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QB Andre Woodson (sixth round) and WR Mario Manningham (third round) were both injured today during the morning practice at rookie minicamp. Woodson pulled up lame on a rollout to the left. He was taken to the cart on the side and did not return to practice. Looked like a left quad issue. Manningham hurt himself while running a deep hook route. He suffered a hip flexor injury. Both players are likely out for this afternoon. Continue
The last catch David Tyree made was one of the greatest in Super Bowl history. Now he is going to have to wait awhile for his next one. Tyree, who made the spectacular one-handed, helmet-aided grab on the Giants' Super Bowl winning drive, had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee last week and will be out of action at least until training camp begins in late July. And even though he promised he'll be "100% for the start of training camp," his recovery could take a little longer. Continue
Plaxico Burress joined his teammates for the Giants' 50-minute walk-through yesterday at the Cardinals' practice facility in Tempe, and coach Tom Coughlin sounded a positive note about Burress' knee and ankle injuries. Said Coughlin, "I think he's a little bit better ... He gets a little bit better each day and hopefully, we'll be able to have some further improvement [today]." Continue
When Plaxico Burress arrived at Giants' hotel headquarters hours after giving The Post his 23-17 Super Bowl prediction, he proclaimed his troublesome right ankle 97 percent. Then he didn't practice Wednesday. Not to worry. He was going to practice Thursday. Then he didn't practice Thursday, and we were told there was swelling and soreness in his left knee. Worry.
Considering he had been able to practice on an intermittent basis since November, this was clearly a setback, and at the worst possible time.So yesterday, 48 hours from Super Bowl XLII, all eyes were on Burress when the Giants hit the practice field. Eli Manning's eyes, Tom Coughlin's eyes, the eyes of New York. Continue
Rookie cornerback Aaron Ross Aaron Ross went low to tackle bullish running back Marion Barber in the second quarter of last night's 21-17 playoff victory over the Cowboys and came away with a dislocated shoulder. He was able to return, but left for good after another hit on Barber knocked the shoulder out of whack once again.
Yet Ross vowed to be on the field Sunday when the Giants New York Giants face the Packers in the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field."It kept popping out, but I'll be out there. As long as it's not broke I'll be out there," Ross said. "It was painful, but it's the playoffs." Continue
On the morning after the Giants' near-upset of the New England Patriots, Tom Coughlin has a difficult question to answer: Was it worth the risk?
The Giants didn't just lose a meaningless game to the Patriots on Saturday night. They also lost three starters - linebacker Kawika Mitchell, center Shaun O'Hara and cornerback Sam Madison. It's unclear if any of the three will be available for the Giants' first-round playoff game next weekend in Tampa. "Anytime you lose a player, you're concerned," Coughlin said. "It's most unfortunate, but we were going to play to win the game." Continue
Jeremy Shockey was carted off the field with 10:59 left in the third quarter last night with a fractured fibula in his left leg. His season is over, which might be worse news than the way the Giants played in their 22-10 loss to the Redskins.
Shockey was blocking Anthony Montgomery when Amani Toomer rolled up the back of his leg at the end of a running play. Shockey, who was bent backward, grimaced in pain, needed to be carried off the field and was carted to the locker room. Continue
There was a time when Plaxico Burress was keeping up, hauling in passes and finding his way into the end zone as often as any receiver in the NFL and more frequently than most. He was more than keeping pace with the likes of Randy Moss and Terrell Owens, and it wasn't difficult to envision a career year that catapulted Burress to his first Pro Bowl. Then his right ankle had other plans. Though Burress hasn't missed a game since the second game of the season, he hasn't practiced once because of a sprained ankle that has at times turned him into a one-legged wonder. Continue
Plaxico Burress gets made fun of. A lot. He is a particular target of Antonio Pierce, who, after watching the receiver consistently burn the Eagles' secondary yesterday, elevated Burress to exalted status.
