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Three Giants starters hurt in loss
BY RALPH VACCHIANO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Sunday, December 30th 2007, 4:00 AM
On the morning after the Giants' near-upset of the New England Patriots, Tom Coughlin has a difficult question to answer:
Was it worth the risk?
The Giants didn't just lose a meaningless game to the Patriots on Saturday night. They also lost three starters - linebacker Kawika Mitchell, center Shaun O'Hara and cornerback Sam Madison.
It's unclear if any of the three will be available for the Giants' first-round playoff game next weekend in Tampa.
"Anytime you lose a player, you're concerned," Coughlin said. "It's most unfortunate, but we were going to play to win the game."
That was a costly decision, though, at least for those three players. Mitchell suffered a sprained knee on the Giants' first defensive series. O'Hara sprained his knee on the Giants' last series of the first half. And Madison suffered an abdominal strain that may have contributed to his getting beaten on the Patriots' go-ahead fourth-quarter touchdown pass, a 65-yarder down the right sideline from Tom Brady to Randy Moss.
Coughlin didn't provide any update on the injuries after the game, though Madison said, "I'm okay. I'll be out there next week." O'Hara said he felt "pretty sore."
Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce said he wouldn't be surprised if they were all ready to play against the Buccaneers.
"We got some guys nicked up, but that's football," Pierce said. "I guarantee you if those guys can play next week, they're going to play. There's no reason to sit in the trainer's room this week."
Still, if they can't play, there's no telling what damage it will do to the Giants' chances of escaping the first round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2000 season. O'Hara, for example, was replaced by veteran Grey Ruegamer last night, which led to several botched snaps and one fumble.
Mitchell was replaced by Gerris Wilkinson, who played well in more than three quarters of action, though he was called for a third-quarter pass interference penalty while covering Moss in the end zone, leading to a Laurence Maroney touchdown. Madison was replaced by Corey Webster, who had been benched for most of the year.
The Giants also lost some depth, too, when rookie safety Craig Dahl suffered a sprained left knee covering the Giants' first kickoff of the game. Dahl was helped off the field, though he appeared to be able to put pressure on his left leg. He left the stadium on crutches after the game.
Those players will obviously appear on the injury report this week, joining four other injured Giants who missed last night's game. Receiver Sinorice Moss (back), cornerback Kevin Dockery (hip), rookie running back Ahmad Bradshaw (leg), and defensive tackle Manny Wright (ankle) were all inactive last night.
BY RALPH VACCHIANO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Sunday, December 30th 2007, 4:00 AM
On the morning after the Giants' near-upset of the New England Patriots, Tom Coughlin has a difficult question to answer:
Was it worth the risk?
The Giants didn't just lose a meaningless game to the Patriots on Saturday night. They also lost three starters - linebacker Kawika Mitchell, center Shaun O'Hara and cornerback Sam Madison.
It's unclear if any of the three will be available for the Giants' first-round playoff game next weekend in Tampa.
"Anytime you lose a player, you're concerned," Coughlin said. "It's most unfortunate, but we were going to play to win the game."
That was a costly decision, though, at least for those three players. Mitchell suffered a sprained knee on the Giants' first defensive series. O'Hara sprained his knee on the Giants' last series of the first half. And Madison suffered an abdominal strain that may have contributed to his getting beaten on the Patriots' go-ahead fourth-quarter touchdown pass, a 65-yarder down the right sideline from Tom Brady to Randy Moss.
Coughlin didn't provide any update on the injuries after the game, though Madison said, "I'm okay. I'll be out there next week." O'Hara said he felt "pretty sore."
Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce said he wouldn't be surprised if they were all ready to play against the Buccaneers.
"We got some guys nicked up, but that's football," Pierce said. "I guarantee you if those guys can play next week, they're going to play. There's no reason to sit in the trainer's room this week."
Still, if they can't play, there's no telling what damage it will do to the Giants' chances of escaping the first round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2000 season. O'Hara, for example, was replaced by veteran Grey Ruegamer last night, which led to several botched snaps and one fumble.
Mitchell was replaced by Gerris Wilkinson, who played well in more than three quarters of action, though he was called for a third-quarter pass interference penalty while covering Moss in the end zone, leading to a Laurence Maroney touchdown. Madison was replaced by Corey Webster, who had been benched for most of the year.
The Giants also lost some depth, too, when rookie safety Craig Dahl suffered a sprained left knee covering the Giants' first kickoff of the game. Dahl was helped off the field, though he appeared to be able to put pressure on his left leg. He left the stadium on crutches after the game.
Those players will obviously appear on the injury report this week, joining four other injured Giants who missed last night's game. Receiver Sinorice Moss (back), cornerback Kevin Dockery (hip), rookie running back Ahmad Bradshaw (leg), and defensive tackle Manny Wright (ankle) were all inactive last night.