Giants tight end Larry Donnell today expressed confidence the neck injury he suffered last Sunday in New Orleans will not sideline him for long.
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"I'll be back in no time," Donnell said. "I'm a country boy from Alabama, I'll be back soon."
But neither he nor coach Tom Coughlin know when. Coughlin, asked this morning about Donnell's outlook, said, "Week-to-week, I'm sure. Day-to-day, week-to-week, I don't know."
Donnell, who is fourth on the team with 29 receptions, must feel improvement in the neck before he returns to the field.
"I'm just taking it until I get motion back in it," he said. "We're just taking it day-by-day. So no timeframe, just whenever I'm able to get all my motion back in it.
"I can move it. It's just I want to be 100 percent when I'm dealing with my neck when I get back out there."
Donnell was injured when he was tackled after his only reception in the Giants' 52-49 loss in New Orleans, a 22-yarder.
"When I caught that ball against the Saints, I kind of fell on the side of my head a little bit," Donnell said. "Kind of just woke the spasms up, I'm guessing, that's how it happened. That's really the problem right now, just the muscle spasms. That's all it really is. If it wasn't that, I'd be able to go out there. It's difficult being in the neck."
With Donnell sidelined, rookie free agent Will Tye is currently the only tight end on the active roster.
*Wide receiver Rueben Randle missed practice because of his lingering hamstring soreness, but expects to play Sunday at Tampa Bay.
"It's a little sore still today," Randle said. "Usually gets a little better throughout the week. So just have to see how it goes. I've been pushing it out for these last three weeks, so I don't see why not play this week. (I) kind of re-aggravated it a little bit. Just trying to find a way to keep it manageable where I can play."
*Cornerback Prince Amukamara, who missed the last three games with a partially torn pectoral muscle, returned to practice today on a limited basis. Running back Orleans Darkwa (back) and linebacker Uani 'Unga (neck) were also limited.
*In addition to Donnell and Randle, six other Giants players did not practice today: linebackers Jon Beason (ankle/knee) and J.T. Thomas (ankle), wide receiver Victor Cruz (calf), guard Geoff Schwartz (ankle), defensive end Owa Odighizuwa (hamstring) and safety Craig Dahl (neck).
Coughlin reiterated this morning he still does not have a timetable for Cruz's return.
