There has to be plenty of healing between now and Monday night in order for the Giants’ struggling defensive backfield to avoid facing the Redskins without starting cornerback Corey Webster.
Webster hasn’t missed a game this season, but he was forced out of Sunday’s 45-38 loss to the Eagles with a knee injury and wasn’t able to practice yesterday. When asked if Webster will be able to practice at all this week, coach Tom Coughlin said, “I’m hoping.”
The fact that Webster will get an extra day to recover offers some hope that he will be able to get on the field. But at this point he must be considered a longshot.
GIANTS WANT SUPER BOWL AT NEW STADIUM
“Hopefully I can get out there to help my team get a ‘W,’ ” Webster said. “I’m working hard on it every day, since about 6:30 in the morning, working on it, trying to get it right.”
If Webster can’t go, expect to see Aaron Ross move back to cornerback and start at left corner. After his return from a hamstring issue, Ross was shifted to safety.
The only other players out of practice were running back Ahmad Bradshaw, who usually sits out a practice or two during the week to rest his ankles, and wide receiver Mario Manningham, who was ill.
* C Shaun O’Hara and Eagles DE Trent Cole were both hit with $15,000 fines for their altercation on the final play of last week’s Giants-Eagles game. Cole was ejected, but O’Hara was not — and he is fighting mad about the amount of the fine.
“Certainly I was shocked to get the fine and have it be in that amount,” O’Hara said. “I know it was a very physical game, there were a lot of things that escalated up to that point. The one thing I will say is I’m always going to stick up for myself and my teammates, there certainly was some pushing and shoving, I felt the pushing and shoving was really going both ways until it was escalated.”
O’Hara will appeal the fine but has already been docked the money.
“My Christmas presents are going to be a little bit smaller this year,” he said.
* DE Mathias Kiwanuka has been voted the winner of the ninth annual George Young Good Guy Award by the Giants chapter of the Professional Football Writers of America. The award, named for the late Giants general manager, is given annually to honor a player for consistent and outstanding cooperation with the writers who cover the team on a daily basis. CB Terrell Thomas finished second in the voting and O’Hara was third.
* The Redskins continue to show that they are dysfunctional. Just hours after Vinny Cerrato resigned yesterday as executive vice president of football operations, the team announced the hiring of Bruce Allen to run the football operations. Allen, the son of the late former Redskins coach George Allen, has strong ties to Jon Gruden from their days working together with the Buccaneers. Let the speculation begin that Gruden will leave the ESPN booth to replace Jim Zorn as head coach next season.