Giants' Will Beatty sidelined by back issue
Published: Monday, June 04, 2012, 5:29 PM
By Mike Garafolo/The Star-Ledger
The Giants held a brief organized team activities session today – the final OTA open to the media – that included only individual drills, team walk-throughs and 7-on-7 passing drills. In other words, at no point did the offensive and defensive lines face one another.
Still,
there was a notable absence once again in left tackle Will Beatty, who was not on the field for the workout. Beatty is dealing with an undisclosed back issue.
“That’s kind of slowed him down. He’s improving every day,” coach Tom Coughlin said. “I don’t know that he will make the minicamp (next week), but he’s making good progress.”
Beatty missed the final month-plus of the regular season and all of the postseason with a detached retina. Now, it’s his back, which flared up in the week before the game against the Eagles last November (the game in which he injured his eye).
Coughlin was asked if the back problem is going to be an ongoing issue for Beatty.
“I hope not, but it’s always a concern,” Coughlin said. “Anybody that has had a bad back realizes that if you get yourself in trouble it’s very difficult to get out of trouble in a short amount of time. It’s painful. But he he’s worked well at it. He’s in every meeting and I’m encouraged by that. He’s not uncomfortable sitting in his meeting room chair, so he’s making good progress.”
In the meantime,
James Brewer has worked as the first-string left tackle, though Brewer said he’s also taken reps at right tackle.
* * * *
Today’s dose of bad injury news came early when
S Tyler Sash appeared to strain his hamstring in the first portion of practice.
Sash, a sixth-round pick last year who played in all 20 of the team’s games as a rookie and was a key contributor on special teams in the playoffs, was limping very badly both on his way off the field and in the locker room a bit later. The way he was moving, it was pretty clear he won’t be doing anything for the rest of the spring. We’ll see if this issue lingers into training camp.
* * * *
As I said, it was a brief practice with no team drills, so we can really only highlight a few things that happened during 7-on-7s. But first, a rundown of the injury situation:
--
DT Shaun Rogers was not on the field. Coughlin said he’s been dealing with an elbow issue. Rogers has been participating in meetings.
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CBs Corey Webster (undisclosed), Terrell Thomas (knee) and Prince Amukamara (foot) all sat out 7-on-7s, as they have for all of the OTAs. Coughlin said Amukamara has only been cleared to do individual drills. “I was hoping, having him cleared to do individual, and a couple of other guys, we might be outside on the grass,” Coughlin said. “But we were in here (in the indoor facility) because of the weather.”
--Obviously,
WR Hakeem Nicks (foot) and TEs Travis Beckum (knee) and Jake Ballard (knee) were not on hand. Also, DT Chris Canty (knee) remains out.
--Others limited at least a little bit:
DE Justin Tuck (shoulder), S Kenny Phillips (knee), RB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot), TE Martellus Bennett (hamstring) WR Dan DePalma (hip) and CB Antwaun Molden (hamstring).
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DT Markus Kuhn is sitting out because apparently he doesn’t have a work visa. 
Jorge Castillo will have more on that for you on Tuesday.