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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)—Coming off one of their best defensive efforts,
the New York Giants seemingly are getting another piece back for their NFC East
showdown with the Dallas Cowboys.

Two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora practiced on a limited basis
Wednesday after being sidelined for the month with a high ankle sprain and
continuing problems with his knee.

Expect him on the field Sunday night when the Giants (8-7) face the Cowboys
(8-7) for the division title and a first-round home game against either Atlanta
or Detroit.

“Hey, this is it,” backup defensive end Dave Tollefson said. “Win, you’re
in. Lose, you go home. So you might as well pull all the stops and get
everybody rolling,”

Umenyiora hurt the ankle—the team has not said which one—in a loss in
New Orleans on Nov. 28. He has missed the last four games and many wondered
whether he would be back on the field this season.

However, the nine-year veteran looked nimble running with the defensive
linemen early in practice.

“He’s tested everything, lots of times,” coach Tom Coughlin said. “That’s
what he’s been doing. He’s been working his tail off. He just hasn’t been able
to get right.”

Umenyiora did not immediately return an email from The Associated Press
seeking comment. He usually talks to reporters on Fridays.

The Giants have not been hurt by Umenyiora’s absence because second-year pro
and recent Pro Bowl selection Jason Pierre-Paul has been outstanding starting
for him at right end, twice winning NFC defensive player of the week honors.

However, Umenyiora’s addition also comes at a time when fellow two-time Pro
Bowl defensive end Justin Tuck is playing his best football after a season
marked by neck, groin and toe injuries.

With Umenyiora, Pierre-Paul, Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka, the Giants will
finally have all the part of the third-down pass quartet they envisioned using
all season. And some depth.

Pierre-Paul was forced to play more than 100 plays in the Giants’ 29-14 win
over the rival Jets at MetLife Stadium.

“That rest will help me a lot and it will get me going,” said Pierre-Paul,
who was selected the NFC defensive player of the week on Wednesday for the
second time in three weeks. “I was playing like 80 snaps a game and that is a
lot. You don’t really think about it, you just have to go.”

Pierre-Paul also won the honor in the Giants 37-34 win over Dallas on Dec.
11. He had eight tackles, two sacks, one of which resulted in a safety, a forced
fumble that led to a field goal and blocked Dan Bailey’s tying field goal
attempt on the final play of the game.

If the Giants do have everybody back that could make things a little tougher
for Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who intends to play this weekend despite
suffering a bruised right hand in 20-7 loss to Philadelphia this past weekend.

“I think that Osi is a good player, so anytime they get another pass rusher
it presents more of a challenge,” Romo said in a conference call with New York
media. “We have to prepare for that. I think that group up front is an
outstanding group and they have three or four guys that you really have to
account for. It is going to be a great challenge for our guys up front and for
me to see different things and you just have to know that going into the week.
We will be prepared for it.”

The Giants’ defense, which ranks 28th in the league, played an outstanding
game against the Jets, particularly after yielding a touchdown on the opening
drive. It forced three turnovers and held the Jets to 4 of 21 on third-down
conversions. The only Jets touchdown in the second half came on an 11-yard drive
after an Eli Manning pass was intercepted.

Safety Antrel Rolle said the Giants are willing to pay the price to make the
playoffs for the first time since 2008. Nicked players are practicing and the
tempo has picked up.

Having Umenyiora back on the field is just another example of that.

“All on deck. We’re all fighting,” Rolle said. “We’re all trying to get
better. It means everything to have Osi out there. I know he’s probably not 100
percent, but he’s fighting. He’s fighting. He’s fighting for himself. He’s
fighting for this team. He’s fighting for what we have at stake.”

Tackle Chris Canty said having Umenyiora and his seven sacks back just gives
the defense another talented player.

“It would be pretty impeccable timing, to get everyone healthy and
running,” Tollefson said.

NOTES: WR Hakeem Nicks did not practice because of a recurring hamstring
injury. He said he would play Sunday. …WR Mario Manningham, who missed the
Jets game with a nagging season-long knee injury, worked on a limited basis.
…TE Jake Ballard, who sprained a knee against Washington on Dec. 18 and did
not play last week, did some running and light cutting away from the team. He
did practice. ….Coughlin, who injured his left leg on Saturday when slammed
into by running back D.J. Ware, got a message from Saints coach Sean Payton, who
broke his left leg when tight end Jimmy Graham slammed into him on Oct. 16 in a
game at Tampa, Fla. “You look like you’re a better athlete than me, you didn’t
go down,” Coughlin said Payton told him.

