By:
Dan Benton | December 8, 2016 4:00 pm ET
When the New York Giants returned to practice on Wednesday, defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins was a noticeable and concerning absence. He had suffered a bruised quad in a Week 13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but played through the pain.
Giants' Johnathan Hankins has 'no doubt' he'll play against Cowboys
In the face of losing defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (groin) for the season, having Hankins also sidelined would have been a death sentence for the Giants. But he attempted to calm nerves by guaranteeing he’d suit up against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.
“No doubt [I am going to play],”
Hankins told reporters. “They just want to make sure that I am full-go on Sunday, so it is really just taking it a day at a time and not really trying to push myself.”
The good news is that Hankins wasn’t blowing smoke. And as the Giants laced up their pads for a physical practice on Thursday, Hankins was right there alongside his teammates as a limited participant.
In addition to Hankins, defensive end Owa Odighizuwa (knee), guard Justin Pugh (knee), wide receiver Dwayne Harris (ankle) and defensive back Coty Sensabaugh (ribs) were also limited participants.
The news was not as positive for safety Nat Berhe (concussion) and linebacker Mark Herzlich (concussion), who remain sidelined and in league protocol.
Finally, the Giants also added a name to the injury report on Thursday. Tight end Larry Donnell did not practice due to an illness.
http://giantswire.usatoday.com/2016...hnathan-hankins-back-larry-donnell-sidelined/
