Hakeem Nicks Injury: NY Giants WR back at practice
Tracy Porter (23) is called for pass interference on New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks (88) in the end zone during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. New York Giants defeat the Oakland Raiders 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks was surprisingly held out of last week’s key clash against the Dallas Cowboys, and Tom Coughlin reasoned that Nicks was held out because he didn’t practice enough. That sounds like a load of bunk, because Nicks practiced twice last week, which is more than enough for an established player to play on Sunday. No, there’s something amiss here, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to hear that Coughlin is frustrated with Nicks for some reason, especially since Nicks has been frustrated and inconsistent in a contract year. This is almost certainly his final season with the Giants, and it hasn’t exactly been a pretty one; missing last week’s crushing loss to the Cowboys was certainly not a pretty moment.
But Nicks should be back for this week’s rivalry game against the Washington Redskins, and it would be disappointing to see Nicks have a bad game against a porous Redskins defense. The Redskins secondary is an ailment to all the afflictions that a passing attack is suffering from. If you don’t believe me, look at the bounce-back game that Colin Kaepernick, Anquan Boldin, and the San Francisco 49ers had against that miserable bunch on Monday Night Football.
According to ESPN New York’s Matt Ehalt, Hakeem Nicks was able to return to practice today, but his practice status was never in doubt. Firstly, Nicks’s abdominal injury is essentially a non-issue. Secondly, Coughlin stated that Nicks would practice today. Nicks is a virtual guarantee to play this week, but I really can’t help but think that there’s an elephant in the room when it comes to Nicks. Did he do something wrong that upset Coughlin? Did Coughlin really hold out Nicks last week for not practicing enough? In all honesty, I’m not sure if we’ll learn the answers to those questions either. Coughlin is a tough coach, but he deserves a whole lot of respect as one of the league’s legends, so Nicks probably did something wrong to earn a benching from a crucial game.