October 7, 2009 New York Giants Injury Report: Not practicing yesterday were QB Eli Manning (foot), TE Kevin Boss (ankle), HB Ahmad Bradshaw (ankle/foot), DE Dave Tollefson (illness), DT Chris Canty (calf), LB Michael Boley (knee), LB Bryan Kehl (finger), and CB Aaron Ross (hamstring).
“(Eli) felt better than he did yesterday,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “He came in feeling better about the situation than he did the day before. And today he feels the same way. So he is making progress, there is no doubt…He is anxious. He wants to go out there and practice. He would like to take some snaps. But this is the smarter move.”
“Feeling better, every day it has felt a little bit better so just trying to get all the treatment and see if I can feel even better tomorrow,” said Manning. “Less pain and moving around a little bit better. Take it day by day and see how it reacts and see how it feels. See if I can get out on the practice field and go tomorrow and go from there.”
Manning was asked if it was wiser not to practice. “Probably so,” responded Manning. “In talking with the coaches I feel like I have been practicing well, been playing good football, been kind of in a rhythm these last couple of weeks. Don’t want to go out there when you are injured and you can’t do everything you want to do, move the way…and all of a sudden you get bad habits, bad mechanics, you’re throwing the ball differently, get out of your rhythm a little bit. So it’s probably best to rest it and make sure when I do get out there that I am ready to go. Ready to do everything, not thinking about it, not questioning what I can do and hopefully move around freely and make all the throws and do everything I have to do to make the plays.”
Manning did say it was possible to make the injury worse. “I’ve kind of gotten, ‘Anything’s possible’ (from the doctors),” Manning said. “I don’t think they’re able to say, ‘No, there’s no way of making this worse.'”
“(Boss) is sore,” said Coughlin. “Better than he was yesterday. Out of the boot but he is still sore.”
“I am seeing some improvements, some swelling has gone down a lot in my ankle and they just want me to stay off of it and get a little extra treatment during practice so that is what I did,” said Boss.
“Same kind of schedule (with Bradshaw this week),” said Coughlin. “He won’t work (on Wednesday). Probably at the end of the week he will get some snaps. He actually feels pretty good today.”
“(Kehl) is telling me he wants to practice,” said Coughlin. “But he is also holding this thing (his hand) up in the air. It looks like he has a basketball on the end of one of his fingers. We will wait again to get clearance from the doctors as to when. He thinks he can put a cast on it and practice. It is just a shame that this thing was in the position that it was in. Otherwise he would have probably been able to tape and go…It is just the fact that it was a break – fracture – and they had to go in and put the screw in.”
“If it’s my decision, I’m going to be out there,” Kehl said.
“Canty is doing more each day with the trainers,” said Coughlin. “What that translates into, I am not prepared to say just yet.”
“I finally got to the point where I felt like I was starting to get in a little groove as far as playing well and being consistent with some things,” Boley said. “It’s frustrating to be right back out for another four weeks.”
WR Domenik Hixon (knee) and HB Danny Ware (elbow) practiced on a limited basis.
“(Hixon) is going to take not only individual but some of the team stuff,” said Coughlin. “And then we will see. He feels good about it. It is just a matter of moving and advancing him along.”
“It felt good,” said Hixon. “I feel like the confidence (in the knee) was there. (Thursday is) our big punt-return day, so I’ll get to see it again. But it felt good.”
“The thing that we have to worry about there is how – (Ware) does have a brace and how bulky is it,” said Coughlin. “Can it be controlled and can he take a hit? And so on and so forth. There are a lot of things that have to be worked out, though. He is very excited about having a chance to practice.”
DE Justin Tuck (shoulder), LG Rich Seubert (shoulder), and LB Clint Sintim (groin) fully practiced.
“Sintim is going to get advanced, and seems to be ready to do that,” said Coughlin. “They took him out (on Tuesday) and ran him. He felt real good. There was nothing negative about it as far as the overnight. So hopefully he will be able to work back in.”
Notes and Quotes: PK Lawrence Tynes on his reaction to the Giants’ working out two veteran kickers on Tuesday. “It adds a little bit more pressure to what I’m feeling,” Tynes said. “But I’m able to deal with it. I’ve been through it before. It certainly does add a little bit more fuel to the fire…It only serves as a motivator when they’re bringing in people to work out, for sure.”
“I don’t need (scare tactics),” said Tynes. “They know that. But at the end of the day, if that’s what’s going to light a little fire under me, so be it. I don’t blame ‘em. But I’m challenging myself. No one’s more competitive than I am. I just have to keep looking at it. Today was a big, big encouragement for me in terms of what I did on the field. I took it from the meeting room to the practice field; now, I have to take it to the game.”
