Photo credit: Getty Images | Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Seahawks at Qwest Field in Seattle . (Nov. 7, 2010)
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It's not as if the Giants fell apart without Hakeem Nicks or Ahmad Bradshaw last week against the Patriots. But they'd like to have both of them back for Sunday's game against the 49ers in San Francisco.
Nicks still is on target to return, but Bradshaw was officially declared out Friday, as expected. In this case, one out of two isn't bad.
"If [Nicks] can go, he is an extremely talented guy that we can put on the field," coach Tom Coughlin said. "The more we have, the more difficult it will be in terms of what they want to do in coverage. Just like we talk about the defensive linemen, this is the same situation. The more players we have available to help us, especially a guy like Nicks who is an exceptional player, the better off we will be."
Nicks, who missed the Giants ' 24-20 win at New England with a right hamstring injury suffered the previous week against Miami, participated in about 50 percent of practice Friday. It was his second day of work this week and could be enough to get him on the field Sunday.
"I came through today pretty good," he said. "I went out there and practiced on it and it felt pretty good, so we will see. I got to test it a little bit. I got to run downfield a little bit. It still felt pretty good, so we will see what happens. I am being smart about it. I am not running crazy, but at the same time, I am testing it to see where I am at. It has been going good."
Nicks, who is listed as questionable, has 38 catches for 575 yards and three touchdowns. While Victor Cruz , Mario Manningham and Ramses Barden performed well against New England, the Giants would love to have Nicks back as another weapon to counteract the 49ers. San Francisco has the NFL 's top-ranked run defense but is only 22nd against the pass.
"You have to play smart football," Eli Manning said. "They are really talented on defense. Their front seven is really good and you don't see a whole lot of teams running against them. They get good pressure on the quarterback just bringing four guys a lot of times. They don't turn the ball over on offense and they get turnovers on defense. They don't give up many big plays, so it is a matter of being consistent and getting in good third-down situations and trying to convert there."
As for Bradshaw, he will miss his second game in a row with a stress fracture in his right foot. Coughlin seemed to open the door slightly on Bradshaw earlier in the week but decided to give him another week.
That means Brandon Jacobs will start again; Jacobs ran for 72 yards and a touchdown last week on 18 carries. D.J. Ware had 23 yards on seven carries and rookie Da'Rel Scott picked up 5 yards and a first down on his first career carry. Coughlin seems intrigued by the seventh-round pick from Maryland .
"With the injury to Bradshaw, we have had the opportunity to work him," he said. "That has been a good thing. If he gets some opportunities, I think he has had a couple good weeks in practice."
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