New York Giants Shaun Rogers has been diagnosed with a blood clot in his left thigh and is out for the season. It was the worst of a day of bad news for the Super Bowl-champion’s defensive line.
Coach Tom Coughlin announced Tuesday that Rogers’ treatment for the blood clot would prevent him from playing. His calf swelled after the Giants’ preseason opener against Jacksonville, but fellow tackle Linval Joseph said Rogers also was leg whipped in practice last week.
Meanwhile, some teammates are blaming a bad mattress at training camp in Albany for Marvin Austin’s back issues. The team’s No. 2 draft pick in 2011, Austin’s his back acted up Monday night.
Additionally, Coughlin said free agent Marvin Parker needs surgery to repair a herniated disc that he injured the game Friday.
”I thought we were as deep (at defensive tackle) as we were at any position on the team,” Coughlin said, ”and it’s not that way right now.”
The Giants would get a boost if veteran starter Chris Canty returns. He had offseason knee surgery, though, and his rehabilitation has taken longer than expected.
Joseph, who started at tackle last season with Canty, is back, and so is veteran Rocky Bernard, who missed a couple of workouts last week with a sore knee.
First-year pro Dwayne Hendricks, who played one game last season and spent parts of three years on New York’s practice squad, played well Friday, recording two sacks. Seventh-round draft pick Markus Kuhn is raw, but he is strong and has shown flashes.
Coughlin was more concerned Tuesday about Rogers, who was signed as a free agent. He lost 50 pounds before reporting to camp and he was expected to add size to the middle of the line for the Giants (No. 3 in the AP Pro32).
”It’s just a shame. I hate to see (it),” Coughlin said. ”Obviously, it’s your health first, and there isn’t any question about that. The only way, I guess, they can control these things are with these drugs, these blood-thinning drugs. Once you do that, obviously you’re done. I mean, you can’t take a chance on some kind of bleeding that is undetected.
”So, it’s just a sad thing.”
