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11:30

Ralph will be here at noon but you can begin asking questions now. Remember, your comments won't appear until they are selected by the moderator. Enjoy!

12:00

Hello again, everybody. Welcome to another Live Chat. I was going to start by giving you an update on the Giants' injury situation, but really, who has that kind of time? It would be easier to tell you who is healthy. I’m pretty sure that list is limited to Tom Coughlin and one of the PR interns. Everybody else, including me, is playing hurt right now. But the Jets are 3-0, the Yankees just clinched the A.L. East, and the Giants are playing the 0-3 Chiefs so it's really a good week for all of us to catch up on our rest. If anyone actually gets injured during the Live Chat, I'll of course let you know. Otherwise, let the interrogation begin ...

12:01

[Comment From Guest]
Ralph, what's the deal with the injuries? Now, we have Bradshaw on the list. Are the wounded close to returning?? And is there any blame on lack of conditioning with the groin, hamstring and calf pulls?? Additionally, when does Osi return from his injury...............

12:05

Hey, look! An injury question! How did I know that's how we'd start off. There are currently 11 players listed on the Giants injury report, and two others (Blackburn, Seubert) who should be on the list. Honestly, I'm not sure any of them will play this weekend. The coaches seem hopeful that Bradshaw, McKenzie, Seubert, Blackburn and Tuck will be OK. The others are in the vague "We'll see" category, as definied by Tom Coughlin. The injuries are so diverse it's hard to blame them on any one thing. There are currently four muscle injuries. I'm not sure it's "lack of conditioning". It could be due to the type of conditioning, but since everyone does the same thing and only four guys are hurt, I don't know if that would be fair. Believe me, for years I've tried to find a cause and see if there's any trend. There isn't. There's no similarities between arthritis of the knee and a torn labrum of the shoulder and a dislocated elbow and a calf pull. ... As for Osi, I assume you're kidding. He was pretty good in Tampa and pretty good on opening day against Washington. His only stinker was in Dallas. Not bad for a guy one year removed from knee surgery.

12:05

[Comment From JD]
So which of the Giants' injuries should I be most worried about?

12:09

Mine. I've been battling neck and shoulder injuries since before training camp began, and clearly there's no suitable replacement for me at the Daily News. We lack depth and if I can't go the paper is pretty screwed. I mean, who would give you the updated injury information every day? On the field, the two that would worry me the most, if I were you, are the ones to DT Chris Canty (calf) and CB Aaron Ross (hamstring). Ross obviously has barely been on the field since early August and the two times he tried to get back on the field he ended up making his injury worse. Canty has had one week of practice since August, and what started with a hamstring pull became a calf, which makes you wonder if there's something else going on with his leg.

12:10

[Comment From chris g.]
Ralph, what ever destroyed the Mets season is trying to do it to the Giants. Every Wednesday there is a new injury, what can the Giants do to improve that? I know it`s football but the Jets play in this town as well and I never hear them have injury`s like this. Its crazy and like last year it just might be some thing off the field that keeps the Giants from going where they should and thats Super Bowl 44! Thanks Ralph, keep up the great work.

12:14

Keep in mind the Giants have been relatively healthy the last couple of years. They've had a few injuries, but nothing as bad as this. They haven't changed trainers or medical staff or conditioning programs. Sometimes it's just bad luck. Everyone has injuries and it tends to be cyclical. No, the Jets haven't been hit this year, but there have been years where they've been hit pretty hard. As I said earlier, I can't find a common thread to these injuries. Some of them are contact and unavoidable. I mean, what could Justin Tuck do when he was tripped by Flozell Adams? Danny Ware couldn't avoid dislocating his elbow on the opening kickoff. Some of them are old injuries (like the ones to Bradshaw, Tuck, Seubert). It is crazy, but I can't tie them all together. And I've really tried.

12:14

[Comment From Steve]
With Bradshaw injuried and possibly questionable for Sunday... how many carries do you think Brandon Jacobs and Gatrell Johnson will get?

12:17

It's hard to say, but I don't think the Giants want to give Jacobs more than 20 carries, as a rule. His numbers go way down from his 21st carry on, and he hasn't exactly been performing like his old self lately. The coaches do seem to like Gartrell Johnson, but he's been here two weeks so let's not get crazy. They may have to increase Jacobs' role if Bradshaw can't go (Ware won't be ready). I'd be surprised if Johnson got more than 10 carries. I could be wrong, but I don't think he's ready for more just yet.

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