Hakeem Nicks was absent Wednesday for Day 1 of the on-field portion of New York Giants OTAs at Timex Performance Center, and head coach Tom Coughlin was not happy that the star wide receiver, who was limited by foot and knee injuries last season, was not in attendance.
"He should be here," Coughlin told reporters after the first workout. "I expect everybody here. We’re trying to get our team better.
There is a question as to how much Nicks would have done Wednesday as he is still rehabbing from offseason knee surgery. Still, an unexplained no-show when he was at a charity event Tuesday night in New York City saying he was "willing to take the role of leader" is not a good beginning. Quarterback Eli Manning was also perplexed, saying he "had no reason" to think Nicks would not be in attendance.
Here are some other notes:
- Coughlin did not provide much information on the injury to fullback Henry Hynoski. "He kind of got (his leg rolled up on) and so we are taking a look at that. I said a few prayers and I’ll continue until I hear what it is," Coughlin said. WFAN reported that Andre Brown and Hynoski banged knees, and that Hynoski is en route for tests.
- The first-unit linebackers were reportedly Mark Herzlich in the middle flanked by Spencer Paysinger and Keith Rivers. Jacquain Williams apparently sat out practice as a precaution following a PCL injury last season. Interesting to see Herzlich in front of Dan Connor, but not reading anything into that yet.
- Corey Webster had a rough day, as tweeted by Pat Traina.
- A variety of tweets indicated that Manning tossed a lot of deep balls in the direction of Louis Murphy, the wide receiver signed as a free agent in the offseason. That's typical Manning, testing out the capabilities of his new target.
Much more later on when I receive the transcripts.