Safety Kenny Phillips (knee), center David Baas (shoulder) and tackle David Diehl (shoulder) won’t work as the Giants begin preparing for their game Monday night against the Redskins in Washington.

Wide receiver Domenik Hixon will practice. He missed the game against the Packers with an ankle injury suffered at Cincinnati on November 11.

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw remains on the list with a sore foot. He has recently practiced just once a week, but Coughlin said, “Ahmad’s always out there, whatever he does. Maybe we’ll use him a little bit, but not a lot.”

Linebacker Jacquian Williams, who was inactive for the last five games with a knee injury, will do individual drills and “whatever else he can do and how fast we can push him along,” Coughlin said.

Running back Ryan Torain and Kregg Lumpkin, who were signed on Tuesday, will work with the scout team and perhaps get a snap or two with the offense. Coughlin said there is a “possibility” they will play in Washington.

It would be nice to get the speed of Jacquian Williams back on the field, whether it be this week or next.  He could be a great asset down the stretch, and into the playoffs.

This being the normal first practice of the week having the guys at the top of the list out is not all that concerning, but the Giants and their fans will certainly want to keep an eye on Kenny Phillips’ status as the week progresses.

Did Not Participate:

LB Chase Blackburn

RB Ahmad Bradshaw

DT Chris Canty

WR Hakeem Nicks

S Kenny Phillips

G Chris Snee

LB Jacquian Williams

Limited Participation:

C David Baas

TE Bear Pascoe

LB Keith Rivers

It’s nice to see Keith Rivers is back and participating.

NEW YORK GIANTS

Out
LB Jacquian Williams (Knee – DNP)

Doubtful
DT Rocky Bernard (Quadriceps – LP)
S Kenny Phillips (Knee – LP)

Questionable
RB Ahmad Bradshaw (Foot – LP)

Probable
C David Baas (Ankle – LP)
WR Hakeem Nicks (Knee/Foot – FP)

DALLAS COWBOYS

Out
C Phil Costa (Ankle – DNP)
S Matt Johnson (Hamstring – DNP)
DT Sean Lissemore (Ankle – DNP)
RB DeMarco Murray (Foot – DNP)

Questionable
RB Felix Jones (Knee – LP)

Probable
C/G Ryan Cook (Hamstring – FP)
LB Anthony Spencer (Shoulder – FP)
LB DeMarcus Ware (Illness – DNP)

Barden (concussion)

Bennett (Knee)

Bernard (Quad)

Blackburn (hip)

Boley (hip)

Brown (concussion)

Diehl (knee)

Hosley (hamstring)

Nicks (foot/knee)

Phillips (knee)

Rivers (hamstring)

Rolle (knee)

Webster (hand/hamstring)

WHile it seems bad luck to have your last name begin with a “B” on this team, remember this is the new NFL, the non-contact practice NFL where meetings and walkthroughs are more important than actual full speed practice.  All these guys will do individual drills or conditioning/rehab all week, and some won;t “Practice” all year, but will play in games.

Look for Rolle, Webster, Barden, Bennett, Blackburn, and Boley to be active Sunday with an eye towards Nicks making a return also.

Kenny Phillips: Sore back.  Phillips sat out practice but is expected to return Wednesday..the next day of practice.

Prince Amukamara: Ankle. Prince states it is just about managing pain at this point, and after practicing Monday said he didn’t aggravate the injury and that is of course good news.  He also is slated to practice Wednesday.

Michael Coe: Hamstring. Coe left Wednesdays game due to a tightness in his hamstring,  Coe stated today

“I feel really good, actually,” he said. “I got to run and change direction. I didn’t really feel it. I’m really encouraged and I have been from the get go.”

Will Beatty: Back. Beatty played as a tight end and extra lineman Wednesday night due to his back injury.  He says he is feeling better and is now ready to step up and compete for the starting left tackle spot.

Da’rel Scott: Knee.  Scott missed the first game with a knee injury, but participated fully in Mondays practice and says he is ready for Sunday.

Keith Rivers: Hamstring. Rivers is a tough guy that rarely complains.  He took the day off which will provide him with a full 6 days of rest before Wednesday’s practice.

Marvin Austin: Back. Could it be Marvin is ready?  Stay tuned for the Wednesday practice report to see how he is progressing throughout the week.  He is still a big question mark.

Most people have compared the Giants’ secondary woes to those of last year – Terrell Thomas hurt again; an unproven player thrust into the starting lineup; the possibility of playing Antrel Rolle at cornerback – but a better comparison might be to look at the linebacker situation from a season ago. During last year’s preseason, the Giants lost two starting linebackers, Clint Sintim and Jonathan Goff, for the year. In the wake of those injuries the team had one established linebacker, Michael Boley, with only a converted defensive end and a bunch of rookies to start alongside him and provide depth.

The Giants weathered the storm last year with a combination of excellent play by Boley, rapid development by their rookies and the return of our old friend Chase Blackburn. This year, Corey Webster must play the role of Boley and set the tone for the rest of the secondary by locking up the other team’s best receiver each game. Jayron Hosley must play like the vital cog that he is when he’s able to play. We may again have to turn to an old friend – Deon Grant – to bolster the secondary.

But the important thing to learn from last year’s experience is that injuries are far from a death sentence. The hallmark of a strong franchise is depth, and with the exception of Eli Manning, no one is irreplaceable. That’s not an indication of a lack of star power, but a testament to the overall strength of the roster that Jerry Reese has assembled.

Every team loses players to injury. With one game left in the preseason and most of the starters unlikely to play, the Giants have hopefully suffered the last of theirs until the real games begin. When they do, this team will have the players to compete with anybody as they try to defend their title as Super Bowl champions. As a fan, what more could you ask for?

