When he learned Prince Amukamara was out for the season, defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said he looked skyward and wondered, "What have I done wrong?"
When Fewell arrived at work Thursday, he learned one of his few healthy cornerbacks, Zack Bowman, was sent to the hospital to check out abdominal pain he was experiencing. Fewell looked to the heavens again.
"I always look up,'' Fewell said. "I'm a man of faith.''
A little bit — or a lot — of faith is needed when discussing the cornerback situation for the Giants. There are NFL teams that would be happy with Amukamara, Walter Thurmond and Trumaine McBride as their top three cornerbacks and go to battle feeling confident. The Giants had all three on their roster, plus high-priced and high-talented Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, plus Bowman, a veteran signed from the Bears, and Jayron Hosley, a former third-round draft pick. It was enough — probably more than enough — as the Giants headed into this season believing they were well-stocked at a position in which depth is paramount.
Fast forward to Thursday, as the Giants were again scrambling to introduce and incorporate new cornerbacks into their sagging defense, and to Sunday, when they will attempt to cobble together enough corners to have a reasonable chance to upset the Seahawks in Seattle.
Thurmond tore his pectoral muscle and was the first corner gone. McBride fractured a thumb and joined Thurmond on injured reserve. Rodgers-Cromartie has been limited with all sorts of physical ailments. Amukamara tore his biceps in the 40-24 loss to the Colts. Bowman was supposed to be the replacement, but now he's likely out.
"It kind of goes with the territory, doesn't it?'' coach Tom Coughlin said.
Bowman was diagnosed with viral gastroenteritis — a stomach flu — and his status for Sunday is unclear. If he can't play, Fewell said Hosley and Rodgers-Cromartie will be the outside cornerbacks in the base defense and Hosley will move inside to the slot in the nickel package, with Chandler Fenner inserted into the lineup on the outside. Fenner previously spent time with the Chiefs and Seahawks but made his NFL debut this season with the Giants after he was signed off the practice squad. Last week, the Giants signed Mike Harris off the Lions' practice squad and this week they signed Chykie Brown after he was waived by the Ravens after Ben Roethlisberger torched them for six touchdown passes.
Who are these guys?
"They're coming in to help out the team,'' said Fenner, a product of Holy Cross. "They introduced themselves and we go to work. As long as we're all playing the same defense we'll be OK.''
Playing the same defense would be nice. Fewell said there's no time to develop chemistry among the cornerbacks and, "When you have new faces you have to pull back.'' In other words, the Giants will simplify their defense and hope it's enough to contain Russell Wilson and a receiving corps that does not measure up to the weapons the Colts presented.
Harris played in 31 games in his two seasons with the Jaguars. Brown played in 46 games with Baltimore — he played in every game during the 2012 Super Bowl season.
"This is a different type of league — if you've never played serious ball in this league before, it's a lot different,'' Harris said. "Being we both have experience, I'm sure it will help us tremendously.''
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