Giants' Hakeem Nicks ready to play Sunday vs. Redskins

New York Giants' wide receiver Hakeem Nicks will be in the lineup Sunday night when the Giants face the Washington Redskins in a nationally-televised game. Nicks didn't play last Sunday in a critical loss to the Dallas Cowboys after missing one practice and doing little in two others due to a mysterious abdominal injury.

Nicks shed little light on why he didn't play in the game, other than to make it clear he felt he could have played.

Hakeem on being scratched last Sunday morning: "I always want to play, but I have to respect Coach Coughlin, his rules and his wishes."

— Tom Rock (@TomRock_Newsday) November 29, 2013

Hakeem felt he coulda played vs. Dal, "but obviously I understood where he was coming from. I didn’t show him enough that week in practice."

— Tom Rock (@TomRock_Newsday) November 29, 2013

As for this week? "I feel real good. we'll leave it at that," Nicks said, refusing to elaborate further on his physical condition.

"I practiced all week, I think I showed them enough this week in practice, so I think everything will be good to go," he added.

What to make of all this? Coughlin admitted post-game that it was his call not to play Nicks. You wonder if there was a little bit of a "you're not making your own rules or your own practice schedule" message in Coughlin's decision to sideline Nicks. We will never know for sure.