It's taxing season for Giants on IR

Terrell Thomas called the Giants this week and worked out the details to be with them in San Francisco for the NFC Championship Game. He's rehabbing his knee in California, so it's just a quick trip for him up the coast. And if they win and advance to the Super Bowl, it would seem a no-brainer for Thomas to be in Indianapolis with them, too.

But not quite.

Maybe the only thing more difficult, more painful than tearing an ACL in the second preseason game and missing the entire season of a contract year is having to stand on the side six months later and watch your team play for a championship without you. "That will be a hard one," Thomas said, admitting that he'll be "torn" over whether to make the (still hypothetical) trip to Super Bowl XLVI. "I think I'd have to be there, but it's a tough one . . .

"Them making this run is hard enough, but to play in the ultimate game that some people never really get to play in would be really tough to have to be on the sideline and cheer my team on. Obviously, I would wish them the best, but it would be really hard on my part."

Thomas isn't the only Giant on injured reserve. There are 13 of them, not including some others who went there and ultimately were released or waived. But three who were starters -- Thomas, middle linebacker Jonathan Goff and left tackle Will Beatty -- now are on the fringes of the team as it tries to earn a Super Bowl trip. Some are taking it better than others.

"I wouldn't say it's bittersweet," said Beatty, who had surgery to repair a detached retina in December. "The further we go, the better it is . . . It's a little different, but it's my first year on IR, I'm still kind of young, so it's not the end of the world for me."

Beatty said he definitely would go to Indy. So would Goff. "How could I not?" he asked.

Goff said he does not have the same hesitations as Thomas. "I can see where he's coming from with that," Goff said, "but I feel that's definitely something I would do."

Assuming he can do it. The Giants have to win Sunday night first.

Adding to the uncertainty is that Thomas and Goff are free agents after this season. Thomas seemed certain and eager to return to the Giants.

"Everyone from the GM to the owners have reassured me that they want me back and want to get a deal done that suits both parties, and I definitely believe that we can get that done in the near future," he said.

Goff was less certain of his future with the team but said he expects to be ready to play for the start of NFL training camp. Before that, though, there's the finishing touches of this season.

"Obviously, where I want to be is on the field," Goff said. "I'm doing everything I can to put myself in the best shape possible for a healthy season next year. But the guys look great right now. They're playing really well on both sides of the ball. They have a lot of momentum."

Perhaps even enough to carry them and their injured players to the Super Bowl. "There'd be a lot of mixed feelings," Beatty said of the opportunity to go and not play, "but it would still be a celebration, and celebrations are good in all senses."