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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ --** David Wilson's prognosis and potential return remained murky today as the second-year running back prepares to travel to California to receive a second medical opinion on his injured neck.
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Wilson did not play in the Giants' loss last night in Chicago. He was injured late in the first quarter last Sunday vs. Philadelphia on a play in which he narrowly missed getting tackled in the end zone for a safety.
Although the Giants have not announced an official diagnosis, when a reporter mentioned the word "stenosis" to Wilson, he said, "That's what it is. That's what they think it is." Spinal stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal.
Tom Coughlin disagreed with the notion that Wilson's injury could be season-ending.
"That's not the way that it was presented to me," Coughlin said. "He is going for a second opinion, as you know. The thing that gave me some confidence is David had an occurrence of this in college. He talked to me exactly about how it came about. It wasn't a top of the crown type thing, or anything of that nature. It wasn't that type of an injury. It's a disc issue and they will determine the severity of it and whether or not over the course of a couple weeks, three weeks, four weeks, if that can become a better circumstance, then he would have a chance to come back and play. If it's determined that's not the case, we'll go from there."
Whatever it is, Wilson said he feels better than good.
"Perfect," he said. "Nothing. No pain, all motion, all strength, there's nothing wrong with me except the X-ray. They want to be cautious about it. That's the most frustrating part is feeling like I do, feeling healthy.
"Everything is ready with me. I feel perfectly fine but on the X-rays, one vertebra is closer to my spinal cord. That's a precaution thing. Of course, I feel like none of my spine is lined up perfectly, especially after years playing football. We've all got something here or there. They said they want to be cautious and check it out further."
The Giants next play on Monday night, Oct. 21, at home vs. Minnesota. Wilson can't speculate when he might return until his neck is examined again and another opinioned is rendered.
"Best case, I'll be back after the second opinion," he said. "That's what I'm hoping and praying for, because I feel perfectly fine. It really doesn't make sense to me right now. People say, 'Oh, but it's the neck.' But I feel like I'm fine. I'm willing to go out there and sacrifice and play with my team, this is what I love. That's my choice."
Depending on the diagnosis, it might not be his to make.
*Brandon Jacobs started for Wilson and rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.
"Brandon Jacobs did an outstanding job of rushing," Coughlin said.
*Six days after being acquired in a trade with the Carolina Panthers, Jon Beason started at middle linebacker, played the vast majority of the snaps and led the team with 12 tackles (11 solo).
"I haven't played that many snaps in a long time, so it felt good just to be out there in the first place," said Beason, who started the first two games of the season for Carolina, but played just one snap in his final game, against the Giants. "You try to make an impact on every play, obviously by doing your job first. I felt good, man. I'm a little sore, but that just means that I went to work.
"I feel like I moved around well. Mentally, I thought I was there in terms of the scheme and where I was supposed to be. I felt like I played hard and the plays that I was dreaming about, making this play or making this great interception, I was close but I didn't get it. But the fact that I knew it was coming, the anticipation was there, that's how you play the game. When you're a veteran player you sit and you know when you can make an impact or a splash play or a game-changing play. I had a chance and that's something that's going to eat at me but that's how I am. I want to be perfect."
Coughlin is clearly excited to have Beason on his side.
"He played hard, he played physical, he's going to help us," Coughlin said. "He's a good football player, obviously, very good against the run. He had a lot of tackles, was very much a force in the game in that respect. There's a lot to learn. Just in the subtleties in the way one team does certain things and the responsibilities involved, so Jon's going to get better and better at that."
*Coughlin said a miscommunication between Eli Manning and Rueben Randle resulted in the interception that Chicago's Tim Jennings returned 48 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.
"There was a play last night where they were not on the same page," Coughlin said. "One guy signaled one thing with his body language and the other guy didn't pick it up. That's kind of the way this has been with him (Randle). He's made some outstanding plays as he did the other night. … His language was a little bit indicative that he wasn't going to (go deeper) and then he did. By that time the quarterback had thrown the ball. Eli should have seen the corner. It would have helped him to go somewhere else whether Rueben was right or wrong. I'm sure he would tell you the same thing."
*Coughlin was displeased with Randle for slamming the ball to the ground after going down without getting tackled. The Bears claimed it should have been their ball, though they couldn't get the officials to agree.
"You have to be smarter than that," Coughlin said. "You have to understand that could have gone the other way. Here we are knocking on the door. He's a talented young man who is figuring this thing out. He brings a lot to the table, we just have to keep working with him and refining that talent."
*The Giants did not sack Jay Cutler last night and have only five sacks in six games, a number that mystifies Coughlin.
"We're going to take a hard look at that," Coughlin said. "Why is it that we are not getting home? What can be done? Perhaps we can tweak the system a little bit. Be creative in some respects trying to get some things that will help us. But by and large you got to beat the guy who is trying to block you and we're really not doing that with any degree of…we didn't cause Cutler any problems."
*Center David Baas, who has missed the last three games with a neck injury, is hoping to return to the field vs. the Vikings, but hasn't yet been cleared by the team's medical staff.
