Chris Snee’s season is over almost before it ever started.
The Giants’ veteran right guard, sidelined with a painful hip injury that has forced him to miss the past two games, is headed to season-ending injured reserve after his hip failed to respond to rest and therapy.
Snee, 32, will be examined on Saturday by Dr. Bryan Kelly and acknowledged he almost certainly would require surgery.
“I’ve been feeling it for some time now,” Snee said Friday. “I’ve always been able to play through things, but clearly I couldn’t. I’ve played a lot of games for this team, a lot of wear on this body. If I was able to play through something, I would.”
Snee started the first two games of the season, but it was evident he could not compete up to the standard he set for himself as a four-time Pro Bowler.
He has been slowed with a partially torn labrum in his left hip, an injury that is impeding on his joint, causing extreme discomfort. Last season – and for much of the past four years – Snee dealt with labrum issues in his right hip, but did not miss any time on the field. He had surgery after the 2012 season to repair the torn labrum and clean up bone spurs in the right hip.
A 2004 second-round draft pick out of Boston College, Snee played in 138 of 139 games, including the postseason, from 2005-2012.
As he spoke, Snee became emotional, sometimes struggling for words, as he grappled with the reality that his body would no longer allow him to do what he always has been able to will himself to do.
“I’ve always been a guy that by Friday I could suit up to play, so I was kind of secretly hoping I’d wake up and things would feel different and I would respond to the treatment and the medicine, but it just didn’t happen,” Snee said. “It’s frustrating. It’s just a new situation for me. I’ve always been able to play through things, sometimes things that no one knew about and things I kept to myself, but I had to be honest with everyone because it really got to the point where I was doing no good.”
It is unclear whether the injury means Snee has played his last game for the Giants. He has contemplated retirement, but according to a source, Snee was feeling good enough heading into this season to plan on playing out the remainder of his contract, which runs through the 2014 season.
With the surgery requiring 6-8 months of recovery time, Snee would be ready for offseason activities prior to the 2014 season. Still coming to grips with being out for the season, the longtime Giants — who also is coach Tom Coughlin’s son-in-law — said he had not begun thinking about how the injury would impact his future.
“I’m just trying to get over the frustration of this, deal with surgery and deal with the rehab,” Snee said. “I’ll think about that later.”
Another veteran, David Diehl, will replace Snee at right guard on Sunday against the Eagles.
It will mark the Giants’ fourth different offensive-line combination in their first five games, while Diehl will be the third different right guard to play next to rookie tackle Justin Pugh.
“It’s obviously tough losing one of your leaders,” Pugh said. “[Snee] definitely helped me out a lot, but Diehl’s obviously been around a long time as well, so both of those guys have been very impactful for me.
“It’s all about communication. It’s a little bit different. Obviously everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. But if we go out there and communicate and play physical, I think we’ll be alright.”
Though Coughlin didn’t love that Diehl revealed his starting status on Thursday, the coach couldn’t get too upset, now having a familiar presence back on the struggling offensive line.
“His exuberance is outstanding,” Coughlin said. “He’s like a rookie, he really is. He runs around all over the place, yelling and screaming and talking to everybody. If he makes an error, he yells out, ‘That was me. I messed up.’ I appreciate the energy and the enthusiasm.”