Loading ...After missing a week three game against the Carolina Panthers due to a quick turnaround, New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks was expected to be ready for a week four meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles. He wasn't. And not because of his foot, but because his left knee had developed some unexpected swelling. Now, with a near must-win game looming against the Cleveland Browns, head coach Tom Coughlin expressed serious concern over the status of his young wideout.
"How much concern can I show you?" Coughlin said when asked if he was worried about Nicks missing more games. "I won’t know until I see what happens. Where he’s at as they go forward here and analyze him and the doctors get their hands on him again. He communicates with them. I can’t tell you that."
The good news is that Nicks' knee injury is not the same knee he previously had issues with, but the bad news is that it's given him trouble since banging it into the turf during a week two game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Furthermore, Coughlin says that despite a second week off, it's not getting any better.
"It flared up on him when he started to run after having all that time off," Coughlin said. "[It hasn't gotten any better] that I know of."
Although no MRI results have been made public, you have to assume that Nicks has undergone one. The Giants aren't shy about sending players to the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, and the second Nicks' knee swelled up, that was a likely destination.
For as long as Nicks remains out, it will be Domenik Hixon who fills his role, while Ramses Barden and rookie Rueben Randle receive increased snaps as well.
In Sunday's heartbreaking 19-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Hixon hauled in six catches for a team-leading 114 yards. Meanwhile, Barden had two catches for 36 yards and Randle had only one target.
photo credit: Mike L Photo's via photopin cc
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as I said on the previous post, between Nicks and Phillips we may be looking at an IR designation
If they IR Nicks then they’re telling us that the season is basically over. I could see Philips getting the “return” IR designation though.
Both of these are quite obviously big losses. We’re skirting close to our 2009-2010 status when injuries wrecked seasons and left this team unable to compete well for the playoffs because of missing players. Fortunately, at least so far, all of our major injuries other than that to Terrell Thomas have not been of the season-ending variety, but we’re headed into a stretch of critical games here without a lot of players who really give us advantages over opponents.
What I think this does to us is require that we play very sharply and make very few mistakes in order to overcome our losing significant portions of our “talent advantage”. Jerry Reese & Co. have done a great job of getting us a leg up on almost every team in the league in regard to personnel and depth, but injuries can lay waste the best made plans of mice and men. In a league where parity is no joke, we now have to understand that we cannot overcome a lot of mistakes. We cannot have Eli throwing a really stupid pass that is intercepted when we’re in the Red Zone. We cannot have idiots at wide receiver mugging defenders out in the open on a game-deciding pass play. We cannot have Will Beatty holding someone when that defender is way away from the play and needn’t be held. We cannot have big drops (that’s you, again, Ramses), and we cannot have running backs (I’m looking at you Ahmad) make cuts and feints seeking huge plays when there is a perfectly easy 4-7 yard run sitting right in front of him. We cannot have fools at defensive end who allow themselves to be taken past plays multiple times in a game because they’re so eager to reach the QB. And we cannot have coaches fail to best utilize their personnel.
The Giants may be able to get away with a 90-95% effort this Sunday. Maybe. It’s a must-win game given what they’ll be looking at thereafter. And after that they’d better be ready to play nearly flawless football unless and until they have all of their players back and walk on the field with enough of a talent advantage that they can make up for a mistake or two.
Flawless football is a very rare achievement, but without it these accumulating injuries could prove fatal.
Meanwhile, Sash’s return will help, and Stevie brown has some promise, but the guy who will really have to step up is Will Hill. He’s the guy who may come closest to what Kenny Phillips can offer. But make no mistake, KP is one of the unsung heroes of this defense and they will miss him, a lot.
As for Nicks, that knee needs to heal fast because until it does Cruz is going to be doubled every game and reasonably controlled (he’ll still have some big games, but not as many) and we will be dependent on Hixon, Barden and Randle to step up big time since now teams are going to force us to hold Bennett back to block if they have a reasonably good pass rush to throw at us. Hixon will do okay (although he is a more certain weapon against #3 corners than against #2 corners, who are the ones who will be covering him). I don’t have much confidence in the other two at this point.
I think the offense HAS to integrate Wilson quickly. They absolutely need another big-play threat as long as Hakeem is sidelined. And he’s it.
It would have to be a really serious knee issue to put Nicks on IR at this point. Even if he’s unlikely to return until November, they’d probably just keep him on the active roster. He’s too big a part of the offense to just end his season. Wonder what came up on the MRI.
He played through the injury after it happened, and was not reported until after he ran again. Chances are it’s a small meniscus tear, if the swelling is controlled he would not need surgery and could play this week.
Did I miss it? What was the Nicks knee diagnosis? All I ever heard was swelling in the knee. Knee sprain doesn’t really tell me anything. In fact, when I hear sprain I think to myself, they MRI’d it and nothing came up so they are saying sprain.
Nothing missed, all speculation at this point. Sprain wasn’t even used, Nicks “has a knee” at this point which did not get better last week
To me what thse injuries really mean is that Eli has to raise his game. Now has to produce at a high level but do so making very few mistakes. While helping Hixon, Barden and Randle become consistenly productive.
