At the beginning of the month, Tom Coughlin told reporters to check back on the status of Prince Amukamara after the bye week.
The attempt to quash any speculation on his first-rounder's return wasn't a complete success as he continued to field questions on the issue. But now that the bye week has come and gone, what did the coach have to say?
"He did a little bit and we will have to bring him along slowly," Coughlin said after the team's first practice back on Monday.
That little bit included work with the special teams unit and participation in individual drills, according to Amukamara. Keeping up with his rehab back in Nebraska this past weekend, Amukamara said he didn't feel any pain coming back.
"Usually by this time last week, after all that activity, my foot would be throbbing, but now it feels pretty good," said Amukamara, who broke a bone in his left foot at the beginning of training camp. "But I still have to rehab and still take care of it."
As for his game day status, Amukamara said he'd like to play, but reiterated that it's up to the coaches and training staff.
"He told me I've got to crawl before I can walk, I've got to walk before I can run," Amukamara said of Coughlin. "And so, just take it step-by-step."
As he eases back into practice, Amukamara said he is anxious to get the live reps and will know by Thursday or Friday whether he'll be suiting up this week against the Miami Dolphins.
In short, check back then.
"I'm extremely anxious, just being a competitor," Amukamara said. "I was excited, I had a lot of enthusiasm out there at practice. It was just good to be out there with the team."
