The early projections had Hakeem Nicks sidelined for as many as 12 weeks after he broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, but the New York Giants wide receiver is pledging he'll considerably earlier.
"'I'll be back for training camp' were his final words," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said Tuesday, according to the New York Daily News. "And I said, 'OK, well I would accept it if it was maybe a day or two after the start of camp, that'd be fine.' But I really appreciated his optimism, and the fact that he was doing everything he possibly could."
Nicks broke the bone last thursday during organized team activities. Giants training camp starts on July 26, well before the date that would give Nicks a full three-month break.
But the four-year veteran is already claiming to be pain-free, Coughlin said.
"We'll bring him along slow," Coughlin said, "and with his competitive heart, there's no question about getting him ready to play."
Fellow Giants wide receiver Domenik Hixon suffered a similar injury before entering the NFL and said he needed a full three months to recover.
"It's not really the healing part," Hixon said. "It's the getting back into shape and doing all that. It's just a matter of time. You can't speed up time.
"But he stays in shape, so that won't be a problem."
