The Giants dodged a serious injury bullet with safety Kenny Phillips, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be on the field any time soon.
Phillips came out of the 19-17 loss to the Eagles with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
Coach Tom Coughlin yesterday said Phillips is “week to week’’ with the injury but of course that is not the case. A sprained MCL takes at least three or four weeks to heal, putting Phillips on the shelf for Sunday’s game against the Browns and very likely several more games after that.
Right tackle David Diehl has a sprained MCL and has already missed two games. Diehl might be ready to return this week to some aspects of practice but comparing him to Phillips is not very significant. “Different positions,’’ Coughlin said.
“Naturally, he’s upset about it,’’ Antrel Rolle said of Phillips. “It’s still unfortunate but we’ve got to keep his spirits high and let him know everything is going to be OK, we’re going to hold it down until he gets back. We know it’s going to be a big loss for our defense.’’
Stevie Brown, a three-year veteran in his first year with the Giants, replaced Phillips against the Eagles and it looks as if he will be promoted into a full-time starting role. Brown has previously played for the Raiders and Colts but has only one NFL start.
* Coughlin gave no indication that WR Hakeem Nicks, who has missed the last two games, will be ready to return this weekend. Nicks is coming off a sore right foot and last week his left knee swelled up. Asked how concerned he is about Nicks, Coughlin said “How much concern can I show you?’’ Asked if the knee has improved, Coughlin said “Not that I know of.’’
* Did you notice some poor shotgun snaps from center David Baas, including one in the fourth quarter that dribbled back to Eli Manning? Coughlin said Baas finished the game with a very swollen right hand.
* Antrel Rolle, questionable going into the game with a sore left knee, did not miss a snap. “I played the game and that’s really all that matters,’’ Rolle said. “You go out there and you play or you don’t.’’
* Eagles RB LeSean McCoy gained 121 of his 123 rushing yards in the second half, mostly on cut-backs. “Kind of at times I feel it was, if you ever watched little league soccer, where the ball goes and everyone runs, that’s kind of how it was at times where everyone was chasing the ball,’’ middle linebacker Chase Blackburn said. … The four-game suspension for safety Tyler Sash is at an end and the Giants have until Saturday to decide if they want to put him back on the active roster, in which case they will have to cut a player. Sash said he worked out in Iowa and that “it was the longest four weeks of his life.’’