He viewed the game, alone, accompanied only by the high-definition images bursting forth from his 90-inch TV. Hakeem Nicks, the coolest Giant of them all, owns a couch, but it went largely un-sat-upon, even though he admitted, “It was definitely an easy game to watch.’’
There was virtually no intrigue created by the Giants on Thursday night as they scored early and often and battered the Panthers 36-7, a completely angst-free game for their fans. Nicks, of course, is no fan and thus he could not simply grab a cold one and relax.
“I was up, walking in circles, talking to the TV,’’ Nicks told The Post yesterday. “I was just up in front of the TV calling the plays out. When I heard [Eli Manning] say audible, I was guessing the plays, visualizing the plays.
“I was excited. … I called Mardy’s touchdown out, I said it’s gonna be Mardy up the seam,’’ added Nicks, correctly anticipating Martellus Bennett’s first-quarter TD. “I felt it.’’
There were all sorts of feelings for Nicks to come to grips with as he was, literally, left behind by his team. Most every athlete circles the game to be played back in his hometown and Nicks was ready for a North Carolina reunion. He purchased 20 tickets for the game. High school buddies. His grandmother. All his nieces. His dad. His sister.
“Pretty much all my family in Charlotte,’’ Nicks said of the guest list.
This was to be his first NFL regular-season game back home and what a triumphant return it would be. Four days earlier, Nicks shredded the Buccaneers to the tune of 10 catches for a career-high 199 yards and a touchdown. After a sluggish opener, he appeared to be himself again, leaving behind the broken right foot that kept him sidelined virtually all summer.
For a league that likes to chirp about “the best interest of the player’’ scheduling games every Thursday night is great for the revenue stream but a killer on the bodies of those the NFL is supposedly sworn to protect. Nicks showed up last Wednesday carrying his suit, expecting to slip it on and board the charter flight departing for North Carolina later that afternoon. There was a jog-through scheduled before the trip and once Nicks stepped on the field it was clear his foot was not given enough time to recover only three days removed from the beating it took.
“I think if it was a regular Sunday and it was a normal week, I think I would have been able to go out there and compete,’’ Nicks said. “It was just too quick of a turnaround, the foot, all that pounding on the foot I did that last game.’’
That morning, Nicks was informed he had been named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week. He later was told he wouldn’t be making the trip. He did not fight it. He got a refund for all 20 tickets, as none of his family wanted to attend the game without him in it.
It was a rough reversal of fortune for Nicks, heading to his New Jersey home alone while his team departed for his childhood home without him. But Nicks did not say he was frustrated and stressed he looked at the bright side.
“Knowing I’d be that much more ready for the Philly game, it’s a rivalry game. It’s gonna be intense and you got to bring your all when you play Philly,’’ he said.
Coach Tom Coughlin said Nicks will practice on Thursday and Nicks said he’ll play against the Eagles.
“It feels a lot better,’’ Nicks said of his foot. “Time off definitely helped it.’’
Nicks, who had a difficult upbringing, keeps his private life private and doesn’t allow anyone to see much into him, other than his ultra-cool exterior. He said, “I wanted to play in front of the home crowd,’’ but it was left for others to assess the disappointment he must have felt by missing out on going home.
“You got to tell people ‘I’m not gonna be there, I’m not gonna make it, sorry,’ ” linebacker Michael Boley said. “You want to go out there with the guys, not being able to you feel like you’re missing out.’’
Nicks missed out, but on Saturday he expects to be on that Amtrak train to Philadelphia, leaving behind the view from the TV.