"He's got the legend," Pierce said. "I think he's going to be the first guy in the NFL to play all 16 games and not practice. I am going to leave that to his own legacy and try to create my own." Pierce played yesterday without practicing last week, but he has some distance to cover before catching Burress, who has done that all season because of a right ankle injury suffered in the opener Sept. 9. Continue
Steve Smith's rookie season long ago had been ruined by the time Tom Coughlin approached him last week. Smith was about to miss his 10th straight game due to injuries, so Coughlin figured it was time to give him a push. "Definitely I needed that push," the rookie receiver said Friday. "Maybe I could've been getting a little lackadaisical just hanging around and not having to practice much. Definitely that pressure from Coach really got in my mind that I needed to get going." Continue
David Tyree was shouting across the locker room in the direction of Chase Blackburn. "C'mon Chase, don't do it!" Tyree yelled. "Special teams for life." That's where those two normally make their living but tomorrow, Blackburn steps up on the depth chart, as he's set to start at middle linebacker in place of Antonio Pierce, who is expected to miss the game against the Eagles with a sprained right ankle. Pierce played with the injury last week but was not effective in Chicago, and the ankle swelled up on Monday. He missed practice all week, and all signs indicate he'll miss his first game of the season. Continue
With Derrick Ward out for the season, the weather getting colder and a big game coming up on Sunday in Philadelphia, Brandon Jacobs knows he is urgently needed. And he feels good about his chances of playing against the Eagles. He's just not in any rush. "Why would I rush back when we've got a seven-year veteran that can do the job?" Jacobs said yesterday. "I'm only in my third year. I don't want to risk the rest of my career."
Jacobs' career isn't in jeopardy, but the Giants are still going to be careful with their top running back's balky left hamstring, which he strained three weeks ago in Detroit. At 8-4, the Giants are virtually assured of a playoff berth. And with Ward on injured reserve with a broken left leg, the Giants need the 6-4, 264-pound Jacobs to be as healthy as possible if they hope to make an extended postseason run. Continue
The best game of Derrick Ward's career turned into what likely was his final game of the season. Ward, the productive but injury-plagued running back, finally started in place of Brandon Jacobs yesterday after missing the past four games with groin and ankle problems. By halftime, Ward had 12 rushing attempts, 110 yards and a touchdown.
But with 8:06 remaining in the game, Ward went down and stayed down after a four-yard run. "I felt a pop and the initial pain," he said. It was his last carry and X-rays revealed a fractured left fibula that undoubtedly will keep him out the remainder of the season. Ward said the break is more of a crack and not as severe as the season-ending injury to linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka, but broken bones need months, not weeks to heal. Continue
In his typically curt remarks to reporters following Friday's practice, Tom Coughlin offered a bland "We will see" when asked if Derrick Ward would be the starting running back Sunday in Chicago. But the fact that Ward is even an option is encouraging news, since the Big Blue rushing attack the previous three games had all the ferocity of a Pop Warner team. Ward has been sidelined with ankle and groin injuries and hasn't played since an Oct. 21 win against the 49ers. Last week, veteran Reuben Droughns had a paltry 46 yards on 15 carries, although he did score a touchdown.
Ward returns at a critical time: With Brandon Jacobs still out with a hamstring injury, Ward will try to rumble through the Bears' porous run defense, ranked 27th out of 32 teams. The bad news? Weather conditions at Soldier Field are supposed to be lousy tomorrow, with a forecast in the low 40s with rain and wind. Continue
Once the Giants pulled the plug on Corey Webster, removing him from his starting cornerback spot, Kevin Dockery moved up the defensive back ladder and for the past eight games has played as the nickel back. Tomorrow in Chicago, Dockery steps higher once again when he starts in place of injured rookie Aaron Ross.
Ross was forced out of last week's 41-17 loss to the Vikings with a strained hamstring and after missing all of practice this week won't be available. It leaves Dockery, an undersized 5-foot-8, second-year corner who usually is able to compensate for his lack of height with aggressive coverage. Continue
Plaxico Burress has made a habit of playing without practice this season, but that might change this week. The Giants' prolific wideout, already hampered most of the year by an ankle sprain, has been slowed even further by a knee injury suffered last week and might not play Sunday at the Bears. Burress hasn't practiced all week, which isn't un usual, but his knee woes prompted a visit to a doctor in Manhattan on Wednesday and required more treatment yesterday that caused him to miss his usual session with reporters. Continue
When Mathias Kiwanuka crumpled to the turf on Sunday in Detroit with a broken fibula, the Giants felt as if they had lost two players. "You kind of lose a linebacker and a defensive lineman at the same time," defensive lineman Fred Robbins said. While he was still learning the ropes at linebacker after his conversion from defensive end this season, Kiwanuka's second pro year ended abruptly when Osi Umenyiora rolled into Kiwanuka's leg.
Certainly, the Giants' pass-rush schemes will be affected by the loss of Kiwanuka, who along with Michael Strahan, Umenyiora and Justin Tuck gave the Giants one of the most fearsome defensive fronts in the league. Continue
The Giants were fall guys a year ago, some of their key players felled by injury, precipitating an ignominious fall from grace following a 6-2 first half. They will not be fall guys this time.
