Loading ...In perhaps the scariest moment of the New York Giants 2011 offseason, standout wide receiver Hakeem Nicks fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. Although he predicted that he would return before the start of training camp, that time came and went before Nicks was even thinking about being back at full-speed. However, today, he began running routes on the side during practice, which is an extremely encouraging sign for the fourth-year player out of North Carolina.
Recently head coach Tom Coughlin stated that he expects his number one receiver to be ready by Week three of the preseason against the Chicago Bears. Today, Nicks echoed those sentiments.
"Definitely. Definitely still on target," he said. "No setbacks. Everything’s been going good. I’ve been running every day, no setbacks, feeling good. Getting better."
With the team’s Week one showdown with the Dallas Cowboys looming less than a month a way, it’s imperative that Hakeem Nicks gets on the field within the next three weeks in order to be ready for the opener.
However, with the return of Domenik Hixon and the addition of second-round draft pick Rueben Randle, the Giants have the depth to sustain a short-term injury to Nicks. Needless to say, the team will not rush him back onto the field before he’s ready. When asked if there’s a possibility of him leaving training camp without practicing, Nicks stated that at this point, decisions on his rehab are still made on a day-to-day basis.
"We’ll see. If they choose to let me go out there and do some things next week as far as running routes on air with the quarterbacks and we’ll see how that goes. Right now, we’re just going to see how today goes and take it from there."
Last season, Nicks posted an impressive 76 receptions for 1,192 yards and seven touchdowns in fifteen games. His production within the offense is irreplaceable. However, it's important that he is in no way rushed back onto the field. He is too valuable to this team and this organization to be put in a situation where his longevity could at all be compromised. It should be interesting to see how the Giants' coaching staff eases him into the action.
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From Ralph V.:
What’s going on with DT Chris Canty’s knee? Asked if there was a setback or just a waiting game until he’s healthy, Tom Coughlin said “It’s not a waiting (game). He has to get there so that the knee is strong and won’t swell, that type of thing. He is not there yet.” … The more Canty sits and the more Coughlin sounds uncertain, the less likely it seems Canty will be ready for Opening Night. #NYG
Wow, another day another big article (this time in SI) singing the praises of either the Pack or the Pats??!!?? The fact that either one of these teams is void of anything that resembles a dominating defense does nothing to stop these so called experts. I don’t recall any of those holes on either team being plugged in the off season. The Giants are used to being ignored but if I was San Fran or the Ravens (teams with actual defenses) i would be ticked off.
Ok, so I totally misread the headline of the article and thought I read that Nicks suffered a setback. Had a mini panic attack, but I’m over it now. Not having Nicks for a significant part of the season would be really bad news for the offense. He and Cruz really benefit from lining up across from each other and I really want to see them both on the field for week one.
Nicks is living Chris Snee’s dream … he’s excused from practice.