Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
Defensive end Justin Tuck and defensive tackle Chris Canty were among a few key New York Giants to recently undergo surgery.
Head coach Tom Coughlin revealed that Tuck had surgery on his shoulder to repair scar tissue and that Canty had surgery on his knee. Defensive tackle Linval Joseph also had surgery on his ankle as well.
Tight ends Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum both underwent surgery earlier this week to repair their torn ACLs on Feb. 21.
Coughlin said he guesses there is a seven-month minimum recovery for the two tight ends, who likely could start the season on the physically unable to perform list.
Coughlin made it sound as if Tuck, Canty and Joseph will be ready for the upcoming season. But Coughlin said their procedures are still a concern because they took place this month.
“They are always a concern because look at the date,” Coughlin said at his NFL Scouting Combine press conference. “Hopefully we can get them back fast. Linval should be OK. It is a matter of some bone chips or something like that.”
Coughlin said that Tuck feels better than he did before the surgery.
“I think it was just scar tissue,” he said of the procedure. “No labrum.”
As for Canty, Coughlin didn’t offer much detail as to what kind of surgery the defensive tackle had. When asked if it was major, Coughlin replied, “Anytime you have surgery, it is major.”
But when asked if he had any reason to believe that Canty won’t be ready for the season opener, Coughlin replied, “As I stand here, no.”
Tuck battled through injuries since the preseason, starting with what was described as a stinger. He missed four games early in the season and had to deal with neck, groin, toe and shoulder injuries. Tuck still finished the season strong with 5.5 sacks in his last six games.
Canty played in every game this season but did play banged up toward the end of the season. Joseph also played in every game this season in his first year as a starter.
Coughlin has several Giants on the mend. Left tackle David Diehl had surgery on a finger on his left hand but says he will be ready for the season. Besides being down two tight ends and having three players on his defensive line recovering from surgery, Coughlin also has two key defensive members recovering from ACL surgeries from last year in cornerback Terrell Thomas and middle linebacker Jonathan Goff.
Coughlin said the two unrestricted free agents have enough time to be ready for the season if they return. And Coughlin hopes to have both back.
“All you can do is you have a plan,” he said. “And the plan certainly does include those two guys that you just mentioned. How soon or whatever, that remains to be seen.”
“You’re coming off that kind of injury, you have to be very very careful in how you lead up to your really hard work and your full speed work,” Coughlin added. “But I think in the case of these two guys, they were injured early. To watch them walk around you think, ‘No issues.’ But we know that’s not necessarily the case. But they do have enough time to be ready.”
Running back Ahmad Bradshaw, who played with a fracture in his foot in the final nine games of the season, is expected to not need any offseason surgery according to Coughlin.
WRITTEN BY Ohm Youngmisuk covers the Giants for ESPNNewYork.com & FULL STORY HERE
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