GIANT NOTES
The Giants’ injury-riddled secondary likely will face the defending champion Buccaneers Monday night without three of its top five players.
Starting safety Shaun Williams is on injured reserve, and starting cornerback Will Peterson and backup Ralph Brown also are both out for Monday night’s game. Corner Frank Walker, who made his first start last Sunday in Philadelphia, is slated to play opposite Will Allen.
“You don’t even think about that,” Allen said. “We lost a few of our soldiers, but I’ve got total confidence in the guys that have to step in. Hopefully we’ll be all right.”
Safety Johnnie Harris returned to practice after missing two games with a pulled hamstring and could fill Williams’ spot.
“We’re getting [Harris] back,” Jim Fassel said. “That hamstring is not 100 percent, but it’s close, so we’ll work Ryan Clark in that spot, and we’ll work Johnnie in that spot and we’ll see how the week goes.”
Fassel said if Clark doesn’t start at safety, he’d back up Harris and would not be used as the nickel back.
Fassel also back-tracked slightly off his Thursday statement that rookie Osi Umenyiora would start at defensive end for Kenny Holmes, who was put on IR this week. Yesterday the coach amended that, saying Keith Washington might start, but “for some competitive reasons I don’t want to lay it out.”
WR Tim Carter was under the weather yesterday and didn’t practice. WR Ike Hillard, who was sidelined by ankle and knee injuries, practiced for the first time in two weeks but wasn’t 100 percent.
* Owner Wellington Mara was on hand after practice yesterday and seemed to be in decent spirits despite the team’s 4-6 record.
“Whenever you lose a game on Sunday,you always know there’s next Sunday,” Mara said. “That’s the good part about it.”
When a reporter remarked that Fassel would face more pressure with his neck on the line, Mara said, “You’re the one that said his neck is on the line, I didn’t.”
Asked if Fassel’s job was on the line, Mara said, “You know better than to ask that, don’t you?”