Here are some nuggets from New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin's Monday afternoon press conference.
Let's go through the injury stuff first.
Coughlin said safety Kenny Phillips was having his knee examined at the Hospital for Special Surgery, and that he was not sure the severity of Phillips' injury. "I don't know ... honestly because you have seen them jump up and run off the field and the next day it is an ACL," Coughlin said.
Now we know why Prince Amukamara was not on the field at the end of Sunday's game. Amukamara has an ankle injury, and was experiencing soreness in his surgically repaired foot. Spencer Paysinger has a hamstring injury.
Finally, Coughlin was asked about Stacy Andrews, hospitalized Saturday night due to pumonary embolisms in both lungs. Andrews will be placed on injured reserve, ending the veteran lineman's season.
"It is a very, very serious medical condition," Coughlin said. "he just can't go back to football right now and I am not sure that he has even been told."
Coughlin was impressed by the work of second-year player Mitch Petrus, pressed into service by the rash of injuries on the Giants' offensive line.
"It wasn't perfect, but you see his power, you see his ability and you see him up against some really good defensive people who are really big, sizeable defensive linemen. He plays well against them and I like his attitude and the way he went about it. There were no big eyes or anything, he just went to work. He trusted himself, he trusted his preparation. You know now that he does prepare and when given the opportunity, he played well," Coughlin said.
The coach also complemented Kevin Boothe, who moved from guard to center at the last minute when David Baas could not play.
"How do you not recognize what this guy has done. Whatever you ask him to do, he does it. With five minutes notice or with no notice, he just goes and plays," Coughlin said.
Coughlin said Monday he is still convinced Jake Ballard had a touchdown on a play he challenged and lost.
"We're going to challenge [Ballard's catch in the end zone] because I just saw a picture which made me sick to my stomach, which FOX produced and showed that he's in. Don't ask me about that because I really don't know why, but I did see the picture. And the second one, I really shouldn't have challenged. It was right on our sideline, but it was a third and three and I was very much aware of where the ball was going, where it was headed and if there was any way that could have been turned around and they were hurrying up to the ball to snap it. So I really didn't get a great call from upstairs," Coughlin said. "I've been overly aggressive with those calls, not waiting for any kind of advice from upstairs. It seems like we've had a series of things that have not been clear and even when the pictures are there, not been really clear, that I've gone ahead and challenged anyway. I've done so for a number of reasons, but last night I challenged the Ballard thing. No question about that. I wasn't going to not challenge that and then have somebody tell me, ‘Did you know he was in?' "