Giants' Kenny Phillips to start on PUP list

July, 29, 2010 Jul 296:19PM E
2 By Matt Mosley

I'm sure this won't catch you by surprise, but Giants safety Kenny Phillips will begin training camp (Sunday) on the physically unable-to-perform list (PUP). Ohm Youngmisuk from ESPNNewYork.com had a chance to chat with coach Tom Coughlin on Thursday and here's what he said regarding Phillips:


Phillips"We are just doing that ... our medical staff can properly assess exactly where he is and what type of restrictions, if any, have to be placed," said Coughlin, who spoke with beat writers individually on Thursday. "The only idea behind this is to, again, make sure we do go slow and we do use the utmost precaution getting started because we don't want a setback and we want to move him along gradually."

Phillips was hoping to be able to practice at least once-a-day early in training camp, but it sounds like the Giants will err on the side of caution. It's been 10 months since Phillips underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee, so this is going to be a slow process. General manager Jerry Reese signed Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant in free agency. The Giants certainly have high hopes for Phillips, but they're not going to be held hostage at his position again this season.

"First I want to get him on practice field without any limitations and I'm hoping that that will happen within the first couple of weeks," Coughlin told Youngmisuk. "I'm sure it will be one-a-day restriction once he does start practicing. We want to make sure that we build this whole thing up and our doctors and medical staff, which has worked with him tirelessly through the entire process, has a chance to see again exactly where he is and what needs to be done."

In other news, Coughlin indicated that Osi Umenyiora would be limited to one-a-day sessions in order to manage his hip injury. The player has elected to wait until the offseason to have surgery on a hip that was first injured in '06.