At QB, the Giants Have Bruises, Bandages and Bomar

Wall Street Journal—August 19, 2010

Super Bowl-winning franchise quarterback Manning and six-year veteran No. 2 quarterback Jim Sorgi were hurt in Monday's 31-16 preseason opening win over the Jets, Mr. Manning gruesomely. First run into by tailback Brandon Jacobs, he lost his helmet on a blindside wallop from Jets linebacker Calvin Pace and then smashed into safety Jim Leonhard's facemask. The hit opened a three-inch gash on his head, gushing so much blood that Giants chairman John Mara said it put his heart "not in a good place."

With his characteristic cool, Mr. Manning admitted that the blood initially worried him a little only because "if it's on your head you don't know how deep it is or how big the cut is." But he said it wasn't even his worst cut, that when he was 3 or 4 years old, he cut his head in virtually the same spot. And then he joked that his wife's biggest worry is "over the scar I'll have."

Mr. Manning could show such levity because he said he has no pain and no other injuries. He ran through a battery of tests at Hospital for Special Surgery Tuesday and another concussion test Wednesday morning on the SUNY-Albany campus. The only thing keeping him from playing, he said, is giving the stitches enough time to do their work. "I physically feel fine," he said. "I know what's going on. I'm all there. So it's just a matter of getting the helmet on."

A member of the Giants equipment staff said a helmet with extra padding could indeed be fashioned, but Mr. Manning said the medical staff is "just playing it safe right now."

Mr. Sorgi's sidelining may be just as precautionary. He was leveled on what ended up being his second touchdown pass to undrafted rookie sensation Victor Cruz, and came out of the game with soreness in his ribs and throwing shoulder. While Mr. Manning, in shorts and a baseball cap, did lob a few passes in receiver drills, Mr. Sorgi couldn't even do that.

"You hope it's nothing worse or more severe than (soreness)," Mr. Sorgi said before Wednesday's practice. "I don't think anybody thinks it is. But I'm not a doctor, so you have to see the doctors and let them check you out."

Giants team physician Dr. Russell Warren of Hospital for Special Surgery was scheduled to examine both players Wednesday night on campus, Mr. Coughlin said. The coach said Mr. Manning may be given clearance to do some throwing wearing a hat instead of a helmet, but he was less optimistic about having Mr. Sorgi back.

Read the full story at WSJ.com.