Here are your Tuesday morning New York Giants news & notes, including some news you probably don't want to read regarding star wide receiver Hakeem Nicks.
Nicks has bone bruise in his knee, could miss Monday night
The good news is there is no structural damage in Hakeem Nicks’ knee.
The bad news?
He has a bone bruise, according to a source familiar with the results of his tests. His status for Monday night is unknown.
As if the Giants could afford another injury, especially to the one player on offense who looked good yesterday. Nicks caught seven passes for 122 yards, providing the only real spark for a Giants’ attack that continues to look out of sync.
The receiver underwent the MRI after his knee swelled today.
Give Antrel Rolle some credit. Sunday night Rolle insisted there was no helmet-to-helmet contact on the fourth-quarter play on which he was given a 15-yard penalty. After watching the film on Monday, Rolle admitted the call was "legit."
"After looking at the film I think it was definitely a legit call. I thought it was a legit call. My angle initially was to aim for his back and he began to alligator roll. Once he rolled, my momentum and our heads did collide. It's a legit call. In the heat of the battle you're just trying to help and get over there and get the guy down," Rolle said. "At no certain point in time was I going for an obvious head to head contact, but after reviewing the film I think it definitely did happen. It was a legit call. But I can learn from that. Next time just make sure I go over there and try to, I guess, push him down as hard as I can. Just make sure he doesn’t get that extra yard."
The penalty was costly, since it turned a Washington fourth down into a first down and allowed the Redskins to drive for their final touchdown. Props to Rolle, though, for at least owning up to the mistake.
Travis Beckum missed Sunday's game with hamstring issues and said Monday he is not sure he will be able to practice Wednesday when the Giants hold their first full practice in preparation for next Monday night's game against the St. Louis Rams. Discouragingly, Beckum admitted that the hamstring has been an issue his entire three-year Giants career.
"I had a hamstring injury my senior year at Wisconsin and it seems like it has been lingering ever since," Beckum said.
Quarterback Eli Manning was asked to explain why the team struggled offensively against Washington.
"There’s not one thing. We just have to play better football. That’s what it comes down to," Manning said.
The Giants ran the ball well in the first half Sunday, but used only six running plays after falling behind early in the third quarter. Manning dispute the notion that the Giants had abandoned the run.
"I don’t think that’s the case. We’re always a team that we’re going to try to run the ball, we’re going to try to do play action," Manning said. "You’re taking sacks, you get bad in down and distance and you can get off your rhythm and routine that you want to be in."
The Giants were only 1-for-10 converting third downs, and Manning said the problem was not necessarily on third down itself.
"I think four of those were third and 15-plus. That’s not really a third down problem, that’s a first and second down problem," Manning said. "We had the big play, we had a drop, then you had two third-and-ones where you have to run it and pound it and get those. We have to get some of those, but we have to be better down and distance."
Tuck '50-50' to play in Week 2 vs. Rams | New York Daily News
Justin Tuck already missed the season opening-loss to the Redskins, and he doesn't want to miss another game.
But there's no guarantee that Justin Tuck will be ready to play in Week 2 against the Rams. Tuck did an interview on WFAN on Monday afternoon, and when asked about the status of his injured neck for next week, he said he was likely "50-50."
"I would say I'm 50-50 right now," he said. "Just because it hasn't gotten any better since yesterday."
Steven Jackson Injury: Jackson Likely Out for Week Two, Bartell May Be Out for the Season - Turf Show Times
The St. Louis Rams might be without Steven Jackson next week, but that might not be the worst of the injury news. Which players could be out for much longer?
Giants sign Monmouth wide receiver Chris Hogan to practice squad | NJ.com
The Giants are cornering the market on local wide receivers on their practice sqaud.
Less than a week after signing Verona's Dan DePalma, the team added Monmouth's Chris Hogan to the practice squad.
The 6-2, 220-pound Hogan, who ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash at his pro day and has been timed below 4.4 seconds, was with the 49ers in camp but was hampered by an ankle injury. He impressed the Giants during a workout before this year's draft and must have done so again when he worked out for the team last week.
I have just one question. Can the guy play cornerback?