NFL

No need for Nicks to clear air with Eli, Coughlin

Eli Manning said he and Hakeem Nicks looked at each other the other day, which was all it took to clear the air, though nothing really needed to be cleared.

“We said ‘Hey, we don’t have to talk about this, right?’ ’’ Manning said on Wednesday.

Nicks raised some eyebrows after last Sunday’s 38-0 loss to the Panthers, a game in which he was targeted only one time by Manning and did not have a single catch.

Repeatedly asked about getting shut out in catches, Nicks said, “I can’t throw the ball to myself.’’

The next day, coach Tom Coughlin said Nicks shouldn’t have said what he did.

Nicks said he was taken out of context, explaining he never intended to point fingers at Manning or anyone else.

“That’s expected at a time like this, as long as I know me and my quarterback and me and my team are on the same page it’s all good,’’ said Nicks, who spoke to Coughlin and Manning to clear up any confusion. “They knew I didn’t mean nothing by it.”

“I never thought he was taking any jabs,’’ Manning said.

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With Henry Hynoski put on season-ending injured reserve with a fractured left shoulder, the Giants needed a new fullback and signed John Conner, 26, a 2010 fifth-round draft pick of the Jets known as “The Terminator.’’ Conner played in every game for the Jets in 2010 and 2011, hurt his knee and hamstring and lasted just three games in 2012 before the Jets waived him. Connor hooked on with the Bengals late in the 2012 season and played in two games.

“Just watching them on film and watching their games I know they use a fullback so it’s a great fit for me,’’ Conner said.

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DE Justin Tuck said he hopes Giants fans haven’t given up on their winless team.

“Don’t be a fair-weather fan,” he said. “It’s about being a fan in the good and the bad.’’

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CB Terrell Thomas appeared on the injury report for the first time this season, and Coughlin said the team will “manage’’ Thomas’ surgically repaired right knee, making sure he does not overdo it. He was limited in practice.

“I think the vision with that is getting me healthy on Sunday, not during the week,’’ Thomas said.

 

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C David Baas (neck), TE Adrien Robinson (foot), G Chris Snee (hip), CB Corey Webster (hip) and LB Jacquian Williams (knee) did not practice. OL David Diehl, (thumb), practiced on a limited basis.