I should have called Coach.
That’s the only do-over star receiver Hakeem Nicks wanted Tuesday as he finally showed up after staying away from the Giants the past two weeks.
After telling Tom Coughlin he would attend organized team activity practices, Nicks was a no-show, irritating the coach and sparking speculation as to why Nicks was absent from the voluntary workouts. A mandatory three-day minicamp brought Nicks to the team facility, where he expressed remorse for not alerting Coughlin to what was going down.
“I feel where he was coming from,’’ said Nicks, calm as always, surrounded by a media throng at his locker. “I could have done a better job of reaching out, but we finally got to talk and we got things straightened out. Coach Coughlin’s my guy, so I think that relationship can’t go sour. I should have done a better job of reaching out to him, but I’m here now.”
Nicks does not foresee why he would not report July 26 for the start of training camp, and he expects to be “full-go’’ following offseason knee surgery.
That should assuage Giants fans worried the Nicks no-show was sign he was disgruntled about his contract, which is entering its last year.
Coughlin said his conversation with Nicks is “between he and I,’’ and after seeing Nicks on the field made it clear he is behind the other receivers in his preparation.
“He’s definitely not in tune with where we are,’’ Coughlin said. “We’ve had nine OTAs and we’ve thrown a lot at ’em. I mean, he’s just had one meeting. If he’s around, he’ll pick it up quick. He’ll get it fast.’’
Nicks’ arrival for the minicamp was expected. The OTAs were voluntary, so Nicks could not be fined for missing them. Nicks would have incurred fines totaling $66,150 were he to miss all three days of the mandatory camp.
Unlike Nicks, Victor Cruz cannot be fined for missing this camp because he does not have a contract. The Giants expected Cruz would not show.
Though he never reached out to Coughlin, Nicks said he did alert general manager Jerry Reese he would not be attending the OTAs.
“From my point of view, he seemed to understand,” Nicks said.
Asked if he felt he accomplished what he wanted by skipping the OTAs, Nicks said, “I didn’t say I was trying to accomplish nothing.’’
He did not say why he stayed away and worked out back home in North Carolina.
“I’m here now, and that’s all I’m going to talk about,’’ Nicks said.
Nicks is coming off arthroscopic left knee surgery. Last year, Nicks broke his right foot in an OTA practice.
“That was definitely on my mind,’’ Nicks said, “but I can’t say that’s the reason.’’
Nicks did individual drills yesterday and ran some routes in the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 periods, but certainly did not exert himself.
Coughlin said he believes Nicks and Eli Manning need to get some extra work together before training camp.
“One thing I did mention to him is you kind of have to go out in the backyard, like you did when you were a kid, with the quarterback,’’ Coughlin said. “You guys get on the same page.”
Manning said he had to tread a fine line between wanting Nicks on the field and understanding what’s ahead is more important.
“It’s a tough situation because I think what we’re doing here, in the spring, is important also,’’ Manning said. “But I also don’t want to make fans think we’re in trouble because guys missed some OTAs. We’ll be fine. Hopefully we get off to a great start and this becomes a story of the past.”
Nicks was aware of the ruckus he caused with his no-show.
“I never want to be detrimental in any kind of way to this organization because they’ve been nothing but good to me,” he said. “I took care of what I needed to take care of and I am here now and that’s all that matters.”