Tuck hopeful he will play Sunday

If the Giants can convince the Redskins to go at walk-through speed in Sunday's game and play in the barely-there shell pads used in practice, then defensive end Justin Tuck should be good to go with his neck injury based on the fact he practiced on a limited basis under those conditions Friday.

Of course, Washington will brook no truce with the Giants, so although Tuck showed definite signs of improvement, he's still listed as questionable for Sunday's opener. And because they are the Giants and have come to resemble a walk-in clinic more than a Super Bowl contender, they added the name of tight end Travis Beckum to the questionable list when he failed to complete practice because of a tight left hamstring.

The "action" wasn't too strenuous during the portion of practice the media was permitted to view, but Tuck took part in all the first-team snaps at his usual left end position. He even hit the blocking sled a couple times with his hands during one drill. It was encouraging to the Giants, who previously lost cornerback Terrell Thomas and middle linebacker Jonathan Goff with season-ending knee injuries.

Tom Coughlin said he'll know more about Tuck's status Saturday, but he made progress from Thursday when he wasn't permitted to take practice in full pads. "If he was allowed to do this, then he's made it beyond a certain point obviously," Coughlin said of Tuck. "Hopefully, he's going to continue."

On Thursday, Tuck expressed serious reservations about playing, and after Friday's practice, he chose not to submit to media interview requests, saying, "I'm hopeful. We'll see what happens."

Tuck's problems began with a stinger suffered in a preseason game against the Jets less than two weeks ago. If he can't handle serious contact, Coughlin admitted it's possible strong side linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka might line up at defensive end. The ripple effect would open another linebacker slot for a team that already is planning to start rookie Greg Jones in Goff's place in the middle.

What would Coughlin do? "You'd be playing one short," the coach joked.

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The remaining backup linebackers include rookies Mark Herzlich, Jacquian Williams and Spencer Paysinger. The leading prospect for more playing time likely is Herzlich, the undrafted free agent out of Boston College who has overcome cancer to reach the NFL.

Herzlich said he's received no indication that he will be doing anything other than playing on every special-teams unit, but he's ready. "I know that I have been learning all three positions at linebacker," Herzlich said. "If there's ever an opportunity, I can go in at any of them."

On the offensive side, Beckum is listed as the backup behind blocking tight end Jake Ballard, but he often plays in multiple-receiver formations. He left practice as a precaution when his left hamstring tightened.

Describing the injury, Beckum said, "Is it pulled? No, but it's something. With a hamstring, if you feel something, you don't want to push it. You don't want to make something small into something big."

Jacobs, Wilkerson fined. Giants running back Brandon Jacobs was fined $20,000 and Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson $10,000 by the NFL for fighting during the teams' preseason game last month.

With AP