Sore O'Hara does not finish Giants practice

Shaun O'Hara has some good days and some bad days with his ankle injury. Thursday was one of the bad days.

The starting center did not finish practice because of the tendonosis in his Achilles and ankle, coach Tom Coughlin said.

"Some days it has a mind of its own and today it wasn't happy," O'Hara said of the injury he's been battling since the start of training camp. "We're just trying to do the right thing and be ready for Sunday."

O'Hara wasn't the only Giants offensive starter to miss practice. Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks sat out a second straight day with an ankle injury he suffered in the second quarter of his three-touchdown performance Sunday against the Panthers. Coughlin said he is "hopeful" that Nicks will play against the Colts, but would like to have him on the field before then.

"It's hard to play well and not practice," Coughlin said. "There are just so many things that happen out there."

O'Hara said his condition is not surgically correctable and that rest is the only thing that works. He has spoken about the possibility of missing practices during the week in the name of playing on Sundays. He said he is not concerned about his availability for Sunday.

"It's just really sore and it's kind of an accumulation of things," O'Hara said of yesterday's discomfort. "So we're just trying to do the right thing and hopefully tomorrow it will feel better."

Element of surprise

Perry Fewell didn't face a resting Peyton Manning when he was interim coach of the Bills in the last week of the 2009 season, but he did manage to beat the Colts, 30-7, in that game. Of course he had some help from the elements, playing in a Buffalo snowstorm.

Is there anything Fewell can take away from that experience?

"If it can snow in Indy and I can get that roof opened, it'd be great," Fewell said.

Giant steps

CB Aaron Ross missed a few minutes of practice having his foot re-taped, but Coughlin said he did "just about everything" in practice. "He has been a little rusty, but he made a couple of nice plays today," Coughlin said . . . DE Osi Umenyiora, who missed practice Wednesday with knee soreness, returned to practice Thursday.