New York Giants inside linebacker Alec Ogletree is remaining optimistic that he’ll return from injury this coming Thursday night.
The New York Giants have most certainly fallen victim to the injury bug this year, with many of their starters experiencing setbacks. One of these weapons happens to be veteran inside linebacker Alec Ogletree. The defensive captain has missed the last two games with a lingering hamstring strain.
Big Blue has thus relied on linebackers David Mayo and Nate Stupar to step up for them. They’ve also had Jabrill Peppers, who’s primarily a safety, step into an inside linebacker-type role. Rookie Ryan Connelly, who actually became one of the starters with Ogletree, tore his ACL in the Week 4 win over the Washington Redskins. Therefore, his season is unfortunately over. Through it all, Ogletree is remaining confident and is optimistic he’ll be able to return this Thursday against New England.
“Yeah, that’s the goal right now, to go out and play,” Ogletree said, per Patricia Traina of Sports Illustrated. “We’ll see what the coaches say and the trainers and everybody says about it, but as for right now, I was able to practice [Tuesday] and get better [Tuesday].”
The Patriots will arguably be Big Blue’s largest task of the 2019 season. They’re entering this game undefeated at 5-0, as the Giants are sporting a record of 2-3. Big Blue is coming off a tough 28-10 loss suffered at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings.
When it comes to this New England offense, quarterback Tom Brady will pick apart this Giants defense if mistakes are made. Therefore, the goal for that side of the ball for New York will be to not succumb to errors.
“[Brady’s] a guy who’s seen everything you could throw at him,” Ogletree said. “He’s obviously done it longer than most anybody on our team, and for us, it’s just about executing, and they do a good job of doing that—executing, not making mistakes.
“We have to do the same, not make mistakes, be where we need to be, have great eyes, and play well.”
The Giants and Patriots kick off in Foxborough, MA at 8:20 p.m. ET on Thursday Night Football.
