman has a concussion. For the Giants, though, please note that DE Osi Umenyiora (knee) did not participate in practice and DE Michael Strahan (knee) was limited. Those are both additions to their player participation report. Meanwhile, S Gibril Wilson (hip) was able to participated in a limited manner after missing Wednesday’s practice.