You don't go into a place as loud and hostile as Ford Field and find a way to win on a day when your offense struggles and loses Brandon Jacobs and your defense loses Mathias Kiwanuka unless you are a together team. You don't get up off the deck after losing to the Cowboys at home unless you are strong-minded and resilient enough to forget it and move on. Continue
The one thing the Giants haven't had to worry about all season has been their powerful rushing attack. That's especially true when the 6-4, 264-pound Brandon Jacobs has been on the field. But yesterday, they were crossing their fingers as Jacobs underwent a battery of tests, and they were sorting through the pieces of a suddenly battered running back corps. "It went from a deep, strong position to a position now that has a couple of injuries," Tom Coughlin said. "Yeah, it's definitely a concern." Continue
The sight no player wants to see occurred on the second play yesterday, as linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka had to be helped off the field. "A guy gets carted off, it just kind of puts everybody in a little bit of a trance," Giants center Shaun O'Hara said. The Giants recovered and their defense held together in a 16-10 victory over the Lions at Ford Field, but it was a costly afternoon. Kiwanuka is through for the season with a broken left fibula, and in the third quarter, running back Brandon Jacobs was forced out with a hamstring injury. Continue
Plaxico Burress had a little bit more of a limp this week and, of course, wasn't able to practice. Not that it makes much of a difference anymore. "Well, I have been pretty much going out and dominating anyway, whether I was hurt or not," Burress said. "It hasn't stopped me from going out and having success." Maybe not, but his injury sure has seemed to take some of the big air out of the Giants' passing game. And tomorrow, against a Lions team that's averaging 31 points per game at home, it would be a good time to get some of it back. Continue
Antonio Pierce did not say if the Giants medical staff has cleared him to return to practice or to play in Sunday's game against the Lions at Ford Field. Pierce isn't waiting for word; he's making his own declaration. "I'm telling you I'm practicing [today]," Pierce said yesterday. "I'll be playing Sunday. That's my plan."
Pierce missed his second consecutive day of practice, sitting out with what the Giants are calling a mild concussion. Pierce was forced out of last Sunday's loss to the Cowboys briefly in the first half, replaced by backup Chase Blackburn, but was able to finish the game. When he experienced headaches on Monday, he was tested and told to rest. Continue
Plaxico Burress has gritted his teeth and played through a painful ankle injury all season. But it's clearly getting worse. One day after he was held to an ineffective four catches for 24 yards in a 31-20 loss to Dallas, Burress said his right ankle felt "probably the worst it's felt" all season - amazing since it's been bothering him since he first sprained it on Aug. 2. "It seems like its getting worse," Burress said yesterday. "All I can do is keep getting treatment and rehab. That's really all I can do about it."
Burress has caught just 11 passes for 81 yards and no touchdowns in the last three games (though one game was played in sloppy conditions at London's Wembley Stadium). In the first six games, he was averaging five catches for 84.5 yards and 1.3 touchdowns. Tom Coughlin conceded Burress' ankle injury is hurting his production. "I would think that certainly has a lot to do with it," Coughlin said. Continue
The Giants got a big surprise when they began practice yesterday morning: Plaxico Burress was out there on the field, too. "It was so funny," Burress said. "The first ball I caught in practice all my teammates started clapping. I guess they got a big kick out of that."
They should have, since Burress had missed every practice for the past seven weeks thanks to a sprained ankle that has not gotten better. Even yesterday he said, "It didn't necessarily feel better. It felt about the same. But I just felt that (with) the layoff and not playing last week, (I should) just go out there, get some reps and move around a little bit." Continue
A full week of rest apparently wasn't the cure Plaxico Burress was hoping it would be for his injured ankle. Despite hopes that he'd be able to practice this week as the Giants returned from their bye, Burress was unable to participate in the Giants' light practice Monday, their first work since they returned from London one week ago. He might practice tomorrow, but as of yesterday Tom Coughlin said his star receiver still had not been medically cleared.
"I'd love to get him more practice," Coughlin said. "But that's all based from the medical standpoint. Right now it's not going to happen." Burress, of course, has hardly practiced at all since spraining his ankle in early August. He missed most of training camp and all of the preseason. And after aggravating the injury in the Week 2 loss to the Packers, he's had to skip every practice in order to be healthy enough to play each week. Continue
Michael Strahan (knee) and Gibril Wilson (ribs) sat out practice yesterday but both should be able to go today and are in no danger of missing Sunday's game with the Jets, according to Tom Coughlin. Both were injured in Sunday night's 16-3 win over the Eagles, though neither missed time because of the injuries. Chris Snee, who missed a series with a knee injury on Sunday, was cleared to practice yesterday.
