Mario Manningham not bothered by in-game change

Mario Manningham said last week that he liked the trio of receivers the Giants have in himself, Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. Little did he know that by the end of the Cardinals game he'd be the third wheel.

After what seemed an early miscommunication with Eli Manning, Manningham was taken out of the game and moved to the slot in Sunday's win. He caught one pass for 10 yards and got a pep talk from Manning late in the game that showed up on the broadcast.

But Manningham said he was back as the starter opposite Nicks in Wednesday's practice and said that the adjustment in snaps during the game did not bother him. "You've got to have a short-term memory to play wide receiver or DB," he said.

Manningham said the coaching staff did not tell him why they made the in-game change. "Ask them," he said. But he seemed more frustrated that his playing time had become a topic of conversation.

"It's cool," he said. "It's a long season. You never know what can happen."

Prince still weeks away

The original estimate for rookie cornerback Prince Amukamara's return was 7-10 weeks. It will be nine weeks since he broke the bone in his foot this weekend, but Tom Coughlin said the first-round pick is still several weeks away from returning.

"Ask me again after the bye," Coughlin said. "He's not going to be for a while. We're not going to mess around here . . . To me, it's off somewhere in the distance."

The Giants' bye is on Oct. 23.

Giant steps

LB Michael Boley (knee) and RB Brandon Jacobs (knee) did not practice but are expected to return to action Thursday . . . DT Rocky Bernard (ribs) was limited in practice . . . CB Corey Webster missed practice for personal reasons.