Geoff Schwartz could go on Giants' short-term injured reserve
Giants offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz during OTAs at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center on May 30, 2013 in East Rutherford, NJ. Credit: AP / Evan Pinkus
Geoff Schwartz's dislocated toe injury is expected to keep him sidelined for three to four weeks and Tom Coughlin said he would probably add another week or so to that time frame "just to be safe."
All of which could make him an ideal candidate for short-term injured reserve.
This is the third year that teams are allowed to use that tool, placing a player on injured reserve for eight weeks with a designation to return. The Giants used it twice on running back Andre Brown, and could be in a position to use it this week on Schwartz. That would allow them to keep an extra player on the 53-man roster while Schwartz rehabs.
Coughlin said any such decision begins with an "official medical interpretation" of the injury and length of the rehab.
"That's basically the starting point: The severity of the injury, how long is it going to take to get the individual back into a position where he can play and contribute," Coughlin said. "Those are basically the factors that you have to consider."
Schwartz said not only has he never had this kind of toe injury, he'd never heard of it before it happened to him. And even when it did, his brain seemed to have trouble processing it.
"I was just getting bull-rushed, and I went to anchor and it came out," he said of the right big toe. "I felt it right away. I went from there and called out the trainers . . . When they took the shoe off, I figured it would look like it did. I don't remember really if it hurt or not. I was just in a blur. It was gross looking."
Schwartz said he's not sure how long he'll need to be on the shelf, whether it's for a few weeks or half the season.
"No idea," he said. "Just see how it goes. There is really no other way to put it. We will just have to see how the rehab goes."
Being on short-term injured reserve would put more of a definition on his indefinite absence. Until then, Schwartz said he's just upset about missing one game, never mind the possibility of eight.
"I came here to play and to be ready to play Monday night," he said of the Sept. 8 opener against the Lions. "It's disappointing that is not going to happen. It gives me motivation to rehab and move on from there. I'll be ready when it's time."
