Injury Report: Gimpy Cornerbacks, Receivers Complicate Giants' Game Plan
By Curt Macysyn
If only Tom Coughlin could play a game with his full complement of players, there's no telling what these New York Giants could do. Going on the road to take on the Philadelphia Eagles always is a tough challenge, but winning at Lincoln Financial Field without Prince Amukamara, Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle, Devon Kennard and Odell Beckham will be difficult at best. Amukamara, Beckham and Randle were all injured in the comeback win over the San Francisco 49ers, while Kennard, Cruz, Robert Ayers, George Selvie and Jonathan Casillas were holdovers who did not suit up against the 49ers. In the case of Victor Cruz, the Giants' offense has had to adjust because the veteran receiver has not played a snap this season.
With Amukamara out for the next four-to-six weeks with a partially torn pectoral muscle, the Giants will have to lean on much maligned Jayron Hosley to come up big. Hosley was a surprise in making the club out of training camp, and thankfully he is no longer a liability in pass coverage with an overall grade (-0.4) by Pro Football Focus. With slot cornerback Trumaine McBride (groin) also injured, back-up Trevin Wade will see the field more on Monday night, and with the Giants thin at the cornerback position, further roster adjustments may be needed.
Jon Beason (concussion), Rueben Randle (hamstring) and Jonathan Casillas (calf) were all limited in practice this week, with the hope of playing on Monday. Uani 'Unga and Mark Herzlich will be the replacements at the linebacking position, while with rookie Geremy Davis and practice squad graduate Myles White are the fill-ins at wide receiver. If both Beckham and Randle cannot play, and with Cruz likely missing another game, the Giants would realistically be down to three wideouts. By rule, neither wide receiver Corey Washington, nor cornerback Chykie Brown be available to be signed by the Giants until November 8. Both were cut with an injury settlement when rosters were sliced down to 53 before opening day.
At practice this week, Beckham did not sound very confident about playing, "With the game being Monday, so won't really be able to tell until Monday. Anytime that you can get some time off and recover, it is great, so I'm definitely going to use these days to my advantage."
Randle was a bit more positive about playing on Monday night before a nationwide audience. "I'm fine. Today, I tried to test it a little bit, so it felt pretty good. It's a little sore now, but it's getting better. So long as I'm progressing, I'm pretty positive about it," Randle said after practice on Thursday.
Defensive end George Selvie should be able to make his return this week, and Robert Ayers looks like he is getting close to a return to action. If both Selvie and Ayers can play, then that would make for a full compliment of defensive linemen for coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to utilize. Both Kerry Wynn and Cullen Jenkins have held down the fort admirably in the absence of the two starting defensive ends, and a full rotation of the front four makes the entire unit more effective. At the tackle position, newcomer Jay Bromley has been eased into handling about 28 snaps a game, and he has a nice (+4.0) grade through Pro Football Focus.
Probable:
Rueben Randle, WR (Hamstring)
George Selvie, DE (Calf)
Questionable:
Robert Ayers, DE (Hamstring)
Jonathan Casillas, LB (Calf)
Jon Beason, LB (Concussion)
Odell Beckham, WR (Hamstring)
Trumaine McBride, CB (Groin)
Out:
Prince Amukamara, CB (Pectoral)
Victor Cruz, WR (Calf)
Devon Kennard, LB (Hamstring)
Curt Macysyn has been covering the New York Football Giants for the past four seasons for Examiner.com, and he is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). Born and raised in New Jersey, Curt attended Seton Hall Prep School in South Orange, N.J. and is a graduate of Rutgers University - New Brunswick. Follow him on Twitter @CurtMac23 for the latest NFL and New York Giants news.