Antrel Rolle and fellow Giants safety Stevie Brown are tight, so Rolle was admittedly taking it hard today that Brown is out for the season. On Saturday night against the Jets, Brown tore his ACL, and Rolle said that “for me personally, it goes deeper than football itself.”
“It’s definitely taken its toll on me,” Rolle said. “We all have to move on from the situation obviously, but like I said, it goes way deeper than football itself when you’re talking about Stevie Brown’s injury to me.
“I don’t know. That’s a hard pill to swallow. You never want to see anyone go down and just to have my sidekick go down like that, it’s tough, man. It really is.”
Rolle has been in continuous touch with Brown and said his pal is “in good spirits.”
Either way, Rolle called his absence “a huge blow” to the Giants. But he insisted that the defense will still be strong, refusing to say Brown’s injury will cripple the team irreparably. Rolle was unsure if Brown’s injury will force him to change his safety responsibilities – he’ll now be starting alongside free agent acquisition Ryan Mundy – but said either way, they’ll manage.
“Whatever they have assigned for us to do, we’ll get it done,” Rolle said. “There’s no doubt about it that we will get it done and we’re gonna do what we have to do in order for this team to win and be successful.”
Rolle, meanwhile, is dealing with a sprained ankle but will practice today for the first time since suffering the injury, exactly two weeks to the day. He was unsure if he will participate in Thursday’s final preseason game against the Patriots but has said he will play in the season opener versus the Cowboys, and that certainly appears likely.
“I told them today I want to go out there, test it and see what I can do,” Rolle said, adding that he’ll be careful.
Rolle also said he’s talked with former Giants safety Kenny Phillips, who spent five years with the team before signing with the Eagles this past offseason. Phillips – who ironically was replaced by Brown as a starter last year – was released yesterday, although it appears as if his return to the Giants is unlikely.
“Would I like to see him? Absolutely,” Rolle said. “But it’s not my call. It’s not my call to make. We have to leave that up to personnel and the owners and the GM. They’ll do the right job.”