 |
| Nicks will miss 12 weeks with a broken foot. (Getty Images) |
Things aren't off to a great start for the Super Bowl-champion Giants in their quest to repeat, as the team announced that wide receiver Hakeem Nicks fractured his right foot and will miss "approximately 12 weeks" as a result.
Nicks, who fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot on Thursday while running a route during OTAs, is scheduled to have surgery in Charlotte, NC, on Friday. (The surgery is being done by Dr. Robert Anderson, a foot specialist who's also the Panthers team doctor.)
The Giants will report to training camp in Albany on July 26, and obviously Nicks won't be working out at their camp, unless he's way ahead of schedule.
Last year, Nicks completed his second-straight 1,000 yard season, posting career highs yardage (1,192) and yards per reception (15.7). He also caught 76 balls and scored seven touchdowns in just 15 starts. And Nicks was a freaking beast in the playoffs, catching 28 passes for 444 yards and four touchdowns in four games.
There's a legit concern as to whether or not Nicks will return before the season begins: 12 weeks from today is the middle of August and predicting his recovery time is pointless until Nicks actually undergoes surgery.
Here's the good news, though: the Giants just drafted Rueben Randle out of LSU with their second-round pick, and man are they looking lucky today that he fell that far to them. (They reportedly considered taking him with their first-round pick too.) The Giants also have Victor Cruz, who will have heightened expectations this season, and Eli Manning's secretly made a career out of developing lesser-known wide receivers.
But if Nicks suffers any setbacks in his recovery, it's going to be a big problem for the Giants as they set out to defend their title.
