Manningham didn't travel with the Giants to Philly. (AP)

Posted by Ryan Wilson

The Giants' already-bleak situation at wide receiver just got worse for Sunday's matchup with the division rival Eagles: Mario Manningham, who suffered a concussion in last Monday night's win over the Rams, has been ruled out.

Earlier in the week, wide receiver Domenik Hixon was placed on injured reserve after tearing his ACL in the Monday night game.

New York will go into Philadelphia to face arguably the best secondary in the league without their Nos. 2 and 3 wideouts. Eli Manning's go-to target, Hakeem Nicks, will play, and he'll be joined by some combination of second-year player Victor Cruz, veteran slot receiver Brandon Stokely, former Redskins draft bust Devin Thomas, and just-signed Michael Clayton.

There was some speculation in recent days that the Giants might be interested in Randy Moss. General manager Jerry Reese admitted that "we investigate everything" when asked about the possibility of signing Moss, he added, "(Moss) hasn't been in our building so it would be unfair to make an evaluation of him. We don't really know him. He's a terrific receiver as we've seen from his time in the league. Our offense is predicated on reads, which is hard for some guys to pick up. But it's not something that a veteran like him would have trouble with."

Discussions of Moss aside, this Giants' current group of receivers will have their hands full. They're going up against cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha (the Eagles' high-priced free-agent acquisition), Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (who came over in the trade that sent quarterback Kevin Kolb to Arizona) and Asante Samuel.

Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora and rookie cornerback and first-round pick Prince Amukamara also didn't make the trip to Philly.

In other concussion-related news, Eagles quarterback Michael Vick says he will be under center. "I feel great and ready to play," he said Friday. "Nothing feels different. I feel like I've worked myself back into good condition and playing shape and I'm ready to go."

Coming off a Monday night victory, the New York Giants prepare to take on NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. Join Jason Horowitz and NFL.com's Pat Kirwan as they preview this upcoming matchup.

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Posted by Will Brinson

If you value your personal health, here's some professional advice: don't play football for the New York Giants. Tom Coughlin's squad suffered another season-ending injury today, when they announced that wide receiver Domenik Hixon would miss the rest of the year with a torn ACL.

Hixon, you might recall, made an outstandingly awesome circus catch in the end zone to close out the first half. Unfortunately, that's when he tore his ACL as well -- Hixon limped off the field and didn't return from the half.

It's the second-straight year his season ends with a torn ACL.

The loss is tremendous for the Giants, who use him on special teams and, obviously at wideout. With Mario Manningham suffering a concussion and Hakeem Nicks still banged up, Eli Manning's receiving corps looks dangerously thin at the moment.

Veteran Brandon Stokely and second-year wideout Victor Cruz (who had a crucial drop on a third down against the Rams) will have to step up as injuries continue to mount for the Giants.

The timing of Hixon's injury couldn't be worse, either, as they're slated to go against division rival Philadelphia this week. Yes, the same Eagles team that currently employees Steve Smith, one-time leading wide receiver for the Giants.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

I know it’s the middle of training camp. I know it was a preseason exhibition that means absolutely nothing. But man, the Jets looked good. Man, the Jets looked like they could contend for a Super Bowl.

Ugh, I hate myself for writing something like that based on one measly preseason game in which the team I’m touting lost by 15 points. But the first-team offense, for the most part, looked very good – except when the Jets got to the red zone – and the defense, like last year, looked pretty nasty. They looked like a team that still could be playing in February.

If ….

If, that is, they get back Darrelle Revis. Because without Revis, New York might not be the Super Bowl team coach Rex Ryan thinks they can be. A virtual unknown WR named Victor Cruz made that pretty clear tonight during the Giants 31-16 win against the Jets.

Earlier today, we had three questions for each team entering tonight’s game. Let’s look at the answers (which are in bold.)

Jets

1) How will Kyle Wilson look? Without Darrelle Revis around, Wilson is sure to get looks with the first team. How he performs could affect the team’s negotiations with Revis. If Wilson looks completely competent, the Jets can afford (perhaps) to take their time with Revis. If he looks overmatched, maybe they’ll give Revis’ agent a quick phone call post-game. It wasn’t Wilson that looked overmatched. It was the rest of the secondary, minus Antonio Cromartie. We’ll get to him later, but Victor Cruz beat three different Jets CBs for touchdowns (Dwight Lowery, Drew Coleman and Marquice Cole). More than perhaps anybody else associated with these teams, Revis might have gained the most tonight. Except maybe for Cruz.

2) Can Mark Sanchez handle a more high-profile passing attack? Last year, Sanchez could allow his running game and his team’s defense to help him win games. This season, the Jets likely will allow him to test his arm a little more. We might get a few chances to see that tonight. Aside from the tipped INT on his first pass of the game – a throw into double coverage Sanchez shouldn’t have made – he was very impressive, completing 13 of 17 passes for 119 yards and a TD.

