EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)—The New York Giants say weakside linebacker
Michael Boley’s(notes) hamstring injury will force him to miss his second straight
game.

Boley is one of four players who won’t make the trip to New Orleans for
Monday night’s game against the Saints. He pulled his hamstring against the San
Francisco 49ers on Nov. 13 and sat out last week’s loss to Philadelphia.

The Giants said Sunday that offensive tackle William Beatty, who had surgery
Thursday to repair a detached retina in his right eye, will also miss the game
along with running back Ahmad Bradshaw(notes) (foot) and defensive back Derrick Martin(notes)
(hamstring).

Read More: new york giants injury report, Michael Boley (LB – NYG), D.J. Ware (RB – NYG), Derrick Martin (S – NYG), Kareem McKenzie (OT – NYG), Justin Tuck (DE – NYG), Osi Umenyiora (DE – NYG), Ahmad Bradshaw (RB – NYG), Turk McBride (DE – NOS), Mario Manningham (WR – NYG), Will Beatty (OT – NYG), Patrick Robinson (CB – NOS), Cameron Jordan (DE – NOS), New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, New York Giants at New Orleans Saints, Nov 28, 2011 8:30 PM EST

The 6-4 New York Giants will travel to New Orleans on Monday night as they look to keep pace with the first place Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East with a win against the 7-3 New Orleans Saints. The Giants are once again banged up – as they have been all season long.

Here is Saturday’s complete Giants-New Orleans Saints injury report:

New York Giants

T Will Beatty, Eye/Back…Out

LB Michael Boley, Hamstring…Doubtful

RB Ahmad Bradshaw, Foot…Out

WR Mario Manningham, Knee…Questionable

WR Michael Clayton, Knee…Questionable

DB Derrick Martin, Hamstring…Out

T Kareem McKenzie, Toe…Probable

DE Justin Tuck, Ankle/Shoulder…Probable

DE Osi Umenyiora, Knee…Probable

RB D.J. Ware, Concussion…Probable

New Orleans Saints

DE Turk McBride … Ankle … Out

LB Jon Vilma … Knee … Questionable

DE Cameron Jordan … Hand … Probable

CB Patrick Robinson … Stomach … Probable

– For the latest Giants news, follow the comprehensive Giants vs. Saints 2011 StoryStream on SB Nation New York and visit our Giants blog Big Blue View.

New York Giants Coach Tom Coughlin insisted Wednesday his team will be fine at running back, even though backup D.J. Ware left the Eagles game last Sunday with a concussion. His status for the game against the New Orleans Saints on Monday night is still unclear, Coughlin conceded.

Nevertheless, Coughlin was optimistic Ware would be cleared to play. He also expressed hope that Ahmad Bradshaw, the Giants best running back in 2011, would also be ready to go. Bradshaw has been hampered and occassionally sidelined this season with a stress fracture in his foot.

With Bradshaw and Ware both out against Philadelphia, Brandon Jacobs was forced to shoulder the load of the Giants running attack – long the team’s staple on offense. But New York managed only 29 yards on the ground, a figure Coughlin labeled, “pathetic,” after the 17-10 loss.

Read More: Ahmad Bradshaw (RB – NYG), Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants

New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw has been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Bradshaw, who cracked a bone in his foot during a Week 8 win against the Miami Dolphins, will miss his third straight game. He said Thursday that he will play next week against New Orleans, but coach Tom Coughlin said doctors have not yet cleared Bradshaw.

“I’m hoping. We’re all hoping,” Coughlin said. “We need to get him out there. He needs to do some things on the practice field. I know the medical people are not quite ready to turn him loose. When they do that, let’s hope he can go out on the practice field for a limited amount of plays and be able to the next day come back out and do the same thing. Then we’ll know he can go into a game and play and hopefully come out of the game (healthy).”    

Linebacker Michael Boley is doubtful for the Eagles game. Cornerback Prince Amukamara and defensive end Justin Tuck are questionable. Tackle Will Beatty, wide receivers Jerrel Jernigan and Mario Manningham, cornerback Aaron Ross and defensive end Osi Umenyiora are all probable.

– See Bleeding Green Nation and SB Nation Philly for more about the Eagles. See Big Blue View for more about the Giants.

Read More: Michael Boley (LB – NYG), Ahmad Bradshaw (RB – NYG), Will Beatty (OT – NYG), Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants

Linebacker Michael Boley and running back Ahmad Bradshaw both missed practice Thursday, and coach Tom Coughlin said they are considered “day-to-day” for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Starting offensive tackle Will Beatty also missed the session with a bothersome back. Coughlin said Beatty’s back is a recurring problem that affects him “from time to time”, but the coach hopes Beatty will return to practice tomorrow.

“Beatty’s back was bothering him so we decided to get him off his feet so that we didn’t have any issue with that going forward,” said Coughlin.

