Hakeem Nicks has no doubts that he'll be on the field for the Giants when they kick off the 2012 season. Nicks said his surgically repaired broken toe is feeling good and that he hopes to beat the 12-week timetable for recovery given by the team. He underwent surgery on the fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot last Friday after suffering the injury the day before.

Giants linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka understands why teammate Osi Umenyiora is frustrated. Umenyiora continues to sit out the team's voluntary offseason workouts as he seeks a long-term contract. "His situation ... he has been under contract in a bad deal for years now and anybody who looks at the situation would say, 'Well, this should have been taken care of a long time ago,'" Kiwanuka said. "For whatever reason, it hasn't. So I understand his frustration." Umenyiora is entering the final year of his contract and is set to earn just under $4 million.

It is being reported that the Giants and defensive end Osi Umenyiora are "very far apart" in contract talks. ESPN's Sal Paolantonio reported "open dialogue" between the sides, but the Giants are in no rush to overpay for the defensive end.

Giants defensive end Justin Tuck has come out in support of teammate Osi Umenyiora, who is seeking a new contract from the team. Umenyiora is set to make just under $4 million in the final season of the seven-year, $41-million contract he signed in 2005. "It's hard," Tuck said in a recent interview. "He's signed a contract and I believe in abiding by that contract, but also I think he's outplayed that contract in today's market. And how some of these defensive ends are getting paid lots of money, I think he deserves to get paid."

Hakeem Nicks is facing a three-month recovery for his surgically repaired broken toe, but he has told the Giants that he'll be back sooner. "'I'll be back for training camp' were his final words" during a phone conversation, Tom Coughlin said Tuesday. "I said OK. I would accept a day or two after the start of camp, (that) would be fine." "I really appreciated his optimism," the coach added. "He has a cast and is elevated. He told me he was pretty much pain-free." Nicks fractured the fifth metatarsal of his right foot Thursday during New York's second organized team activity workout.

Hakeem Nicks recently had foot surgery, but that doesn't mean the Giants are considering a reunion with Plaxico Burress. Burress might wind up getting a job, but it won't be with the Giants, according to coach Tom Coughlin. "We're looking for the next Victor Cruz," Coughlin said.

Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks underwent successful surgery on his right foot on Friday. Dr. Robert Anderson performed the operation in Charlotte, N.C., inserting a screw into the receiver's foot to hasten the healing process. Nicks broke the fifth metatarsal in the foot while running a route during Thursday's morning practice session.

Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks fractured his right foot during the team's second organized team activity of the offseason. Nicks fractured the fifth metatarsal of his right foot while running a route during individual drills in the team's practice facility. He will have surgery Friday and the approximate expected recovery time for the injury is 12 weeks.

Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora did not attend the team's first organized team activity of the season on Wednesday. Umenyiora, entering the final year of a seven-year, $41 million deal, has been outspoken about his contract status.

Tom Coughlin is the NFL's oldest coach, but coming off a Super Bowl win earlier this year, he has no plans of retiring. The Giants head coach is just a few months shy of his 66th birthday. "I'm not mentally, not physically, ready [to retire]," Coughlin said. "I feel I have good energy. I'm excited every day. The competitiveness, the nature of the business, is something that I'm still excited about. I don't wander down that path. I don't think about retirement. I enjoy the situation I'm in. I appreciate the backing I've received from [Giants] ownership and the way the players have responded to our program. "I really don't feel any pull or tug in another direction. I look at it on a yearly basis. In our business, no matter how many years they give you on the contract, it's a one-year deal anyway."