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The New York Giants are in the midst of a losing streak and still have plenty of tough games left. The Giants face the Green Bay Packers on December 4. They also have a couple of games against the Dallas Cowboys, the team currently sitting one game in front of them in the NFC East standings. At 6-5, the Giants don’t have a lot of room for error if they want to reach the playoffs and save Tom Coughlin’s job. Unfortunately, the Giants will have to try and win games without Osi Umenyiora(notes) again. The defensive end is slated to miss at least two weeks with a sprained ankle.

Umenyiora went down early during the 49-24 loss his team suffered against the New Orleans Saints. He did not return in the second half. There is a possibility that Umenyiora could miss up to a month because of the bad sprain. However, the hope is that he can return to the field on December 18 when the Giants face the Washington Redskins. By then, the season could be lost for New York. Umenyiora has already missed three games this season. He didn’t play the first three games because of a knee issue. These injuries are unrelated and that is good for his long term prognosis. But any time a player has multiple injuries in a season, a team and its fans have to be concerned.

Despite missing three starts, Umenyiora has had a pretty solid season. He has seven sacks and has helped the defensive line perform at a pretty decent level for much of the season. However, his loss could be damaging for the Giants. New York still has Jason Peirre-Paul, a sack machine that has thrived while filling in for several players on the defensive line. However, the loss of Umenyiora severely drains the depth on the defense. The Giants are coming off of one of the worst defensive performance in recent memory. Without Umenyiora, it is hard to imagine things looking better against the Green Bay Packers.

New York is fortunate to be 6-5 considering all of the injuries. Key players on both sides of the ball have really hurt the Giants. That has been evident during this three game slide. The Giants are in the midst of the toughest part of their schedule. This isn’t the ideal time to lose a player like Umenyiora.

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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.

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“Hello, Osi. Fancy meeting you here.”

OK, so the exchange Sunday between Philadelphia running back LeSean McCoy and New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora probably won’t be that cordial. The two have quite a history.

McCoy, who rushed for a combined 174 yards in 24 carries in two games against the Giants last season, tweeted in June that Umenyiora, who was in a contract dispute at the time, was “Overrated n soft 3rd best d-line on his team honestly.”

In an interview with the Newark Star-Ledger, Umenyiora referred to McCoy as “Lady Gaga” and questioned his manhood.

“I mean, he’s a girl, man. Who does stuff like that?” Umenyiora told the newspaper. “If he has more of these things to say, he can say ‘em to my face. Don’t be no Twitter gangster man.”

When the teams met in Week 3, a game the Giants came back to win, 29-16, McCoy had 128 yards in 24 carries and scored a touchdown. Umenyiora was inactive because of a knee injury.

This week, Umenyiora said McCoy’s summer putdown was “unforgivable,” considering the contract situation in which the Giants star was embroiled.

“Whenever you see a man in a contract dispute, a fellow NFL player, you don’t take that opportunity to take your shots at him,” said Umenyiora, who has seven sacks. “You wait until you’re about to play him. Then you take your shots. We’ve had our problems. I’ve moved past it. I just have to focus on winning right now.

“He said some things he shouldn’t have said. He made a mistake there. At the end of the day, there’s no extra motivation. I know for a fact that we have to win this game to get to where we need to go.”

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By ROB MAADDI
PHILADELPHIA — Maybe the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants should settle their differences in a steel cage.

The two NFC East rivals simply don’t like each other, and they’ve been going at it verbally like WWE stars. Because battle royals aren’t allowed in the NFL, the teams will have to fight it out on the field Sunday in Philadelphia’s home opener.

“It’s a lot of intensity, a lot of trash-talking and a lot of guys on the field that just hate each other,” Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel said. “They just want to beat each other’s head in. It’s very competitive and has a long line of history behind it. It’s an ongoing rivalry that has a lot to it.”

While the labor lockout kept players off the practice field during the summer, Eagles running back LeSean McCoy and Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora were busy taking shots at each other on Twitter.

