Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora said there has been no swelling in his surgically-repaired knee this week, the first in which he has practiced following preseason arthorscopic surgery. Umenyiora said he feels like he could play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
"It feels good. There's always going to be some sort of lingering issues," Umenyiora said. "Nobody who's played over a couple of years [in the NFL] is going to be one hundred percent, so we'll just take it for what it is."
Giants' defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said this week that Michael Boley, who is now calling the team's defense with Jonathan Goff gone for the season, has become much more of a leader.
"I think Michael assumed that leadership role that was vacated. I think Michael has taken it upon himself to communicate with the defense more. He's always communicated with me. He checks in ... He's really taken on the role like, ‘Hey, Perry, I can run the defense. I can make all of the calls. I can make all of the checks. We can get this thing done.' I think that's been the biggest change," Fewell said.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride admitted that tight end Travis Beckum is not as far along as the team would like him to be in his development.
"He has been slowed down a lot so right now he is still very much at the learning stage. He is in his third year and he has been hampered," Gilbride said. "Every time you see him coming along there is something that rises up and sets him back so he is still at the beginning of the curve."
Antrel Rolle is tired.
So tired, in fact, he said he won’t be able to trash talk Sunday when he faces his old Arizona Cardinal teammates, including friend and wide receiver, Larry Fitzgerald.
"I’m not gonna talk to him during the game," Rolle said. "I’m too tired of talking man. I do a lot of running around. I’m not gonna have the energy."
NFL Week 4 Giants At Cardinals: The Key Matchup - SB Nation New York
The key matchup in Sunday’s New York Giants at Arizona Cardinals NFL game (4:05 p.m. ET/CBS) is not one player vs. another or one unit of the Giants vs. it’s opposing unit from the Cardinals. In fact, it isn’t a physical matchup at all. It is a mental one.
The key matchup Sunday for the 2-1 Giants vs. the 1-2 Cardinals is the Giants against their own emotions.