Giants' Justin Tuck Bothered By Sore Achilles, But 'Definitely Not Hurt'
NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) -- No worries, Giants fans.
New York defensive end Justin Tuck missed the end of practice on Wednesday because of a sore Achilles tendon. The defensive captain did not leave the field after he stopped working out and he downplayed the injury in an interview with WFAN's Mike Francesa about an hour later.
"Definitely not hurt," Tuck told Francesa, who was broadcasting live from practice. "I just wanted to take a couple of plays off."
Listen: Justin Tuck with Mike Francesa
Tuck had 99 tackles and 11 1-2 sacks last season, sharing the team lead in the latter with fellow defensive end Osi Umenyiora. The six-year veteran also had five forced fumbles and five recoveries.
Backup Dave Tollefson worked with the first team with Tuck out.
The Giants also announced that backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels has been hospitalized at Hackensack University Medical Center with strep throat. He has not practiced this week.
Linebacker Michael Boley also is out with a sore back, while receiver Darius Reynaud is sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Placekicker Lawrence Tynes, who was injured in Saturday night's loss to Carolina in the preseason opener, also did not practice. Rhys Lloyd, the kickoff specialist who was signed Tuesday, handled the placekicking on Wednesday. He did not attempt a kickoff, but he hit all seven of his field-goal attempts, and probably will play on Monday against Chicago.
Lloyd has been in the NFL for four years, but has never attempted a field goal in a regular-season game. He has kicked in preseason. Lloyd is not sure whether his stay here will blossom into a kicking competition with Tynes.
"Lawrence and I are good friends," Lloyd said. "Like I said, I honestly don't know what my role here is, whether it's until the end of this week or whether it's the end of preseason or what. I'm literally here just to kick balls in practice and if he gets healthy and it turns into a competition, then that's the way it goes. But as of right now, I'm just kind of existing."
Lloyd spent a couple of seasons with the Panthers because of his ability to kick the ball out of the end zone on kickoffs. The Giants could use that because their coverage teams have not been good.
"I've kind of got the title of kickoff specialist," Lloyd said. "I don't know where that came from. I like to think of it as a driving range pro where I just take out a driver and just hit it as far as I can and it doesn't matter where it goes."
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