Osi Umenyiora will practice, but Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and Jake Ballard will not when the Giants today begin preparations for their game Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys that will decide the NFC East championship.

Umenyiora, who is second on the team with 7.0 sacks despite missing seven games, has not played since spraining his ankle at New Orleans a month ago today. He missed the first three games of the season after undergoing knee surgery.

"He's tested everything – lots of times," Coach Tom Coughlin said. "He's been working his tail off, he just hasn't been able to get right."

Manningham did not play in the victory over the Jets last Saturday because of a knee injury. Nicks will sit out today with a hamstring injury.

"I'm optimistic right now that they'll both be ready to go," Coughlin said. "We have a little bit of time left. We'd like to see them both practice. That has not been something that's been available all year long. We need that. We certainly need the timing work. I think that was something that was needed and we're going to try to work on that this week."

Nicks hurt his hamstring during the game, but did not come out. He missed the victory at New England on Nov. 6 with a hamstring injury.

"He strained a hamstring – he kept on playing, to his credit," Coughlin said. "He really didn't have that other gear, which you probably observed. But that was the reason."

Ballard sprained the posterior cruciate ligament against the Redskins on Dec. 18 and missed the Jets game.

"He's improving," Coughlin said. "I'm holding out hope (he will be healthy enough to play Sunday). He won't work today."

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) and linebacker Mark Herzlich (ankle) are also on the injury report. Bradshaw has been limited to one or two practice days for many weeks. Herzlich was hurt in New Orleans and has missed four games. He will not practice today.

Coughlin, who hurt his leg in a sideline collision with D.J. Ware in the fourth quarter on Saturday, said he received a text from New Orleans Coach Sean Payton, who tore the medial collateral ligament and fractured the tibia in his left leg when tight end Jimmy Graham was tackled into him on Oct. 16 at Tampa Bay.

"(He said), 'You look like you're a better athlete than me, you didn't go down,'' Coughlin said.

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