Plaxico Burress (ankle) won't practice this week, but said he will continue to be ready for games. Burress didn't practice last week either and had four catches, including his NFC-leading sixth touchdown, against Philadelphia. Continue
Brandon Jacobs is ready to rejoin the Giants. But he probably is going to have to wait another week. Though his sprained right knee made it through two days of practice with no additional problems, the Giants are choosing the cautious approach with their injured running back. Conceding "it's not my week to jump out there," Jacobs said he won't be playing against the Philadelphia Eagles tomorrow night. His focus is on returning on Oct. 7, when the Giants play host to the Jets. Continue
After participating yesterday in his first practice since spraining his right medial collateral ligament in the season opener, Brandon Jacobs said he wants to play against the Eagles on Sunday. But the Giants running back reluctantly admits it won't be his decision to make, but rather the Giants' coaching and medical staffs.
"Right now I feel good," Jacobs said. "I practiced today for the first time and no problems. I feel like I can get out on Sunday but I don't have that decision so I do what they tell me to do. "I did a little running and cutting, I got a little burst out in the field," he added. "I stopped toward the end because it got kind of stiff on me. But I did what I had to do and showed people I can go, and it is out of my hands." Continue
Running back Brandon Jacobs (knee) is still out, but he has begun running on the side and is hopeful of practicing later this week. He also added, "I would love to play this weekend. I'm getting very close." That, however, still seems like a longshot. "It's most definitely killing me (not to play)," Jacobs said. "But I don't want to go out and ruin my opportunity to be the guy in the future. "It's a knee injury and it'll only get worse if you don't let it heal." (Daily News)
The Giants released their pre-practice injury report and atop it is WR Plaxico Burress, who won't practice today. Burress and trainer Ronnie Barnes are in Charlotte, N.C., for an appointment today with renowned foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon Dr. Robert Anderson. Burress' ankle keeps giving him problems and the hope is Anderson will give him advice on how to handle the injury. No word yet if surgery is an option but this bears watching. Continue
Just as Eli Manning was last weekend, more and more it’s looking as though Plaxico Burress will be a game-time decision for the Giants tomorrow in Washington.
The receiver returned to practice yesterday on a limited basis after missingthe previous three days with a right ankle injury. He’s listed as questionable, and neither Burress nor the Giants would shed any light on his status. “He was limited,” Tom Coughlin said. “He did some things. He didn’t complete the full practice, but he did a few things and we’ll see. It’s going to be one of those deals depending on how he feels on game day.” Continue
Osi Umenyiora and Brandon Jacobs both read the reports that they'd be sidelined for at least a month, but both said yesterday that they expect to be back much sooner than that. In fact, Umenyiora, who suffered an irritation of the lateral meniscus in his left knee on Sunday night - an injury that a source close to the defensive end said could keep him out up to four weeks - wouldn't rule out returning for the Giants' home opener this Sunday.
"I'm not going to completely rule it out, but I'm not going to say I am definitely going to be back either," said Umenyiora, who will be reevaluated today by Dr. Russell Warren, the Giants' team physician. "It's somewhere in between." Tom Coughlin said Umenyiora remains day-to-day, but he added, "I have to tell you, I'm encouraged by (his progress)." Continue
William Joseph's disappointing career with the Giants may be over. Joseph, the Giants' first-round pick in 2003, was placed on season-ending injured reserve yesterday with a back injury he apparently suffered in the hours before the Giants' loss in Dallas Sunday night. He was a late addition to the Giants' inactive list, and the team later announced he had back spasms.
In four previous seasons with the Giants, the 28-year-old defensive tackle failed to make an impact worthy of the 25th overall pick. He has seven career sacks, never more than two in a season, bouncing in and out of the starting lineup and between tackle and end. Continue
Eli manning had a feeling that the injury to his shoulder injury wouldn't turn out to be serious. It looks like he was right. But his teammates weren't as lucky.
While Manning holds out hope that he'll be able to play in the Giants' home opener against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday despite a sprained right shoulder, defensive end Osi Umenyiora and running back Brandon Jacobs will be lost for awhile. Jacobs, according to a league source, will miss 3-5 weeks with a sprained MCL in his right knee. Umenyiora has what the Giants are calling irritation to the lateral meniscus in his left knee and, according to a source, is expected to be out a month. Continue
At least one of the Giants' walking wounded - one of the most important hobbled players - declared himself ready for action yesterday. Receiver Plaxico Burress said, "I haven't felt better than I am right now in four or five months."