I think Philly is a very talented team that played well and hard vs us. So if we can nearly beat on the road them without Nicks and essentially KP then we can still beat anyone in the NFL minus those 2. Hosley and Rivers returning will be a boast. Sash while clearly not the same player as KP helps us depth wise at safety. Our safety situation without KP is not ideal but it’s also far from 2009. Also Canty will return after the next 2 games. His return might be more important than KP due to the ripple effect his return will have.
Our WR group has plenty of talent. Short term wise I think Hixon and Barden are good enough to provide production for us to win football games. However, if Nicks is going to be out more than another 1 or 2 more games we really have to get Randle up to speed. I felt like both Hixon and Barden had chances at balls vs Philly that a higher level WR makes. Randle can make those plays but right now he’s not better than Hixon or Barden. It’s going to tricky to try to win but develop Randle on the fly. I don’t think Eli has confidence yet that Randle will be exactly where he’s suppose to be.
Randle has been solid on PR but I do wonder what Wilson could do as a PR. Randle is solid as a PR but he’s not the electric player Wilson could be in that role. If we are not going to use Wilson much on offense we need to get more from his abilities somehow. I think as a PR could be something that would work. Though, I doubt TC moves from Randle since he’s caught the ball well as a PR.
Oh, just btw, once again thanks Tampa Bay for a really dirty play in tackling from behind a receiver who had beaten you and hadn’t yet received the ball (and then stepping on him while he was down, although that did appear to be an accident).
That team played a very filthy game against us. Schiano obviously wants them to prove their “toughness” and doesn’t mind taking it over the line. Dirtbag coach, dirtbag team.
I don’t know what you’re talking about. Aqib Talib is all class.
Schiano’s a scumbag with a horrible reputation. It won’t be long before the Bucs find themselves struggling with injuries if they keep pissing off their opponents with lowly plays.
Couple of things
1) Since Every Tom coughlin coached team has started 5-2, I’m expecting a 3 game winning streak
2) Saying Barden will never be a #1 or #2 but will be a solid #3 Makes me a “Big Supporter”?
3) Nicks will be fine. Doenst this happenn every year where he is hurt to an unknown extent, misses a few weeks and then is back balling
4) I hate the Mutherfckin Eagles!!!
5) How Bout Them Cowboys!!! Tony Romo-the gift that keeps on giving
6) Cleveland will get sh*t housed this week
7) Didnt I tell everyone that Dallas Philly and TB’s best games of the year would be vs us? Tough being the defending champs
8) Philly comes back to earth and gets Pounded by Steelers
Who goes to make room for Sash?
9)
DEMO
I made this point on the last thread: I actually said we “always” go 6-2 (actually 5-3, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2, 7-1, 5-3, 6-2, 6-2) so we “will” now beat Cleveland, SF, Wash. and Dallas in succession.
Who goes for Sash is a question I’ve been asking since yesterday. From a talent standpoint it should be Petrus; from a depth standpoint, could it be Ojomo? I would hate that.
Let’s hope Nicks will be fine. These mysterious undisclosed or undiagnosed injuries are scary.
Well… Without Nicks our 3 game winning streak will come to an end Vs. SF.
Don’t even get started with the whole Barden argument. I’m a Barden supporter because he plays for the NY Giants and he can certainly be a serviceable WR in this league. And that crap that FF55 was saying how he can’t beat a top tier CB is nonsense. I saw him get past Nhamdi AND DRC last game. Plus, he’s not gonna be going up against top tier WR’s as our #3 or #4 WR. He’s proven he can produce and put up a big game when called upon.
The cowboys and Eagles have both played their two best games of the year against us. we’re 0-2 vs. the NFC East but 2-0 Vs. The NFC South.
3) I felt the same way until this TC quote yesterday. Nicks still has never missed more than 3 games and the Browns is already 3 games. The worry is more that the knee has a real issue that keeps him out for several more weeks.
6) If come to play, yes they will. But how many time recently vs a so called bad team at home have we been dominate? I think we will win but given our recent past I’m preparing for a game that we finally pull away in the 4th quarter.
7) I think we will continue to get that effort vs Cle, SF and Wash.
8) I don’t think the Pitt defense is any good. Neither is their OL. Look I hope you’re right but I expect Philly to win.
9) That’s the question I asked last night. I think if Diehl is ready, Petrus is likely to go. Brown due to his play and KP’s injury stays. DTs stay at least until Canty returns. Maybe Scott but with Bradshaw’s durability and no RBs on PS I think he stays. Position wise Ojomo makes the most since but if the team are as high on him as some fans there is no way that happens. Unless he goes to IR.
Watching Dallas get waxed last night made me smile. Not only was it the final game of my 5 team parlay, but it reveals this division is wide open. If we beat Dallas in their house (a place eli is very comfortable) we are right back on schedule.
The only loss to this point that was unexpected was Dallas. If we break serve, which I bet we will, we’re just fine. The team just needs to focus on their play, Philly will suffer losses going forward for sure.
With their proclivity for turnovers, Philly’s due to lose quite a few games.