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Odell Beckham #13 of the New York Giants looks on from the sidelines in the first half against the San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015 in East Rutherford, N.J. Photo Credit: Jim McIsaac

By TOM ROCK email@example.com @TomRock_Newsday October 14, 2015 9:01 PM

So much for symmetry.

Tom Coughlin told Philadelphia reporters Wednesday on a conference call that Victor Cruz has not yet been cleared to work on the field as he continues to rehab the calf injury that has kept him sidelined for most of the past two months. Cruz said last week he was hopeful of making his season debut on Monday night against the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, the site where his 2014 season ended with a torn patellar tendon last October.

Cruz had a platelet-rich plasma injection in his calf two weeks ago and was scheduled to meet with doctors earlier this week to see if it made progress. He was hoping to receive a green light to practice this week and play against the Eagles. That apparently did not happen.

"He's rehabbing, working indoors primarily, working with the trainers," Coughlin said of Cruz. "He has not been cleared to begin on the field."

That pushes the return date for Cruz even further back. Coughlin has made it clear that he wants Cruz to practice multiple times before he plays in a game, and the Giants will have a short week to prepare for their rematch with the Cowboys in Week 7. That could push his return into November or beyond. Cruz said trainers have not given him a definitive time frame.

The news seems to be somewhat brighter -- if not exactly beaming -- for the other injured Pro Bowl wide receiver on the Giants' roster. Coughlin said Odell Beckham Jr. is "day-to-day" with a hamstring injury he suffered in Sunday night's win over the 49ers. Beckham returned for the end of that game, but Coughlin said if the team had practiced Wednesday (they did not) Beckham would not have worked.

"The trainers seem to think he's making good progress," Coughlin said. "Hopefully we'll get some work in before the end of the week."

The Giants could be forced to go into the Eagles game as they went into their final drive against the 49ers: Without Beckham, Cruz or Rueben Randle, who also has a hamstring injury worth watching. That would leave them with Dwayne Harris, rookie Geremy Davis and recent practice-squad call-up Myles White, plus any receivers they might sign by the weekend (they held tryouts Wednesday that included former quarterback Terrelle Pryor as a receiver). 


Asked what Coughlin would do without Beckham, he cited the others on the roster and said: "We'd have to go in that direction."

"We'd prefer not to do that," he said. "Obviously [Beckham] went in the game, he draws a lot of attention and so on and so forth. All we can do is hold onto the fact that he is a very, very competitive young man and if it's at all possible he'll be ready to play."

Notes & quotes:Eli Manning was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his 441-yard, three-TD passing performance against the 49ers. It's his first such award since the Super Bowl year of 2011 ... Manning leads the league in pass attempts and is second in pass completions. The last Giants QB to lead the NFL in those stats over a full season was Ed Danowski in the 1930s ... CB Prince Amukamara is dealing with a pectoral injury he suffered in the second half of the 49ers game and his availability for the Eagles may be in doubt ... Both the Giants and Eagles gained more than 500 yards of offense in Week 5. Monday's game will be the first involving two teams coming off such performances in the NFL since Oct. 14, 2012. The Giants were involved in that game as well, beating the 49ers, 26-3.