That's good news for the Giants, who this summer haven't seen much of Burress on the field. He arrived at training camp practicing once a day after having bone spurs removed from his left ankle during the offseason. On Aug. 2, he sprained his left ankle, forcing him out of more than 20 practices and the first two preseason games. Just as he was ready to return, Burress was felled by a 103-degree temperature on the eve of the game against the Jets. He had to sit out the preseason finale against the Patriots because of severe back spasms. Continue
The Giants trimmed their roster to 76 players yesterday, one above the maximum allowed by the league as of 4 p.m. today, and the cuts were the usual list of unknowns. Their list of injured players, especially players who fill valuable roles, just seems to keep expanding.
Special-teams ace David Tyree is the latest, having suffered a broken left wrist in Saturday's 20-12 loss to the Jets. Tyree had a strong game, downing a punt at the Jets' 1-yard line and nearly blocking another punt, but now he'll be out at least a month. Continue
Plaxico Burress made it back to the practice field yesterday after 19 days on the sideline with a sprained right ankle. Eli Manning delivered a few throws to Burress, who looked a little rusty but had a couple of catches and no ill effects.
"He looked pretty good," Tom Coughlin said. "It's good to have him on the field working with the quarterbacks, and I think he feels pretty good after practice." Of course, the Giants can't seem to get all of Manning's targets on the field at once. Jeremy Shockey sat out with a tight left hamstring that has plagued him since the first week of camp. Coughlin had no timetable for Shockey's return or for that of wide receiver Sinorice Moss, who missed Sunday's game in Baltimore with a sprained ankle. Continue
The Giants this offseason tried to upgrade their fullback position but were unsuccessful. Now, they truly have to locate a replacement for Jim Finn, who yesterday was placed on the season-ending injured reserve list following shoulder surgery. Finn this past Monday underwent surgery to repair a torn right labrum. It is the third time his right shoulder has been operated on and he also suffers from arthritis in that shoulder. Continue
Jerry Reese didn't need much time to start discarding the broken-down team Ernie Accorsi left behind. The pressure is on Reese to reshape the Giants on the run, get them deeper into the playoffs than a wild-card loss and avoid a fourth straight season of debilitating injuries. He started yesterday by cutting three veterans, including the starting left tackle, one of the hardest and most important positions to fill with a quality player.When he was promoted to general manager on Jan.16, Reese said he was "sick" that the playoffs were still going on and the Giants were out of them.
Clearly, he was not going to be content taking the same team back into training camp that turned a 6-2 start into a 2-6 nightmare finish. He inherited Tom Coughlin, who was given a one-year extension less than one week before Reese was given his new job. So, if the team was going to be contructed in Reese's image, he had to start carving up the roster, whichwhich has been decimated by injuries four years in a row, especially in the second half of the season. Continue
Jeremy Shockey's left ankle may not be 100%, but it appears it will be good enough for him to start tomorrow. Though Tom Coughlin remained non-committal, the Giants tight end is expected to start the wild-card matchup with the Eagles. Shockey was still limping in the locker room yesterday, but after he made it through a second straight practice without a setback, Coughlin said "I think Jeremy has made good progress" this week.
Asked directly if Shockey will be playing tomorrow, Coughlin paused before saying "We'll see." Coughlin would not say if Shockey made it through a full practice, just that they increased his number of plays from the limited action he saw on Thursday. After that practice, Coughlin said Shockey would "not necessarily" need to practice in full before playing in the game. Continue
Jeremy Shockey slowly is working his way back into the Giants' lineup. And his teammates can't wait for him to arrive. "He's our emotional leader," center Shaun O'Hara said. "Sometimes for good, sometimes for bad, but you know you're going to get the same thing from him every time. And I love him for it. We're hoping we can have him."
Shockey's status for Sunday was still questionable yesterday after he was unable to make it through a full practice because of his injured left ankle. It was his first attempt at practicing since he suffered the injury on Dec. 24 against the Saints. "We worked (Shockey) in as best as we could," Tom Coughlin said. "And he did well with the opportunities that he had. Hopefully (today) will be even more progress." Continue
You can imagine the angst bottled up inside Jeremy Shockey when he was told he could not play in the Giants' final regular season game in Washington and was not even invited to accompany his team on the trip to save wear and tear on his sprained left ankle.
With that disappointment behind him, Shockey will not tolerate sitting out Sunday's NFC wild-card playoff game against the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. That's why, in the strongest terms he could muster, he informed Tom Coughlin that this week he needs to push himself as much as humanly possible. Continue
The Giants could barely get into 2007 before another season-ending injury befell them. Cornerback Corey Webster re-injured his toe Saturday and was placed on injured reserve, making him technically the sixth starter to be lost for the season. It's technical because Webster, the 2005 second-round pick, began the season as a starter, sat out four games with the initial toe injury and returned to be the nickel corner, with R.W. McQuarters having taken Webster's starting spot.
