The Giants are hurting.
Strange to say for a team coming off a 17-3 victory over the previously-unbeaten Bears? Not when you consider the growing injury situation at several positions. Kenny Phillips, Keith Bulluck, Shaun O’Hara, Osi Umenyiora and Ahmad Bradshaw, among others, all did not practice Wednesday.
At the moment, the starting center, O’Hara, remains out, and the No. 2 center, Adam Koets, also is out. That meant for practice there were three moves made on the offensive line: Rich Seubert from left guard to center, David Diehl from left tackle to left guard, and Shaun Andrews in at left tackle.
O’Hara expressed optimism Monday, saying a new treatment and cortisone shot helped calm down the bursitis in his left ankle and Achilles. Tuesday, O’Hara tried to run and the results were not good.
“So that remains the same,’’ Tom Coughlin said. “It looked like he might be able to get up on his toes and run. Evidently that wasn’t the case.’’
It looks as if O’Hara will miss his third straight game Sunday in Houston. Koets replaced him the past two games but he came out of the game against the Bears with a a strained medial collateral knee ligament. He did not practice today.
“Koets feels better today but he does have an MCL issue,’’ Coughlin said. “He came out of the game and looked fine and the next day his knee was bothering him.’’
It was a year ago that Phillips had season-ending knee surgery after playing two games, and his absence caused a chain reaction that severely hurt the Giants defense. Phillips has been healthy this season and started the first four games but Wednesday set off alarms when for the first time this season he appeared on the injury report with a knee problem.
Coughlin said it is Phillips’ left knee, which was surgically repaired late last September, but it is not related.
“We started to do a little bit less with him on Wednesdays, started that last week,’’ Coughlin said. “He calls it tired and sore, according to the training room it has nothing to do with the past surgery or anything of that nature.’’
Bradshaw ran for 129 yards on the Bears but came away with a sprained ankle. The hope is he will be able to get on the field Thursday. Coughlin doesn’t want a repeat of last season, when Bradshaw rarely practiced because of ankle and foot issues.
“I don’t like to do that,’’ Coughlin said. “He doesn’t like to do that, he knows how sharp a guy is when he’s had a good week of practice. I’m hoping regardless of that he does today that he gets more tomorrow.’’
Asked what exactly Bradshaw misses when he doesn’t practice, Coughlin said, “The instinctive reaction of what you see in front of you, the recognition of the blitz pickup aspect of it, the ability to relate full speed to the movement you see on defense. You don’t get any of that by standing and watching. Your mind can be ready for it by looking at the tape but you really have to do it. That goes for everybody.’’
Keith Bulluck (toe), FB Madison Hedgecock (hamstring) and Osi Umenyiora (knee) also did not practice. Umenyiora is expected to practice Thursday.
Hedgecock is the only fullback on the roster but Coughlin said reserve tight end Bear Pascoe did well enough to work at that spot.
