Report: Tuck won't play

The Giants have about an hour and a half before they have to declare their inactives for the game, but this morning ESPN reported that Justin Tuck will probably be on that list.

That’s a bit of a surprise, considering how adamant he was during the week that if he made the trip to Arizona he would play. He even said it twice, when it was noted that he traveled to Washington only to stand on the sideline and watch. But the long flight and a night of sleeping in the hotel bed probably did not help his neck. It sounds as if he will come out on the field and try to loosen up and give it a go, but let’s just say that hopes are not high right now.

Tuck missed two practices this week and was limited on Friday.

On Thursday, he spoke about what "an honor" it would be for him to play and help his family heal during a very difficult time in which he's lost his grandfather and an uncle within a three-week span. So if he's not playing, the neck injury must be very bad.

The better news is that Osi Umenyiora looks like he’ll be making his first start of the season. If Osi plays and Tuck sits, we’ll keep an eye on how they use Jason Peirre-Paul. They could either keep him at right end where he’s been starting in place of Osi for three games and playing well, or move him to the left side and put Osi back at his usual home.

The other guy to keep an eye on as the inactives list draws near is Zak DeOssie. He had back troubles that kept him from practicing all week, and, like Tuck, was probably not helped by the long flight and hotel bed. If he can’t play, the Giants will have to use either Travis Beckum or Mark Herzlich as their long-snapper. They could use David Baas on short snaps for field goals and extra points too.