Giants’ Postgame Injury Update

As the dust settles on another drubbing of the Giants’ cross-locker room rivals, it’s important to remember that the main goal of these preseason games is to finish them with the roster intact. Here are the Giants’ injury notes after their 26-3 win over the Jets:

Ahmad Bradshaw: The biggest scare came in the first quarter when Bradshaw left with an apparent hand injury, but those fears were assuaged after the game. According to Bradshaw, he left as a result of popping a cyst in his left hand. “There was a little pain in it” he said, “It feels good. We’re just being precautious about it.” Bradshaw is the main ground option on an offense that had the fewest rushing yards in the league last year, and so an injury to him would be devastating. He may be the most important player on the offense outside of Eli Manning, so it’s very comforting to hear that his injury wasn’t serious.

Jayron Hosley: Hosley made a splash with his 77-yard interception return in the second quarter, but the story after the game was a toe injury that had him in a walking boot on his right foot. According to Coach Coughlin, Hosley suffered a “turf-toe type” of injury and it’s unclear how serious it will turn out to be. Turf-toe generally sidelines a player for about four weeks, so it’s possible that the injury will keep him off of the field into the regular season. This is a blow for the Giants, considering the uncertainty surrounding their cornerback situation in the wake of the injury to Terrell Thomas and how good Hosley had looked thus far. His injury means that, for now, Antrel Rolle is the Giants’ nickel cornerback. The team doesn’t have a choice at this point, but having the Giants’ leading tackler from a year ago playing out of position significantly weakens the defense.

Mark Herzlich: Herzlich suffered a hip pointer in the third quarter, but the injury does not appear to jeopardize his availability for the season opener. “Right now it’s not too bad,” he said of the injury. “I think getting ice on it right away was helpful. The swelling stayed low.” Herzlich may miss some practice time, however, which is important for a young player who is competing with Chase Blackburn for the starting middle linebacker position.

Adrian Tracy: Tracy was forced out of the game with a hamstring injury, but he is not expected to miss any playing time as a result.