3) Does LaDainian Tomlinson still have it? This obviously won’t be answered tonight. But if Hard Knocks is any indication – and that’s debatable – Tomlinson still has speed and the ability to make the big play (even while catching it out of the backfield). I imagine he’ll get some playing time tonight to see how he performs in a game-like atmosphere. Tomlinson played the entire first half and showed some bursts of speed that were exactly what the Jets wanted to see. Shonn Greene is still the starter – no question about that after blowing away the Giants defense – but Tomlinson looks like he has some fuel left in the tank. The 16-yard TD that was called back because of a hold was pretty exciting for Jets fans to behold.

Giants

1) Will the Giants defense be better than last year? It’d be tough to have been worse. As Clark Judge so astutely points out in his Giants camp report , the squad allowed 427 points last season, the most since 1966. To say that’s embarrassing is an understatement. Let’s see how new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell’s men perform. Not all that impressively actually. Sanchez pretty much accomplished whatever he wanted, and Greene gashed them for mid-sized gains. Plus, the personnel confusion on Sanchez’s TD pass to Brad Smith was embarrassing.

2) How will the Giants’ new additions on defense help? New York get safety Kenny Phillips back and the Giants have added LB Keith Bulluck, first-round pick DE Jason Pierre-Paul and safeties Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant. How will they all mesh? The Giants have added some veterans, but does that mean all of these players still have the ability to dominate on defense? Phillips and Bulluck didn’t play. Rolle and Grant were pretty good early. Pierre-Paul was, at times, dominated by Jets OT Damien Woody, but he managed to elude Woody with his speed late in the second quarter and sack Sanchez. Less than a minute later, though, Pierre-Paul was whistled for offsides.

3) How much will the Giants miss Domenik Hixon on returns? Last year, he averaged 15.1 yards on punt returns and performed relatively well on kickoffs. But he tore his ACL early in training camp, and it sounds like RB Danny Ware will handle kickoffs and CB Aaron Ross will take punts. Yet, Ware only has returned two kicks in his career, and Ross hasn’t done it at all (though he seemed pretty decent at it his final two years at Texas) The loss of Hixon could be a pretty big deal. Let’s talk about special teams as a whole here. P Matt Dodge was fairly horrendous, line-driving his punts and having another one blocked. Three of Andre Brown’s kick returns didn’t extend past the 22-yard line. Ross did nothing of note while fielding two punts.

-A few other observations: Eli Manning said the mix-up between him and Brandon Jacobs was the quarterback’s fault. In case you missed it, the two collided on what was supposed to be a handoff, Jets LB Calvin Pace then blind-sided Manning and popped off his helmet and Manning’s forehead smacked into Jim Leonhard’s helmet, opening a three-inch gash on his forehead that needed 12 stitches to close. Said Manning in quotes distributed by the team: “I feel fine. I feel normal. Sometimes you make a mistake and get hit in the head."

-Cruz was a joy to watch. He made a one-handed catch on a 64-yard TD pass, and he was the most remarkable subplot of the evening. He’s battling with Sinorice Moss for the sixth WR spot. Moss didn’t play because of a groin injury. Moss, in the next three games, should make sure he finds a way to get on the field.

-The Giants first-team offense recorded five yards in the first quarter. Don’t forget that.

-Kellen Clemens replaced Sanchez to start the second half. Wait a minute, I thought Mark Brunell was the backup QB.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

Only one game on the preseason docket tonight, but it should be an interesting one. New York Jets vs. New York Giants in the new stadium the two squads share. HBO’s Hard Knocks cameras will be there. So will Rex Ryan and his never-ending string of F-bombs. So will the Giants, who have claimed they have no idea what Hard Knocks is.

I’m sure the fans in attendance will be on their best behavior, and since they’ll want to study up on tonight’s most important storylines while eschewing any type of alcoholic beverage that could impinge on their abilities to break down the game, here are three pressing questions for each team.

Jets

1) How will Kyle Wilson look? Without Darrelle Revis around, Wilson is sure to get looks with the first team. How he performs could affect the team’s negotiations with Revis. If Wilson looks completely competent, the Jets can afford (perhaps) to take their time with Revis. If he looks overmatched, maybe they’ll give Revis’ agent a quick phone call post-game.

2) Can Mark Sanchez handle a more high-profile passing attack? Last year, Sanchez could allow his running game and his team’s defense to help him win games. This season, the Jets likely will allow him to test his arm a little more. We might get a few chances to see that tonight.

3) Does LaDainian Tomlinson still have it? This obviously won’t be answered tonight. But if Hard Knocks is any indication – and that’s debatable – Tomlinson still has speed and the ability to make the big play (even while catching it out of the backfield). I imagine he’ll get some playing time tonight to see how he performs in a game-like atmosphere.

Giants

1) Will the Giants defense be better than last year? It’d be tough to have been worse. As Clark Judge so astutely points out in his Giants camp report , the squad allowed 427 points last season, the most since 1966. To say that’s embarrassing is an understatement. Let’s see how new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell’s men perform.

