Football New York Giants Getting Healthy At Right Time Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith are likely to return this week against the Minnesota Vikings. Shaun O’Hara should return in the near future as well. There is no better time to get fully healthy than right now. by Staff Post December 10, 2010 Growing up as a young athlete, our coaches always said the phrase, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” While that is not always true, I do know the meaning of the phrase. Sure, a start that is bad enough can be damaging enough. However, in most cases, a strong finish can take a team or player very far. It’s about finishing that driving layup strong. Finishing the season on a long winning streak and carrying the momentum into the playoffs. When the game or season is on the line, which team will finish the strongest? The New York Giants are in position to finish the regular season strong. Players are starting to get healthy and return to action. As early as this week, Tom Coughlin could see some of his players back on the field and participating in a game. Wide receivers Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith, whom are extremely important to the Giants balanced offense, could both play this Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. That would be a welcome addition to a Giants offense that has had to rely on the run game and short passing the past few weeks. Nicks and Smith could bring a return to the deep passing attack from quarterback Eli Manning. It will also help the Giants return to the balanced game plan they showed at the start of the 2010 season. Half of the stitches were removed from the leg of Nicks on Wednesday and he will have his final examination of the week on Saturday. If all checks out ok, expect Nicks to play on Sunday, a week earlier than anticipated. Smith, recovering from a pectoral injury is also “on track” to return according to Coughlin. Other players dealing with injuries – Osi Umenyiora, Brian Jackson, and Shaun O’Hara – were limited but did return to practice. Ahmad Bradshaw and kick returner Will Blackmon practiced in full. The only Giants player unable to practice was offensive lineman Shawn Andrews who is dealing with a back injury. Health will play a big role in how the Giants finish the season. Currently, New York sits in a tie atop the NFC East with the Philadelphia Eagles. Each team has four games remaining, including one next week against each other. Inlcuding this weeks games, the Giants have Minnesota, Philadelphia, Green Bay, and Washington left on the schedule. The Eagles play Dallas twice, Minnesota, and the Giants. “It’s how you finish.” The way the Giants finish the season will go a long way in showing whether or not this is a team that can challenge for a Super Bowl berth. Being healthy is the first step, now they need results on the field. It starts this Sunday in Minnesota. Post Views: 1,318 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Staff Post Latest posts by Staff Post (see all) In The Zone Announces Initial Podcast Lineup - November 13, 2020 The Essential Resources You Need to Start Your Own Gym in 2020 - February 6, 2020 Wilder vs Fury II – How the second fight will be different to the first? - February 5, 2020 Early turnovers, defensive struggles plague the Scarlet Knights - January 26, 2020 Related TopicsAhmad BradshawFootballHakeem NicksNew York GiantsOsi UmenyioraPhiladelphia EaglesShaun O'HaraShawn AndrewsSteve Smith 2 Comments You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 19, 2021 Michael Jordan Could Change the Future of Nascar for the Better by Inesh Chari | posted on March 30, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 106: Newsday’s Neil Best (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 12, 2021 More in Football You Know I’m Right, Episode 112: New York Jets’ Insider Brian Costello (Audio/Video) On the 112th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 111: New York Giants’ Insider John Schmeelk (Audio/Video) On the 111th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 107: New York Post’s Columnist Mike Vaccaro (Audio/Video) On the 107th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... Tea Time with Mel and Jay Ep. 8: Review of Netflix’s “7 Yards” Tea Time with Mel and Jay is a podcast where Melody and Jackie review... Double G Sports Staff NFL Challenge – Week 14 Picks Eli Manning and Giants Looking to Break Slump Versus Minnesota