New York Giants' Hakeem Nicks out at least three weeks
The New York Giants (6-4) took yet another hit to their already decimated receiving corps. According to a report filed by ESPNNewYork.com today, the team stated that wide receiver Hakeem Nicks will be sidelined for about the next three weeks while receiving
treatment on his swollen lower right leg, the result of a recent hit.
Nicks sustained the injury this past Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, an important NFC East showdown that the Eagles went on to win 27-17. According to the report, the second-year receiver out of the University of North Carolina is being treated for
compartment syndrome, which occurs when swelling in the leg compresses blood vessels and nerves.
If not properly treated, compartment syndrome can cause damage to both the leg’s muscles and nerves. As such, Nicks visited the Hospital for Special Surgery on Monday afternoon to undergo a fasciotomy, the Giants said.
The news comes as a devastating blow to the team, who has been thoroughly depleted by injuries this season, especially at the receiver position. The squad has been without Steve Smith for the past two weeks, as the Pro Bowl receiver continues to nurse a partially
torn pectoral muscle. They also lost Ramses Barden for the remainder of the season just a week ago, after the back-up suffered a fractured ankle with accompanying ligament damage. The Giants are now down to just three wide receivers, and will likely have to
sign someone else this week to fill Nicks’ void.
However, Nicks will be the hardest Giant pass-catcher to replace, as his 62 receptions this season tie him for third most in the league. He has also amassed 800 receiving yards, and found the end zone nine times this year.
“When you got your top two receivers out, that is always a big blow,” Giants quarterback Eli Manning told the media. “But we learn how to fight through it. Other guys got to step up and we got to run the ball and get guys open. I got to play great football.”
Manning also insists that, despite the injuries, his team simply has to keep moving forward if they hope to make the play-offs. “Moaning doesn’t help,” he said. “You start complaining about it, it doesn’t fix anything. It just makes it worse.”
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