Giants safety Kenny Phillips proclaimed himself healed and ready to play last week, an assessment that didn’t do much to sway the team’s coaches or medical staff.
Phillips was left on the bench for the fifth straight game as a result of the sprained MCL he suffered in Week Four. You might think that a player in such robust physical condition would be a lock to play in Week 10 against the Bengals after a little more time to rest his knee, but you’d be wrong.
Tom Coughlin said Wednesday that Phillips will not play until after the Giants return from their bye in Week 12. Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reports that Coughlin also said that Phillips won’t practice at all this week. Phillips was able to practice recently, which raises the possibility that he has taken a wrong turn in his rehab. Coughlin insists there’s been no setback, though, and that Phillips just isn’t ready to get on the field in a game.
That means Stevie Brown will get at least one more start at safety for the Giants. He has played well since being thrust into the starting lineup when Phillips went down and was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week after the Giants beat the Cowboys in Dallas.