Vernon carted off after injuring left ankle at practice
OLIVIER CARTED OFF FIELD AT GIANTS PRACTICE WITH LEFT ANKLE INJURY
That sound you hear is everyone in blue in East Rutherford holding their collective breath.
Olivier Vernon, the Giants’ top pass rusher, an elite run stuffer and one of their premier players, left Sunday’s practice on a cart with a left ankle injury and didn’t return. He got his feet tangled while working through blocks, according to coach Pat Shurmur.
“He’s being evaluated. I don’t have much right now,” Shumur said. “I don’t know yet [if it’s serious]. I’ll find out when I go in there. ... You don’t want anybody to get hurt. You want guys to be able to practice and stay healthy. We’ll just see. At this point I don’t have any information.”
The early returns are positive, ESPN reported. X-Rays taken on the ankle came back negative.
Approaching his third season with the Giants, he missed four games with a left ankle injury last year, too. He was replaced on the first team by Romero Okwara. The 27-year-old Vernon is moving to outside linebacker in defensive coordinator James Bettcher’s 3-4 system after years as a defensive end and has impressed this summer, virtually living in the backfield when he’s been on the field in three preseason games.
“Just trying to make something happen, man,” Vernon said after Friday’s preseason win over the Jets. “Bettcher wants us to be aggressive. Just playing my part.”
The Giants can ill afford to lose Vernon, who produced 23 tackles and 6.5 sacks a year ago in 12 games, for long after trading last year’s sacks leader, Jason Pierre-Paul, to the Buccaneers in the offseason.
Newcomer Kareem Martin is starting at the other outside linebacker spot, while Okwara, veteran Connor Barwin and rookie third-round draft choice Lorenzo Carter could all see time in place of Vernon while he’s out, though Barwin hasn’t been practicing of late due to soreness from an unspecified injury.
MONDAY, MO AUGUST 27, 2018