Howard Simmons/New YOrk Daily News
Antrel Rolle (r.) and Terrell Thomas (c.) are looking to stay healthy for Big Blue this season.
Antrel Rolle was walking without a limp and without a walking boot on his right ankle. He felt good enough to even stand out at practice, where he saw Justin Tuck and Hakeem Nicks and Corey Webster running through drills.
So for a moment on Wednesday, with 3½ weeks until the opener, the prognosis was good for all of them, which makes the prognosis good for the entire Giants team.
But that’s only for the moment. The reality for the 2013 Giants is that they may spend all season keeping their fingers crossed that their injury luck doesn’t suddenly change. Because they are a good team on the surface — probably a Super Bowl contender.
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Just beneath the surface, though, there are injuries and age.
It is an interesting mix the Giants have as they try to hold their core together for one last title run. They’ve got a strong group of aging veterans and a promising-but-green group of youngsters, without much of a noteworthy middle class in between. So if the news stays good on Tuck’s back and Rolle’s ankle and Nicks’ knee and groin . . . and there are no further issues with Chris Snee’s hip or Corey Webster’s groin . . . and David Diehl and David Baas and Prince Amukamara can stay healthy . . . and Jason Pierre-Paul (back) can return by opening day . . . well, then, the sky really is the limit for the Giants.
But the recent rash of injury issues served as a stark reminder that with such a large group of aging or injury-prone players on their roster, there are likely more limitations than that.
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“It’s not a worry,” Rolle said defiantly on Wednesday. “Injuries are going to happen in this league. My injury is not going to be a factor. I’m sure Tuck will be fine, and we’re all hoping and praying that JPP will be fine by opening day. And, you know, we have guys that are willing to step in and fill the roles. That’s what it’s about. That’s what ‘team’ is about. We all compete, but at the same time we’re all each other’s backbone. If one guy goes down, the next man up fills in and we’re not expecting to miss a beat.”
Howard Simmons/New York Daily News
David Diehl has battled injury issues the last two seasons.
That’s a nice thing to say, and during the Giants’ championship seasons, it absolutely was the reality. But it’s still a lot to hope for, especially with so many players having the potential to break down. Tuck, Nicks, Webster and Snee have already missed practice time. So has Terrell Thomas, who is fighting his way back from his third torn ACL.
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