Umenyiora, Nicks questionable for Giants
Swelling in Osi Umenyiora's right knee Friday forced the Giants defensive end to miss the majority of practice for the second time in three days, putting his status for Sunday night's game in Indianapolis in jeopardy.
Officially, the Giants listed Umenyiora - along with receiver Hakeem Nicks - as questionable, and coach Tom Coughlin said after practice Friday that both players' availability will be a game-time decision.
Umenyiora made it onto the field for the walk-through portion at the start of practice, but he was gone by the time practice was open to reporters.
"He did have some swelling, so we sent him back inside," Coughlin said.
When Umenyiora missed practice Wednesday because of his knee, Coughlin described the injury as "wear and tear." Coughlin was evasive Friday about which knee bothered Umenyiora, but when he returned to practice Thursday, he had a wrap around his right knee.
Umenyiora, who missed the 2008 season because of left knee surgery, did not make himself available to reporters in the locker room after practice. After losing his starting job at the end of last season and going public with his unhappiness, Umenyiora rebounded this year. He forced a fumble and had a sack in the season opener.
Nicks, meanwhile, practiced for the first time in three days, albeit on a limited basis. He said he took part in a few plays during every quarter of practice. But Nicks said he was encouraged by how his ankle responded to the movement, saying that unlike a few days earlier, his ankle didn't hurt when he cut to his right.
"In my eyes, I expect to play," said Nicks, who scored three touchdowns in the Giants' season-opening win over Carolina. "Unless they tell me otherwise when game time gets here, but I felt good today."
Coughlin also was hopeful about cornerback Aaron Ross playing, and his presence on the field figures to provide a much-needed boost to a secondary that will be tested by Colts quarterback Peyton Manning all night.
Ross missed the season opener because of a torn plantar fascia, but he said he practiced all week without issue. "I'm going to go in with my mind thinking that I'm ready, that I practiced hard and it didn't bother me," he said.
Coughlin added that center Shaun O'Hara will be "OK to go" Sunday even though he took part in half of practice because of tendinosis in his right Achilles and ankle that he's been dealing with since the start of training camp.
Notes & quotes: The NFL fined Panthers safety Sherrod Martin $5,000 for unnecessary roughness - "striking a defenseless receiver in the head area," to be exact - against TE Kevin Boss last week. Boss suffered a concussion on the play and will miss this week's game against the Colts. No penalty flag was thrown on the play.
With Tom Rock