Bradshaw said he would “definitely give it a go” next weekend against the New Orleans Saints, but wasn’t sure he would play against the Eagles on Sunday.

“I’m getting better every day,” Bradshaw said. “We’re gonna take it day by day. I have a broken bone, so it takes a while to heal.”

“I probably could [test it] now,” Bradshaw said. “But I want to rest it as much as I can. Maybe there’s a chance I can get out there this week, and maybe not.”

“I feel good myself. I’m surprised how much progress [I've made]. Time will tell,” Bradshaw said. “I’ll be fine.”

– For more Giants coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Big Blue View.

Sometimes simple is simply better. Take the I formation, created primarily for power, up-the-gut running plays used when a short gain is needed to keep a drive alive. The New York Giants, in their final possession vs. the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on Sunday, could have made use of said formation.

Trailing 27-20 inside the 2-minute warning in the fourth quarter, New York was on San Francisco’s 10-yard line following Eli Manning’s(notes) 8-yard pass to Victor Cruz(notes). On second and 2, the Giants opted for a passing play—but it resulted in an incomplete pass to Mario Manningham(notes). On third down, the Giants, operating out of the shotgun formation, attempted a running play, but D.J. Ware(notes), who received a delayed handoff from Manning, got tackled for no gain.

This is where trickery and deception severely backfires if you’re an offensive coordinator, or in this particular case Kevin Gilbride. The Giants offensive coordinator is probably wondering why he opted for a running play featuring a delayed handoff when all that delay accomplished was allow San Francisco’s defense more time to crowd the backfield. He’s probably asking himself why he didn’t just resort to using a simpler formation (guess which), where a running back like Brandon Jacobs(notes)—even if he hasn’t been as effective as he once was—could fall forward for 2 yards, which is all New York needed.

Shoehorned into a fourth-and-short situation, New York’s hopes died instantly when Manning’s pass attempt was batted down at the line of scrimmage by 49ers defensive end Justin Smith(notes) with 34 seconds remaining.

Game over, and now the Giants have to go back to the proverbial drawing board as it concerns their running game. And when they get there, to make the most out of Jacobs—which is necessary more than ever with RB Ahmad Bradshaw(notes) (foot) out—Gilbride should consider adopting a north-south running approach.

It couldn’t do worse than delayed handoffs.

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The New York Giants still have 14 players left from their Super Bowl title season of 2007, and their powerful home crowd makes for a mighty home-field advantage in the biting cold of January playoffs.

On the heels of Sunday’s impressive victory in New England that marked the first loss by the Patriots with Tom Brady at quarterback in 31 regular-season home games, the NFC East-leading Giants (6-2) look to entrench their playoff position when they travel to NFC West-leading San Francisco (7-1) on Sunday.

“It’ll take superior preparation and a superior game — high energy, physical game — for us to travel out there and win,” Giants Coach Tom Coughlin said.

The 49ers also won on the road Sunday, traveling to the Eastern time zone for the fourth time and defeating the Washington Redskins, 19-11 — not as impressive as the Giants’ triumph, but solid nonetheless.

Running back Frank Gore rushed for 107 yards to extend his string of 100-plus games to five. Coach Jim Harbaugh said he marvels at the small crevices Gore is able to wedge through.

The 49ers’ run defense allowed no such cracks, stuffing the Redskins to just 52 yards on the ground. San Francisco leads the NFL in rushing defense, and hasn’t given up a rushing touchdown.

Harbaugh, in fact, is taking on a slightly arrogant tone. When asked whether the team that started 0-5 last year is exceeding his expectations, the coach said, “We would’ve liked to be 8-0.”

Barring a stunning collapse, the 49ers will cruise to the NFC West title, but if they want a playoff-round bye, a victory against the Giants is a valuable marker to have in the bank with Baltimore and Pittsburgh still on the schedule.

The Giants are hoping to get injured receiver Hakeem Nicks (hamstring) and running back Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) back for the 49ers game.

Coach Tom Coughlin also wants to set aside questions about his team’s ability to win in the second half of seasons after struggling to do so in recent years.

Building the confidence to eradicate that reputation has been the Giants’ knack for rallies — at Arizona on Oct. 2, late field goal to beat Buffalo on Oct. 16, and back-to-back fourth-quarter comebacks engineered by quarterback Eli Manning (2,377 yards, 15 touchdowns) the last two weeks against the Dolphins and Patriots.

“We’ve talked about finishing since day one,” Coughlin told reporters Monday. “We talk about it every Saturday night. That’s the point. Do we talk about anything that has to do with the past? No. We talk about this now being an eight-game schedule and the next game is the most important game of the year.”

Pittsburgh (6-3) at Cincinnati (6-2)

Stinging from a brutal, late division loss to Baltimore, the Steelers venture to the unexpected AFC North leader, which rallied on the road last week to beat Tennessee.

