Giants much healthier coming out of bye

Coming back to work after a vacation is never fun. There's always a surprise waiting, whether it be an extra assignment in the in-box, a new policy initiative to catch up on or a favorite chair swiped from the desk.

For the Giants, though, their return surprise was a pleasant one. They are so healthy coming out of the bye week that they had everyone on the active roster practicing Monday. Take it one step further. They are so fit, they had 54 players practicing even though they have only 53 on the team.

Justin Tuck, Brandon Jacobs and Chris Snee, the big three contributors who missed the last game against the Bills, participated in Monday's light workout. Prince Amukamara, who hasn't practiced since injuring his foot early in training camp, was on the field with teammates.

And Ramses Barden, who spent the first seven weeks of the season on PUP, joined his fellow receivers for the first time in almost a full year. He's still on PUP -- hence the 54th-man designation -- and the Giants have three weeks to activate him or put him on season-ending injured reserve.

That didn't seem to be an option in Barden's mind Monday. "People always say 'a kid in a candy store,' " Barden said. "I felt like I was in a bank vault without security cameras."

It's easy to understand why he'd be giddy. But even veteran players who have seen lots of comings and goings in their careers said a team can get an emotional boost from having injured players return. It's like seeing the cavalry charge over the hill with reinforcements.

"It's good for the morale of the team," defensive tackle Rocky Bernard said. "Injuries are a part of the game, but when you have all your guys, you feel like you can put your best foot forward."

"It's not just a numbers thing," linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka said. "You have to think about the type of players you're getting back. You're getting back leadership, you're getting back talent, and it just enhances everyone's ability on both offense and defense."

Even Tom Coughlin seemed encouraged. "It is something that we have been looking for," he said. "I don't know if uplifting would be the word. It is a good sign to have guys out there. Hopefully, we will have the consistency of all these guys practicing and it will give us extra gas in our tank."

Whether they play remains to be seen. Amukamara and Barden have a lot of catching up to do but hope to make their debuts against Miami on Sunday. Snee (concussion) appears to be a sure bet to play in that game, but Tuck (groin, neck) said he still has some obstacles to overcome before he is cleared to play. He's missed four of the Giants' six games this season, including the last three. And last week, Jacobs (knee) vowed that he will not return until he's at 100 percent.

Having them all on the practice field was enough to energize the team. Will it carry over to the game?

"Sure it can," Tuck said, emphasizing the last word and carefully dancing around the semantics of his answers.

But will it?

"We'll know on Sunday," he said. "I'm not a psychic."