Webster returned for the Dec. 24 Saints game, then left the field Saturday after being burned on Antwaan Randle-El's 48-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss. Webster could not stop to adjust for the underthrown ball and also hurt his hip on the play. To replace Webster, The Giants signed cornerback R.J. Cobbs off their practice squad. Kevin Dockery will be the nickel back for Sunday's game. Continue
The Giants could barely get into 2007 before another season-ending injury befell them. Cornerback Corey Webster re-injured his toe Saturday and was placed on injured reserve, making him technically the sixth starter to be lost for the season. It's technical because Webster, the 2005 second-round pick, began the season as a starter, sat out four games with the initial toe injury and returned to be the nickel corner, with R.W. McQuarters having taken Webster's starting spot.
Webster returned for the Dec. 24 Saints game, then left the field Saturday after being burned on Antwaan Randle-El's 48-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss. Webster could not stop to adjust for the underthrown ball and also hurt his hip on the play. To replace Webster, The Giants signed cornerback R.J. Cobbs off their practice squad. Kevin Dockery will be the nickel back for Sunday's game. Continue
The Giants know they are in the playoffs and are set to face the Eagles Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, but they are uncertain about the availability of Pro Bowl tight end Jeremy Shockey. At the moment, there's little to feel optimistic about regarding Shockey's availability. He missed the regular-season finale against the Redskins after suffering a sprained left ankle Dec. 24 against the Saints, and did not make the trip to Washington in order to receive round-the-clock treatment.
"Not sure about that," Tom Coughlin said yesterday when asked about Shockey's return. "We left him here so he could continue his treatment and would not be standing on it so we have a good chance of getting the swelling down. We've very hopeful." The other injury to watch is cornerback Corey Webster, who was forced out last Saturday night with a hip injury and a recurrence of his turf toe injury. He is unlikely to be ready by the weekend. Continue
Shockey did not make trip to D.C. according to WFAN.
Michael Strahan said yesterday he would have considered retiring if he needed surgery on his injured right foot. But a foot specialist assured him that surgery won't be necessary. The defensive end told WFAN yesterday that after being examined by Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, N.C., they determined his sprained right foot would not need to be surgically repaired, and that with rest and rehabilitation he should be ready for the start of next season.
He did not say how long his recovery would be but noted an operation would have forced a lengthy time away. "If I had to have surgery and go through rehab from 6-8 months to be ready for August, is it really worth it for me at this point in my career? I don't know," Strahan said. "That would've been a decision I would've had to make. But it's not a decision I have to make right now. I'm planning on being back." (Daily News)
As the Giants head into a game with massive playoff implications that will determine whether they finish 7-9 or 8-8, there are concerns about the availability of tight end Jeremy Shockey, who is hobbled with a sprained ankle.
Shockey, who has battled ankle problems on and off this season, was injured in last week's 30-7 loss to the Saints. As the Giants practiced yesterday, Shockey was not on the field. He is listed as questionable for Saturday night's game against the Redskins at FedEx Field. Shockey and Tiki Barber are the Giants' only two Pro Bowlers, and Shockey leads the team with 66 receptions. There is no real replacement on the roster for the threat Shockey poses at tight end. (NY Post)
Michael Strahan is also going on injured reserve after aggravating the Lisfranc joint sprain in his right foot on Sunday, his first game action in six weeks. He is done for the year and may need surgery to repair the injury, which could leave the seven-time Pro Bowler on a 6-8 month rehabilitation schedule.
The Giants also placed tackle Luke Petitgout (leg) and punt returner Chad Morton (torn ACL) on IR today, signing former Broncos WR Darius Watts and two practice-squad players in a day of drastic moves, with their playoff chances and Coughlin's job hanging on Saturday's game against the Redskins.
The moment the Giants have been waiting six weeks for will arrive this afternoon, as Michael Strahan puts on his blue jersey and bounds out onto the Giants Stadium field. The way his teammates have been talking about him this week, you'd expect the defensive end to have an 'S' on the front of his uniform and a red cape flowing from his back.
