READY TO GO: The Giants may need Osi Umenyiora and the rest of the defense to step up and do even more if youngster Jason Pierre-Paul is unable to play in tomorrow’s game against the Patriots. (New York Post)
There is now another injury of significance for these Giants, this one an alarming problem with Jason Pierre-Paul. The standout defensive end might have a concussion, and he becomes the latest key Giants player to suffer an injury since training camp.
Pierre-Paul also becomes the third key Giants defensive lineman to get hurt this season, following Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora.
But healthy and confident defensive lineman Chris Canty doesn’t seem too worried about the possibility of going to battle without Pierre-Paul. He believes the defensive line is ready for anything.
“Adversity is nothing new for our defensive line. It just is what it is. We’re faced with challenges — we step up to the challenge. We don’t make any excuses,” Canty said. “Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us, especially Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on Sunday. We’ve got to go out there and perform at a high level.”
The Giants are not making excuses, at least not publicly. Big Blue is 5-2, which is an impressive record considering the number of injured players the team has had this season. The Giants will enter Foxborough tomorrow to face Brady’s high-powered Patriots, and whether Pierre-Paul is there or not, Umenyiora said the Giants will plug someone in and try to move toward their third straight victory.
“Obviously [Pierre-Paul would] be a big loss, he’s a big part of our team,” Umenyiora said. “But we’re just going to have to keep on rolling. Next man up.”
There have had to be plenty of next men up for the battered Giants. To this point, the Giants have been without cornerbacks Terrell Thomas and Prince Amukamara, linebacker Jonathan Goff and wide receiver Ramses Barden. They also lost receiver Domenik Hixon for the season after making a circus catch in the end zone against the Rams in Week 2, while Tuck, Umenyiora, guard Chris Snee, running back Brandon Jacobs and center David Baas have missed parts of the season.
The Giants are almost certainly going to be without Baas, running back Ahmad Bradshaw and wideout Hakeem Nicks tomorrow.
Pierre-Paul’s injury happened Thursday in practice, though the team initially did not think it was significant.
“He got hit in the head when he was making a play. The two helmets hit together and I didn’t think much of it, and then all of a sudden he was off to the side. He didn’t feel good and they shut him right down,” Coughlin said. “He had a headache, so we put him through all the tests for a possible concussion and we will see how that goes.”
Officially listed as questionable, Pierre-Paul probably will be a game-time decision, Coughlin said. If he cannot play, it will be a crippling shot to the Giants’ pass rush — Pierre-Paul leads the team and is fifth in the NFL with 8 1/2 sacks. Considering the Giants will want to attack Brady, Pierre-Paul’s absence would be a setback.
“Huge,” safety Deon Grant said. “But the good thing about it, we’ve still got those dogs up front.”
If Pierre-Paul is out, the Giants might also need Tuck — who returned last week after missing three games — to play additional snaps.
“I’m a gamer,” Tuck said.
“The next person has to come in and step up if [Pierre-Paul’s] not going to be available,” Canty said. “We have to get the job done with the guys that we have available.”