McCoy said Umenyiora was “overrated” and “soft” and ranked the two-time Pro Bowl pick as third best on New York’s defensive line. Umenyiora retaliated by calling McCoy a “girl” and referred to him as Lady Gaga.

“I hate him, he hates me, period,” Umenyiora told the Newark Star-Ledger in June. “There’s a real hatred toward Philly and there’s a real hatred for them toward us.”

Umenyiora may not get a chance to tackle McCoy this week because he’s still listed as day to day after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee early in training camp.

His absence won’t decrease the animosity between the teams. Both clubs enter with a 1-1 record. The Eagles have won the last six meetings, including an incredible 38-31 comeback victory last December at the Meadowlands that helped them secure the NFC East title.

Michael Vick rallied Philadelphia from a 21-point deficit with 8:17 left, and the Eagles won it on DeSean Jackson’s 65-yard punt return for a touchdown on the last play.

“It is what it is,” Giants safety Antrel Rolle said. “It took place last year. It’s not something that we might ever forget, but at the same time, it’s a new year.”

Rolle joined in on the trash-talking earlier in the week when he said in a radio interview he wants to cover Jackson one-on-one because he’s done it before and “could handle it again.”

Jackson had nothing to say about Rolle’s boast, but wide receiver Jeremy Maclin took a jab at him and the rest of the Giants.

“A lot of times when people talk, they’re either insecure or they’re scared, so you guys choose,” Maclin said. “It’s a new year. We understand that we have to go out there and play. On the other hand, they have no business talking because they haven’t done anything in the last six times. That speaks for itself. I don’t know what he’s trying to do, but he’s not going to intimidate, not going to scare nobody in this locker room.”

The Eagles are hoping Vick plays after suffering a concussion in the second half of a 35-31 loss at Atlanta. Vick practiced Thursday, and it appeared he would be ready to go unless he had a setback.

Of course, the Giants said they expect to face Vick instead of backups Mike Kafka and Vince Young. Coach Tom Coughlin said he didn’t even plan to prepare for a different quarterback.

“He’s the best player to give them an opportunity to play their best ball,” Rolle said. “I’m the type of guy, I like going against the best. If I don’t go against the best, a win’s a win, we’ll always take a win, but it’s always better when they have their better guys on the field.”

Other than Vick, the Eagles have been mostly healthy. The Giants, on the other hand, have been hit hard by injuries.

They just lost receiver Domenik Hixon for the rest of the season after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the 28-16 win over St. Louis. Wideout Mario Manningham sustained a concussion in that game, and his status is uncertain.

New York already lost starting cornerback Terrell Thomas and starting middle linebacker Jonathan Goff for the season with major knee injuries. Rookie defensive tackle Marvin Austin, the team’s second-round draft pick, is also out for the year with a chest muscle problem.

“You keep going,” quarterback Eli Manning said. “You keep preparing. If everything was easy and went perfectly, it kind of takes some of the fun out of it. It always makes it a great opportunity for some guys to step up and show what they’re made of and how they can go out there and make plays.”

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NEW YORK (Reuters) – Disgruntled New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora hit the practice field Monday for the first time this abbreviated preseason, still unhappy over his contract but ready to join his team mates on the gridiron.

Umenyiora, a two-time Pro Bowl player, has been in training camp since last month but spent most of his time on a stationary bike, declining to take the practice field because he felt the team reneged on a promise to rework the contract paying him $7.1 million over the next two years.

The 29-year-old Umenyiora did not address reporters following Monday’s practice, but his coach and team mates were happy to see the pass-rushing defensive end back on the field.

“It was spirited and I thought the practice was very good,” coach Tom Coughlin told reporters. “He jumped right in there and tries to beat the ball like he normally does. It was good to see.

“He was very competitive.”

Coughlin said it was possible Umenyiora, who also has had concerns over a knee injury, might see some playing time in their preseason game Monday against the Chicago Bears and that he hoped the episode was behind them.

“I hope so and that’s all I am going on,” said Coughlin. “He is here and he wants to work. He wants to be a part of the team and we certainly want him to be.”

Umenyiora worked out with the first-team defense, splitting snaps at right end with young Jason Pierre-Paul, last year’s first-round draft pick who had two sacks and three tackles in a 20-10 preseason loss against the Carolina Panthers.

