Tuck has aching shoulder, but not ruled out for Sunday
Photo credit: David Pokress | Justin Tuck warms up the crowd during Week 1 against the Redskins.
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Sept. 21: Giants 33, Cowboys 31
Justin Tuck wasn’t practicing with the Giants Wednesday morning, but he was carrying his helmet around the field. Which arm was he carrying it with? His injured left one.
Sources have confirmed reports that Tuck suffered a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder when he was tripped in the second quarter of Sunday’s game and fell on the joint. Tom Coughlin did not, however, rule him out for the upcoming game against the Buccaneers.
“It’s going to be day-to-day and hopefully by the end of the week there will be some progress,” Coughlin said. “It’s a matter of soreness and strength, soreness and strength. Who knows? Maybe he’ll end up having to wear a harness. That’s not a problem. We have a couple of guys doing that.”
The injury is a recurrence of one he suffered in college. In 2003 he missed time in spring practice when he injured the same left shoulder. During that season – his junior year – he re-injured it but did not miss a game. He registered 13.5 sacks that season, a school record.
Coughlin confirmed that the new injury is the same as the one in college.
“That’s what the doctors went back to,” he said. But Coughlin also said that it was not something that had been bothering Tuck since that time.
As for the play on which Tuck was hurt – Dallas tackle Flozell Adams basically kicked him in the knee to trip him when Tuck had Adams beat on an inside move – Coughlin was asked what he thought about it.
“What do you want me to think?” he asked. “It was a foul, a flagrant foul.”
Tuck wasn’t the only player not participating in Wednesday’s practice. Domenik Hixon, who sprained his knee in the Cowboys game, was sidelined as well. Coughlin said he would be evaluated day-to-day. Chris Canty (calf), Kenny Phillips (knee), Hakeem Nicks (foot), Aaron Ross (hamstring) and Kevin Dockery (hamstring) did not practice. Danny Ware (elbow) was not on the practice field. Clint Sintim (groin) and Adam Koets (ankle) were in pads for the beginning of practice but will appear on the participation report later Wednesday.
But the focus was on Tuck, who after the game on Sunday could hardly get himself dressed with one healthy arm and had to be taken out of the game because he was unable to get into a three-point stance with weight on his arm. That he was carrying his helmet – no light piece of equipment – with the injured arm is at least a slight positive.
“He’s a little bit less sore today than he was yesterday,” Coughlin said. “Hopefully that’s going to improve.”
