Kenny Phillips out for year, maybe longer
The New York Giants lost safety Kenny Phillips for the season after placing him on injured reserve (IR) today, per Ralph Vacchiano of the NY Daily News.
"I really feel for Kenny because he had worked so hard during the offseason to prepare himself for the '09 season," Giants GM Jerry Reese said, according to Vacchiano. "He had a great camp and was just beginning to come into his own and showed flashes of being one of the premier safeties in the NFL. We expect him to recover from this setback and come back stronger than ever. This league is about making adjustments and we will do that."
The Giants claimed Aaron Rouse off waivers from Green Bay, who drafted Rouse in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft.
Both C.C. Brown and Michael Johnson were the only other active safeties on the Giants' roster and Brown will take over Phillips' spot in the starting lineup.
Phillips, the Giants first-round pick in 2008, is leading the team in tackles (13) and sacks (2).
With patellofemoral arthritis, Phillips could end up having microfracture surgery and Bob Glauber of Newsday lists some operative approaches to treat his situation (via Sinai Hospital's website).
Per Dr. Michael Kaplan (via Glauber), "It doesn't bode well for a football player to have this. It’s very unusual, and he may have had a traumatic injury where he got smashed in the kneecap. If it's severe enough to require microfracture surgery, it's a worrisome circumstance. It's not an overnight get-well situation, and the results are somewhat less predictable than ligament or cartilage tears."
In addition to losing Phillips for the year (or more), the Giants have been without cornerbacks Aaron Ross and Kevin Dockery for the first two games this season with hamstring injuries.
