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[UPDATE: 4:40 p.m. ET: The news on Nat Berhe's calf muscle is not good. Various reports from Tom Coughlin's post-practice press conference indicate that Berhe, the second-year safety, has a torn calf muscle. There is no timetable for his return.]
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ORIGINAL STORY
Much has been made of how the New York Giants have blown up and are rebuilding their safety corps. One of the players expected to step up and perform in the new defense is second-year safety Nat Berhe.
Berhe was a core special teamer as a rookie in 2014, but despite flashing tantalizing upside on defense, he never managed to unseat Stevie Brown or Quentin Demps for a regular role as a safety. After cleaning house the Giants expected Berhe to become one of their top three safeties and an important contributor in Steve Spagnuolo's defense. However he injured his calf in the spring and has had to sit out the entirety of the offseason program. Berhe revealed Thursday morning that his calf was beginning to feel better, but then suffered a setback.
Nat Berhe had MRI this morning to see if there was a torn muscle in his calf
— TOM CANAVAN (@APTCan) August 6, 2015
Berhe said he's not going to practice today. He thinks he'll be ready for next week.
— Patricia Traina (@Patricia_Traina) August 6, 2015
Both Berhe and the Giants have to hope that he is able to put his calf woes behind him and get on the field soon. Safeties coach David Merritt perhaps summed Berhe's situation up the best:
" He’s made some strides. Nat, he missed the OTAs, he missed minicamp. So for him to come back in training camp, it’s just like him starting at the beginning—which it is because he missed so much time in the offseason. So, it is a learning curve for him. You’ll see him out today and running around and he’s picking it up though. But, he’s definitely behind the eight ball right now a little bit. "
Berhe is smart, talented, and tenacious, but unfortunately, his injury means that while he recovers, other young safeties -- such as Bennett Jackson and Mykkele Thompson -- are passing him by.