2) How will the Giants’ new additions on defense help? New York get safety Kenny Phillips back and the Giants have added LB Keith Bulluck, first-round pick DE Jason Pierre-Paul and safeties Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant. How will they all mesh? The Giants have added some veterans, but does that mean all of these players still have the ability to dominate on defense?

3) How much will the Giants miss Domenik Hixon on returns? Last year, he averaged 15.1 yards on punt returns and performed relatively well on kickoffs. But he tore his ACL early in training camp, and it sounds like RB Danny Ware will handle kickoffs and CB Aaron Ross will take punts. Yet, Ware only has returned two kicks in his career, and Ross hasn’t done it at all (though he seemed pretty decent at it his final two years at Texas) The loss of Hixon could be a pretty big deal.

And if you didn’t think this preseason game was huge enough, consider the following: this will be the first contest where officials will experiment with starting and stopping the game clock themselves from the field.

From USA Today :

Four officials will wear a smartphone-sized pack by which they can control the pace of the game clock with the press of a button. The officials will work in concert with the game clock operator in the booth, and the system will activate whenever the first official hits the button.

The goal is to be more accurate and reduce lag time between when a play ends or when the ball is set and when the game clock officially starts.

If all goes well, the league could consider adding the system in 2011.


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The Giants on Thursday waived injured WR/KR Domenik Hixon, a move necessary if they want to place him on the injured reserve list.

Hixon, you’ll recall, tore his ACL when his foot got caught in the turf during the Giants first practice at the New Meadowlands Stadium last month.

From the New York Daily News :

In waiving Hixon, the Giants made the fifth-year player available for any team to claim his rights. He is still expected to wind up on injured reserve with the Giants, but he was immediately replaced on the 80-man roster by former Falcons receiver Adam Jennings, a sixth-round pick in the 2006 draft. The 5-9 Jennings has made a career of playing special teams. The Giants had previously brought in former Bengal Chris Davis as a potential replacement for Hixon, but he failed his physical.

New York really will feel Hixon’s loss in the kickoff return game. Last season, Hixon averaged 22.6 yards per return, and he had the sixth-highest return total in the NFL.

--Josh Katzowitz

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In their quest to replace WR/PR Domenik Hixon – who’s out for the year with a torn ACL – the Giants received WR Chris Davis today off waivers, a day after the Bengals released him.

As the Newark Star Ledger’s Mike Garafolo writes, “Giants general manager Jerry Reese admitted during minicamp he was more concerned about the team's punt returns than kick returns after the loss of Hixon to a torn knee ligament. Davis will join a group of potential punt returners that includes Aaron Ross, Sinorice Moss, Mario Manningham and rookie Chad Jones.”

During his rookie year with Tennessee in 2007, Davis returned 31 punts for a 9.5 yard average. The Titans released him before the 2009 season, following a preseason injury and a DUI arrest, and the Bengals signed him in March before cutting him Tuesday.

--Josh Katzowitz

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It sounds like New York Giants GM Jerry Reese and S Antrel Rolle disagree on what caused WR Domenik Hixon’s ACL injury Tuesday.

Reese said it had nothing to do with the new FieldTurf surface at New Meadowlands Stadium. Rolle said the turf is exactly what caused the injury.

"I was right there when it happened and I saw it right away," Rolle told ESPN New York’s Ohm Youngmisuk on Thursday. "And I was like, 'Damn, it don't look good.' He didn't make a cut or anything. It just got caught in the turf."

Reese, however, said the injury could have occurred on any surface, and although coach Tom Coughlin originally said he thought Hixon’s foot got caught, he later recanted that story after watching film of the practice.

Giants players told reporters that the turf felt slippery, and Rolle said it felt like his feet were burning and that “it just didn’t feel good to me at all.”

Youngmisuk also spoke to a FieldTurf representative. From the story:

Chip Namias, a spokesman for FieldTurf, said it typically takes a few weeks for the surface to settle in and he was told the team did not believe the field was responsible for Hixon's injury. "With all due and sincere respect to Antrel Rolle, who is a wonderful player, he is simply not medically trained or qualified to make such a statement," Namias said on Thursday. "The people who run NFL teams are ultra conscientious, and there's a very good reason why 21 of the 32 member clubs use FieldTurf."

It seems unlikely that the turf would be replaced, but if so, it’d have to be a joint decision between the Jets and the Giants.


--Josh Katzowitz

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It turns out the injury to Giants WR Domenik Hixon’s right knee will keep him out all of next season.

Hixon’s cleat stuck in the turf during practice at New Meadowlands Stadium on Tuesday, and though the initial indication was that he had hyperextended his right knee, that diagnosis was changed today to a torn ACL.

Hixon, the team's top kick returner, should have surgery in the next few weeks.

UPDATE (3:19 p.m.): Here's the NY Daily News story on Hixon

--Josh Katzowitz

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