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.

The merry-go-round will continue even if players start to get healthier.  The team will want to hold guys back from practicing to have then rest and recover, and therefore they will want to keep the roster number at 90 as long as they are able.  This was the precise reason the number of roster spots for camp was changed, coaches need players to practice with, even if it’s not a guy that will make it through to the final roster.

In 2011, Nicks quietly put up one of the most productive receiving seasons in franchise history, collecting the sixth most receiving yards of any Giant all-time. Though Victor Cruz’s incredible year puts him first on that list, one could argue that it was Nicks’ reputation that caused defenses to shift their focus to him, giving Cruz the opportunity to have so much success. In any event, the Giants are a much more dangerous team offensively with both of their dynamic wideouts healthy, and today was a huge step towards that goal.

12 Giants are not expected to play tonight according to the team: CB Terrell Thomas (knee), RB Da’Rel Scott (quad), LB Jake Muasau (hamstring), LB Jaquian Williams (hip), LB Michael Boley (hamstring), LT Will Beatty (back), DE Justin Trattou (ankle), DT Rocky Bernard (knee), TE Travis Beckum (knee), LB Clint Sintim (knee), WR Hakeem Nicks (foot) and DT Chris Canty (knee).

About the only surprise on this list is,and it’s not good for him, is Da’Rel Scott.  Scott wanted to be healthy this year and show what he is capable of doing, he misses his first chance tonight.

Ben Roethlisberger (Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Today, Ben Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette he has a “little torn rotator cuff”. It seems that the injury occurred last season against the Baltimore Ravens on November 6, 2011.

“I’m good. It’s OK, just sore,” he stated to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette. “I have a little torn rotator cuff. That doesn’t heal. We just have to hope it doesn’t tear the rest of the way, according to Doc.”

The 30 year old Roethlisberger claims this is just part of getting older. The Steelers’, and Roethlisberger’s, current solution to the problem is do less throwing during walk-throughs and hope that the tear doesn’t worsen. Good luck with that, Ben.

Nick Laham / Getty Images

Cornerback Terrell Thomas has re-injured the right ACL, anterior cruciate ligament, that he tore in preseason last year. Thomas visited doctors today where it was confirmed that Thomas re-injured the ACL that was surgically repaired last year. An official statement has not been released but the Giants are not optimistic.

On Sunday, Terrell Thomas fell during practice and then iced his knee for the remainder of practice. Today, Thomas had swelling in his knee and he was sent to the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City for an examination.

This looks to be a major setback for Terrell Thomas and if he has in fact torn his right ACL again, there will be serious questions about his ability to recover and become an effective player again. If Thomas is unable to return it looks like Prince Amukamara would replace him at the starting Cornerback position opposite of Corey Webster.

There was a second high-profile Giants injury today. Linebacker Michael Boley was also sent to the Hospital for Special Surgery to have a hamstring injury examined.

At this point there is not much information available. We will release more information as it becomes available.

1. Find a solid offensive line rotation and get them comfortable with each other early.

2. Find out if the young guys like Rueben Randle, and David Wilson are ready for PrimeTime.

3. Find out if the guys returning from health issues are really ready to return to form, in particular Terrell Thomas and Domenik Hixon.

4. Stay Healthy…Avoiding the major injury has been tough for the Giants these past few years.  Especially the devastating one just before the season begins.  Last year it was MLB Jon Goff, and CB Terrell Thomas going down late, and “The Prince” going down relatively early among others.  The year before that is was Sinorice Moss and Ramses Barden.  During the season they also lost Mathias Kiwanuka.  Going back to 2008 they lost Osi Umenyiora and in ’09 it was Kenny Phillips turn.

Lets hope we can stay relatively healthy this season as we embark on our Championship Defense

Nicks will have surgery on Friday in Charlotte, N.C., where foot and ankle specialist Dr. Robert Anderson will insert a screw into the broken bone. His recovery time is 12 weeks.

Yesterday, as reported here on GMenHq, the Giants lost CB Brian Witherspoon for the season and sub-sequentially waived him today. He is expected to miss the entire 2012 NFL season. Nicks however, may be back for the opening of the regular season for the Giants.

The New York Football Giants practiced today for their upcoming appearance in the NFC Championship game this Sunday in San Francisco, and except for the standard resting of Ahmad Bradshaw, ALL players were in pads and participated. Mark Herzlich practiced for the first time since he hurt his ankle in the Saints game on November 28th.  Coach Coughlin must have a big smile on his face.

THE GIANTS ARE INDEED ALL IN!

Perry is looking for answers....

The New York Giants enter their day off today as the leaders in the NFC East. However, all is not rosy in East Rutherford. The Giants may be in first place, but everyone knows the Giants cannot make a run in the playoffs with the defense playing the way they are.

Here are some of the awful statistics that represent and define who the Giants are defensively:

• Ranked 30th in Yards Allowed Per Game at 391.6
• Ranked 27th in Points Allowed Per Game at 26.8
• Ranked 22nd in Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game at 127.9
• Ranked 29th in Passing Yards Allowed Per game at 263.7
• Ranked 10th in INTs with 15
• Ranked 6th in Sacks with 36
• Ranked 26th in Total TDs allowed with 26.

Inactive for the game tonight in Arlington Texas between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys are:

Giants:

LB Spencer Paysinger

WR Jerrel Jernigan

DE Osi Umenyiora

T Tony Ugoh

C David Baas

LB Mark Herzlich

S Kenny Phillips

Cowboys:

Qb Jon Kitna

G David Arkin

G Daniel Loper

TE Martellus Bennett

NT Josh Brent

DE Clifton Geathers

WR Andre Holmes