NFL

Diehl, Bradshaw banged up for Giants

The Giants were hit hard by injuries yesterday to three players, and the severity of each is unknown.

Right tackle David Diehl (knee), running back Ahmad Bradshaw (neck) and wide receiver Domenik Hixon (concussion) all went down in yesterday’s 41-34 triumph over the Bucs. None of the three played at all in the second half, and coach Tom Coughlin did not have further information afterward.

With Diehl out, the Giants’ offensive line featured various players replacing him at right tackle. Left guard Kevin Boothe played there some, backup lineman Jim Cordle handled it for one play and regular left tackle Sean Locklear shifted over there too, with Will Beatty assuming Locklear’s duties on the left side. Beatty was the starting left tackle last year.

On his dropped pass in the end zone during the first quarter, Beatty said: “I saw it. I went for it. Just wasn’t my day.” … After last week’s fumbling woes, rookie David Wilson was fine yesterday, with three uneventful carries for 6 yards.

With Hixon out, Ramses Barden became the third wideout, while rookie Rueben Randle returned punts. With Bradshaw sidelined, Andre Brown handled the bulk of the running.

Randle did fine in handling his first-ever NFL punts, returning two kicks for an 11.5 yard average. That included one 45-yard return that became only 11 yards thanks to a Giant penalty. Said Randle, “It was disappointing, but it’s part of the game.”

* Tight endMartellus Bennett dropped one touchdown pass yesterday and couldn’t hold on to another potential score. But he put the Giants ahead late in the fourth quarter with an impressive leaping 33-yard TD, his second score in as many weeks.

“I felt like I was one step away from making a play all night,” Bennett said. “They still dialed my number up at the end and I was able to make a play, finally.”

* Linebacker Keith Rivers (hamstring) was inactive. Asked about practicing this week and playing Thursday against the Panthers, he replied, “I don’t want to make any predictions. I’m just going to take it day by day and see what happens.”

* Wearing his No. 52 Bucs jersey, Rutgers hero Eric LeGrand — who was signed by Tampa Bay and retired as a Buc — conducted the pregame coin toss.

“I said I wasn’t going to wear the Tampa Bay jersey but then everybody convinced me, said, ‘You’ve got to wear it,” he said. “So I wore it out there, but they still showed me much love, so respect to the Giants fans.”

LeGrand, who graduates this year, wants to go into broadcasting.

— Additional reporting
by Brian Lewis