Given all the bad luck and bad play the Giants have had lately, it's hard to blame Strahan's teammates for getting a little overexcited. They've gone 1-5 since he suffered a foot sprain on Nov. 5, and their defense has fallen apart without him. But is their hero returning too late to save the day? Continue
For the first time this week, Shaun O'Hara yesterday was able to practice on his sprained ankle, and it appears he will be able to start at center tomorrow as the Giants take on the Saints in a must-have game at Giants Stadium. "I feel better than I did," O'Hara said. "It felt good to be out there and doing something again. I felt like a loser not playing." O'Hara missed last week's loss to the Eagles and did not participate in the first two practice sessions of the week.
Players are almost never cleared for a game if they miss the entire week of practice, making it crucial that O'Hara was able to get on the field at least once.
"Me practicing, our goal was to get it ready for [tomorrow]," O'Hara said. "That's how I'm preparing. Obviously it's the head coach's call, but I feel comfortable with everything that's going on, being it's Week 15 and all."
Tom Coughlin said O'Hara "did OK" and was non-committal on his status for the game.
"We'll see when he comes in here and gets treatment again, and then tomorrow," Coughlin said. Continue
Barring a setback in today's practice, Michael Strahan will be on the field Sunday trying to wrap up Drew Brees for the holidays. Yesterday was the crucial test for the Giants defensive end and he passed it. Strahan's foot made it through a second day of full-go practice without getting sore, an indication that he'll play against the Saints.
"Michael has done everything," a very upbeat Coughlin said. "(He's) been in every drill (and) is working his way back into his ability to be in the middle with all the bullets flying. He's done well." Since those bullets will be coming from Brees, Reggie Bush and the NFL's top-ranked offense, Strahan's activation has a degree of desperation to it. He would probably be rested Sunday had the Giants already secured a playoff berth, but after losing five of the six games Strahan has missed with a sprain, the Giants can't afford not to use him as long as he can play at all. Continue
There have been false alarms at least twice before, and the real test won't come until this morning. But for the first time in almost two months, there seemed to be genuine optimism in Tom Coughlin's voice that Michael Strahan will play on Sunday. Strahan, 35, participated in his first full practice yesterday since he suffered a mid-foot sprain on Nov.5. It was the first major step back for the defensive end who had previously participated in individual drills just four times and group drills once.
He will find out how big a step it really was when he wakes up today and determines whether his foot feels good enough to let him practice for a second straight day. "Michael did everything and I thought he did all right," Coughlin said after practice, which is closed to the media. "He did not look tentative or cautious. He moved up and down the line in nine-on-seven with no problem. Continue
There's a chance the Giants will line up for Sunday's game against the Saints with Grey Ruegamer as the starting center. That's because injuries to starter Shaun O'Hara and backup Rich Seubert have forced the Giants to once again dig deeply into their depth. O'Hara missed last week's loss to the Eagles with a sprained ankle and did not practice yesterday. He's listed as questionable. Seubert went down with a sprained left lower leg in the fourth quarter of the 36-22 loss to the Eagles and is listed as doubtful.
Seubert put a scare in the Giants and the fans at Giants Stadium, sparking memories of the gruesome injury in 2003 that completely fractured his right leg put him out of action for nearly two full seasons. This injury has nothing to do with that one. Continue
Tiki Barber insists he wants to go out on top. He will, at least from an individual standpoint. Barber yesterday was named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl and joins tight end Jeremy Shockey on the NFC squad as the only two Giants selected to play in the Feb. 10 Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. That will be the date and place of Barber's final football game because he is headed into retirement. His identical twin brother, Buccaneers cornerback Ronde Barber, also was selected to the NFC squad.
"I am both emotional and ecstatic to once again be named to the Pro Bowl," Barber said. "With this being my final season in the NFL and the final time my brother Ronde and I will be teammates, the honor carries even more significance than in previous years. I look forward to finishing out this season with two important games and competing for the playoffs." Continue
Amani Toomer knows he did the right thing by having knee surgery midway through the season rather than run the risk of rehabbing and potentially returning around this time. It turned out that he had a severed anterior cruciate ligament, even though an MRI revealed only a partial tear. "It was scar tissue that had formed over it," Toomer said. "So really what was keeping my knee in place was my hamstring. If I got hurt again, it could have been really ugly. "The surgery was pretty significant. I'm glad I got it done, because it could have been a lot worse." Toomer's reaction to choosing surgery: Whew! He'll be ready for next season.
The Giants sure could use him now. Toomer's absence, even though it has gone largely unnoticed, has been nearly as significant as Michael Strahan's foot injury, which occurred in the same game. The Giants are 1-5 in the games both have missed. Strahan's absence has been well chronicled, with the defense not coming close to the level it was at before the star end went down. The Giants are hopeful he can get back, possibly in time for Sunday's critical game against the Saints. Continue
Michael Strahan estimated the odds are "50-50" that he'll play against the Saints on Sunday. Tom Coughlin, though, prefers to wait and see. Coughlin said yesterday he and the team doctors want to watch Strahan go through a full week of practices on his sprained right foot before they determine when - or if - he can return to action. The 35-year-old has already missed six games with the mid-foot injury, though he did try to convince Coughlin to let him play against the Eagles on Sunday.
