Prince Amukamara is king of hop

Prince Amukamara is hopping to return to the field next week.

No, that's not a typo.

The second-year cornerback is literally bouncing on one foot in an effort to rehab his high ankle sprain and get back in a secondary that is dwindling because of injuries.

"It feels a lot better," he said of the injury, which turns two weeks old Friday. "I've been hopping on it a little bit. You know, when you have an injury, you try to hop on it just to do stuff to see if you can do stuff. You can [do more] today than you could the other day. That's how I know I'm progressing."

The Giants weren't overly concerned about losing Amukamara for the opener because they had Michael Coe, a veteran cornerback who some players noted had one of the strongest training camps of anyone in the secondary. And for about three quarters of Wednesday night's game against the Cowboys, it did seem the confidence in Coe was warranted.

Then Coe left the game with a hamstring injury and his replacement, Justin Tryon, was beaten on some key plays in the Giants' 24-17 loss. That turned up the heat on Amukamara's projected return for Week 2 against the Bucs Sept. 16.

"Of course the natural feeling is to feel that sense of urgency, that sense of pressure [to return]," he said. "But I'm just worried about the things that I can control. That's just my rehab. I can't control the time it takes to heal, so I'm just focusing on what I can control."

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Amukamara has gone from the perceived weak link in the defense to its perceived savior. He may be last year's first-round pick, but he's never started a regular-season game and has rarely played more than a complementary role in a game plan. Yet with all of the injuries at the position, he's the guy on which the Giants are pinning their hopes.

Tom Coughlin left open the possibility of adding depth to the roster, but there is a chance that Amukamara and Coe could be playing next weekend. Coe said he came out of the game with tightness in the hamstring and fear that he would not be able to "really turn it over" in coverage. Although he broke up a play in the end zone on his last snap Wednesday, he said he would have intercepted it had he been able to run.

"I'm feeling pretty good," Coe said. "I'll see really after these next couple of days how it is, but I actually feel real good and I'm still able to move around, so that's encouraging for me."

Amukamara has been targeting Week 2 for his return since shortly after he suffered his injury in the Aug. 24 preseason game, and although he has yet to run on the sore ankle, he still seems to be on that track.

"That's my plan," he said. "I just have to take it day by day to see how it feels."

Coughlin lamented the injuries at the position. "You've got to be able to take the field and play this game," he said. "Somehow, some way, people stay out there. And we're in a position where we need all the help we can get out there."

In other words: Hey, Prince, hop to it!