IN KNEED OF HELP: With Corey Webster (inset) nursing a broken right hand and Prince Amukamara ready to make his first start of the season, the Giants need free safety Antrel Rolle (left) more than ever this Sunday as Big Blue take on the Eagles in Philadelphia. (AP, CSM/Landov (inset))
The starting free safety, who always practices and always plays, didn’t practice and cannot guarantee he will play. The starting left cornerback has a broken right hand, which makes grabbing hold and tackling somewhat of an issue. The player who has started at right cornerback has a bad hamstring and probably won’t play and his replacement has a sprinkling of NFL experience but has never before started a game.
Is this any way to brace for impact of the ready-to-erupt Eagles passing attack?
It is not exactly all-systems go for the Giants defensive backfield, which has been pulled and yanked in all sorts of directions thus far this season. Corey Webster finished last week’s 36-7 demolition of the Panthers wearing a cast on the right hand he broke earlier in that game and this will be his first full test against an opponent that knows all about his infirmity. Prince Amukamara makes his first start, replacing Jayron Hosley, who probably won’t make it because of the hamstring he strained in Charlotte. To make a sticky situation more uncomfortable, Antrel Rolle, the rock at the safety position, is dealing with a sore left knee as a result of a collision with a camera in Carolina and he could not declare himself a go for Sunday night’s clash with the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
“Right now I can’t say it’s a for-sure thing,’’ Rolle said. “In my mind, am I going to play on Sunday? Yeah. But God-willing everything will go as planned and if my knee feels good enough to play on Sunday, I will be out there.’’
With all of the juggling the Giants been forced to do at cornerback, they want no part of considering heading to Philadelphia without Rolle protecting the back end and helping to keep Michael Vick under wraps. And so, defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is refusing to consider that possibility. Asked if he thinks Rolle will play, Fewell said: “Oh yeah, I don’t think there’s any question about it.’’
Caution flags flew when Rolle yesterday wasn’t on the practice field, staying inside to work on his knee in the pool instead. Rolle worked on a limited basis on Wednesday but when he experienced soreness he took yesterday off, which greatly bothered him, considering his perfect attendance record.
“Since I’ve been here, I’ve never missed an in-season practice. It may seem weird to a lot of people, but that’s kind of hard for me to deal with,’’ Rolle said. “I’m a guy who likes to be out there with my teammates each and every day. For me to miss that because of this injury it’s kind of disappointing.’’
Fewell called Rolle’s absence “more precautionary than anything else.’’
If Rolle can’t play, Stevie Brown would start in his place.
It was a freak accident that caused this. Late in the blowout of the Panthers, Rolle was pursuing a play as he raced out of bounds to the left of the end zone. At the last moment, he spotted a camera in his path and attempted to leap over it. Instead, he crashed into the camera, with his left knee making a direct hit. He suffered lacerations that did not require stitches and a contusion that caused swelling.
“Nicks and bruises and things of that nature really don’t bother me too much, but you can’t run without your knees,’’ Rolle said.
The Giants will need all their limbs and joints to contain the Eagles, who despite being a mistake-prone outfit are ranked fifth in the league in offense, based on total yardage. When Vick isn’t getting sacked or crushed he can buy time for his speed receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. The Eagles will be nearly at full-strength for this one, as Maclin did not play in Philadelphia’s 27-6 loss at Arizona because of a hip injury but he’s going full in practice this week. That means the Giants will have to split their attention between two dangerous targets.
The Eagles’ aerial show hasn’t clicked, mainly because of Vick’s inability to get rid of the ball without getting hammered or turning it over. Vick is completing just 55 percent of his passes and he has thrown twice as many interceptions (six) as touchdowns (three). If the Eagles can hold onto the ball they pose a serious threat, especially against a Giants secondary held together with glue and string.