"I think the smart thing to do, and what the medical people would like to have happen is, let's have a week where we do everything and then let's assess where we are," Coughlin said. "Hopefully that week will be this week. We're trying for it to be this week." Since suffering the injury on Nov. 5, Strahan has only participated in four days of individual drills and one day of group drills, but no full team practices. Coughlin said that if Strahan had played against the Eagles, he would have "run the risk" of making it worse. Continue
Giants defensive end Michael Strahan (mid-foot sprain) has been ruled out today against the Eagles and will miss his sixth consecutive game. This hardly is a surprise, considering Strahan has yet to practice with the team other than partaking in some individual drills.
Based on the slight progress he made last week, there is hope he might be able to return to face the Saints next Sunday. Without Strahan, rookie Mathias Kiwanuka again will start in a game that will test both his and Osi Umenyiora's ability to keep Eagles quarterback Jeff Garcia contained in the pocket. (NY Post)
William Joseph rarely says anything to reporters. So it was odd to see him playing the part of town crier in the locker room Friday, announcing to visitors: "Ninety-two is playing on Sunday!" Michael Strahan laughed when he heard that but didn't offer any clue either way. He did the most on-field work he's done since the Friday before the Cowboys game two weeks ago, working with the defensive line in drills, but Strahan still is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game with the Eagles. It would take a very encouraging weekend before the medical staff would clear him to play.
Still, even Strahan's stoic coach knows what it would mean to have him back in uniform, especially for such a big game. "There isn't any question that when we get this thing licked and he's ready to go, it will be a big lift for our team," Tom Coughlin said. "It's always a positive to have him around." Strahan hasn't gone anywhere in the six weeks since he sprained his right foot against the Texans. He's been around the team and on the practice field occasionally. And, of course, on the radio; his jab at Plaxico Burress on WFAN on Nov. 27 started the week of hilarity leading up to the Dallas game. Continue
Michael Strahan tested out his sprained right foot yesterday, participating in individual drills at practice for just the second time since Nov. 5. Strahan, 35, who this week will almost certainly miss his sixth straight game, did those drills on FieldTurf inside the Giants' practice bubble to try to "get himself in position to know more about his status," Tom Coughlin said.
His status has been a lingering question for the Giants, who initially said 2-4 weeks was a "reasonable" time frame for his recovery, even though Strahan said he could need as much as eight weeks. This week, he said he had "overstressed" his foot standing on the sidelines watching the Giants lose to Dallas on Dec. 3. With only three weeks left in the regular season, there is the possibility that Strahan won't return until the playoffs - if he's even able to return then. "There's not a mystery," Coughlin insisted. "The only thing is you've got to again be patient with this. What happens when he tries to do something early is he gets sore. So we've obviously got to do it in a timely fashion." Continue
Is Michael Strahan done for the season? It's starting to look that way. Neither Strahan nor Tom Coughlin sounded very optimistic yesterday about the defensive end's chances of recovering from his mid-foot sprain in time to play in any of the final three regular-season games. The 35-year-old Strahan has missed five games, and is likely to miss his sixth on Sunday, meaning he's exceeded the original 2-4 week recovery timetable issued by the Giants.
Strahan originally said doctors told him he could be out as long as eight weeks, though he later denied he said that. An orthopedic surgeon told the Daily News in November that Strahan's season was likely over. Strahan addressed the "rumblings" that he's done for the year on his weekly paid spot on WFAN yesterday. "I don't think so," he said. "I just don't see that. I don't feel that." Continue
The voice is what the Giants seem to miss the most. The big, booming, cocky, upbeat voice they've gotten so used to hearing in the defensive huddle. In many ways, things are so much quieter when Michael Strahan is not on the field. "It would give us a tremendous boost just to hear his voice again," Giants safety Gibril Wilson said. "Stray's always talking and he's always trying to get guys riled up. If you just hear his voice, just to know that he's there is big. His voice does a lot."
Barring the unexpected, that voice will be silent for a fifth straight game tomorrow when the Giants (6-6) travel to face the Carolina Panthers (6-6) in a big showdown in the NFC wild-card race. Strahan hasn't played since spraining his right foot against the Houston Texans on Nov.5. Continue
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