New Orleans (6-3) at Atlanta (5-3)

The Saints are only 1-3 on the road, and that victory was a field-goal margin over Carolina, so this battle for the NFC South lead against improving Michael Turner, Matt Ryan and Co. is intriguing.

New England (5-3) at New York Jets (5-3)

This Sunday night game for the AFC East lead — the other leader, Buffalo, plays at Dallas earlier in the day — finds the Patriots mired in a two-game losing slump and the Jets coming off a show of manhood by winning at the excited Bills.

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Read More: David Baas (C – NYG), Ahmad Bradshaw (RB – NYG), Hakeem Nicks (WR – NYG), Prince Amukamara (CB – NYG), New York Giants

New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw, wide receiver Hakeem Nicks and center David Baas will meet with the team’s trainers Tuesday to judge their progress and set a rehabilitation path, coach Tom Coughlin said during a Monday conference call with reporters.

“They’re improving,” Coughlin said today on a conference call with reporters. “Again it’s going to end up being how they feel tomorrow and to what extent they can do some things tomorrow, Tuesday, with the trainers.”

Bradshaw missed New York’s comeback 24-20 victory against the New England Patriots with a stress fracture in his right foot. Nicks missed the game due to a hamstring injury suffered during Week 8, and Baas missed it to nurse a knee injury.

“We’re hopeful,” Coughlin said. “We have encouraging signs coming out of the training room but I wouldn’t go so far as to say what can be expected.”

Coughlin said the team will do whatever the doctors recommend in regards to Bradshaw. The running back’s availability could depend on his ability to control the soreness.

Cornerback Prince Amukamara traveled with the team for the first time this weekend, but the first-round pick was still listed as inactive.

“There has to be in everyone’s opinion the proof, how he’s performed on the practice field before we can simply just say he’s ready to go,” Coughlin said. “He gets better each week and everyone is thinking the time is approaching. There’s still some things I think that have to be cleared up on the practice field. When that happens we will welcome him.”    

– For more Giants coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Big Blue View. 

If the New York Giants are going to beat the New England Patriots, they are going to have to do it without some of their best offensive players. Ahmad Bradshaw(notes), Hakeem Nicks(notes), and David Baas(notes) will all miss the contest on November 6. All three players are critical to New York’s offensive success. The Giants can probably survive the loss of one or two of those players but missing all three is going to be hard to overcome. The Giants are entering the most difficult part of their schedule. Without these key players, maintaining their lead in the NFC East won’t be easy.

Of the three injuries, the loss of Bradshaw could be the toughest. He has emerged as New York’s leading rusher over Brandon Jacobs(notes). However, he broke a bone in his right foot against the Miami Dolphins on October 30. Bradshaw did return to the game but the injury was later found to be worse than initially thought. With a broken bone in his foot, Bradshaw could wind up missing a few weeks of action. Without him, Jacobs needs to carry the running load. He has not gotten a lot of carries this season. If New York can’t sustain success in the running game, it will impact the passing game in a negative way.

The Nicks injury is also significant. He is arguably the biggest receiving threat. Eli Manning(notes) has had strong numbers over the last few weeks in large part because of the way Nicks has played. However, a hamstring injury suffered against the Dolphins could well keep Nicks out of action for a few weeks. The Giants do have receiving depth with the rise of Victor Cruz(notes). However, the combination of Bradshaw and Nicks being out means the Giants will have two of their best skill position players on the sidelines.

The loss of Baas, the center for New York, is also significant. However, the Giants do have some depth and should be okay at that position. Still, you never like to see injuries on the offensive line. Baas’s knee injury is serious but shouldn’t keep him out long. The Giants will evaluate him in the week after the New England game. As the Giants prepare for a brutal stretch that could make or break their season, the loss of these players could prove to be the difference if they linger longer than expected.

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Read More: Ahmad Bradshaw (RB – NYG), Jason Pierre-Paul (DE – NYG), New York Giants

New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin spoke to the media Friday, confirming that running back Ahmad Bradshaw would not undergo surgery after cracking a bone in his foot. 

Bradshaw missed Friday’s practice and is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s meeting with the New England Patriots. He is joined on the injury report by a host of other important contributors.

Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is questionable for Sunday amid concerns that he might have a concussion. Pierre-Paul underwent concussion tests after a practice collision resulted in a headache, and missed Friday’s practice.

Hakeem Nicks (hamstring) also missed Friday’s practice, riding the bike instead. He is listed as questionable for Sunday, as is fullback Henry Hynoski (neck). 

First-round draft choice Prince Amukamara (questionable) will travel with the team this weekend and could see his first game action of the season. He has missed the first eight weeks of the season with a broken foot suffered in August.

Center David Baas (knee) is listed as doubtful.

– For more Giants coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Big Blue View.