Fellow defensive lineman Justin Tuck said having Umenyiora back made the Giants better.

“Having the quality defensive ends we have, all of us make each other better,” said defensive captain Tuck.

“With him on the football field on Sundays, it makes it very difficult (for opponents to block). You’ve kind of got to pick and choose. Then you throw JPP (Pierre-Paul) in the mix, it really gives us a lot of freedom to do a lot of different things. So yeah, we definitely make each other better.”

Giants quarterback Eli Manning said getting past an internal controversy could only help.

“It is always good to have all your guys and everybody is practicing and back,” said Manning. “If you can eliminate distractions, that is always a positive.”

(Writing by Larry Fine, Editing by Rex Gowar)

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)—The New York Giants might be welcoming more
than Osi Umenyiora(notes) to training camp on Monday. They could be getting a new
kicker, too.

Lawrence Tynes(notes) bruised his right thigh in Saturday night’s preseason loss to
the Carolina Panthers, and coach Tom Coughlin said Sunday that the veteran
kicker will be spending a lot of time with the team’s medical personnel this
week.

“I’m not going to predict how long he’ll be out,” Coughlin said. “He’ll be a
fulltime participant in the training room. That’s for sure.”

Tom Coughlin will be retained as head coach of the Giants after a 10-6 season.
(Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

Coughlin was not sure whether the Giants would sign a kicker this week but
it seems unlikely that Tynes will be able to play a week from Monday against
Chicago. He was on crutches after the game, the result of being run into on a
blocked second-half field goal.

“We have one solid option if we decide not to do that, but if we decide
(that) then it will be relatively early in the week, obviously,” said Coughlin,
who indicated he didn’t want to burden punter Matt Dodge(notes) with kickoff duties
because the second-year player is competing with Steve Weatherofrd for a job.

The update on Tynes came a little more than an hour before Umenyiora told
The Associated Press that he will return to work on Monday despite not getting a
new contract.

Umenyiora said the Giants offered to put incentives in his deal, which will
pay him $7.1 million over the next two seasons, but he rejected them.

“No deal has been reworked,” Umenyiora told the AP. “What has been offered
has been unacceptable and shows they don’t really respect the fact I sacrifice
my health for the franchise. I will play under my current deal because I love
and respect my coaches, my teammates, the fans, and myself. Not for those
incentives.”

The nine-year NFL veteran hasn’t practiced since reporting to training camp
on July 30, a day late. He failed to report on time because he alleged that
general manager Jerry Reese told him after last season that the team would
rework his contract.

The 29-year-old Umenyiora shared the team lead with 11.5 sacks last season
and he had a league-high 10 forced fumbles.

The return of Umenyiora comes two days after second-year pro Jason
Pierre-Paul(notes) recorded two sacks and played well filling in at right end for
Umenyiora.

“JPP obviously played well,” Coughlin said. “He was a force with two sacks
and he missed another one. He made some tackles and was a force against a good
left tackle, so I was pleased with the way he played.”

For the most part, Coughlin was disappointed in the Giants’ play,
particularly on offense. The unit failed to register a touchdown, and Tynes
missed three field goals. One was blocked and another just missed from 56 yards.

While the defense played well, it gave up a couple of big plays and there
were way too many missed tackles on defense and special teams.

Coughlin said the team lacked a sense of urgency in its preseason opener.
Linebacker Michael Boley(notes) gave New York a 7-0 lead with an interception return,
but didn’t build on it.

“You’re up 7-0, why can’t it be 14-0?” Coughlin said. “Why isn’t it 10-0.
The ability to recognize and capitalize on the circumstance as it presents
itself to you. That’s more of what I’m talking about. There was energy. There
was effort. There is a ton of people playing in their first professional game.
You don’t think they were excited and a lot of times they don’t really know how
to express themselves or even express it in a team way. That’s what I’m after.”

With no games until Monday, Coughlin believes this week will be an important
time for the team to focus, communicate and to start executing.

Coughlin feels new center David Baas(notes) is going to be good once he gets
settled. He said that Will Beatty(notes) played well at left tackle, and that
second-year defensive tackle Linval Joseph(notes) can be a force in the middle. He was
impressed by Domenik Hixon’s(notes) first game in more than a year since a major knee
injury.

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