Pugh says ‘soft’ label hard to take

For three frustrating weeks, Justin Pugh heard the backlash as he sat out practice after practice while dealing with the second concussion of his career. And now that the Giants’ left guard is back, he wants everyone to know that nobody had any right to label him “soft.”

“It pissed me off,” Pugh said Thursday. “There’s no one who wants to be out there more than I do. ... I understand from the fans’ perspective: They want us out there. (But) you don’t want to be labeled as a soft player. That’s a personal attack on me.”

Pugh practiced for a second straight day on Thursday. It was his first full practice session since Nov. 15, when the lineman sat out a loss to New England because of a mysterious “illness.” That came after a week in which he’d missed practices due to dehydration, and after that the Giants finally placed Pugh in the concussion protocol.

All signs point to him returning to action against the Jets, but it wasn’t until last Friday, Pugh said, that his concussion symptoms finally dissipated. Since the Giants’ Nov. 9 win in Tampa, Pugh had battled a strange fatigue, as well as pains he described as “a headache behind my eyes.” The entire experience scared him, but also pushed him to research and understand the mechanics of a concussion.

“It’s something that definitely woke me up,” he said. “I definitely want to make sure I give a voice to people that have them. Guys don’t look at it the right way; they’re like, if you get hit, you go out and play. Mine lasted three weeks and I was having bad headaches for three weeks. ... You’ve got to make sure you take care of your brain.”

Even if that costs you a chance to be on the field in a critical moment. Pugh had started 39 of the first 41 games of his career before telling the Giants he wasn’t ready to go on the morning of the Patriots loss.

“It obviously hurt then,” he said. “The first time I ever had to watch a game on TV.”

RADIO SILENCE

With second-year LB Devon Kennard (hamstring/foot) likely to sit out Sunday, the Giants must find a new player to handle the radio helmet. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo didn’t reveal who that would be, though he did say the task would “probably” fall to Jonathan Casillas or Jasper Brinkley. ... Ex-Giants DT Barry Cofield worked out for the team, according to a source. ... S Brandon Meriweather (knee) did not practice for a second straight day, which could mean Cooper Taylor will be active Sunday.