‘I die hard’: Giants’ McClain cleared

Jameel McClain never worried that Aug. 5 would be the end of the line for him. Yes, because of his spinal stenosis condition, there was concern about the stinger he suffered, but the Giants linebacker insisted he would be back, and he was indeed cleared to return to practice Sunday night.

“That option is always out there,” McClain said before practice. “It’s something that’s always in the air when you go through an injury like this. But I’m built different. I die hard, like John McClane.”

McClain, 30, missed nine games during the 2012 and 2013 seasons because of a bruised spinal cord, but he knew this injury wasn’t serious.

“What I went through before, I saw about 13, 14 doctors. [This time] they did all of their due diligence to make sure I was right, but it was clear from looking at the MRI that this wasn’t the same scenario,” he said.

McClain wasn’t the only key veteran to return to practice. He was joined by offensive guard Geoff

Schwartz (ankle), who had been out since the first week of camp and didn’t make the trip to Cincinnati for Friday night’s preseason loss against the Bengals because of continued soreness in his surgically repaired ankle.

“I need to stay healthy, I’ll put it like that,” he said. Cornerback Prince

Amukamara (groin) is hoping to return to practice this week and potentially play in Saturday’s preseason game against the Jaguars at MetLife Stadium. Amukamara ran for the first time on Friday night since hurting his groin Aug. 5, and his plan was to ramp up his rehab, by running and cutting on Sunday.

Several other Giants were held out of practice and are being listed as daytoday: cornerback Trumaine McBride (hamstring), safeties Landon

Collins (knee) and Nat Berhe (calf) and wide receiver Rue

ben Randle (knee tendinitis).