FRISCO, Texas – Andrew Gachkar's thumb isn't quite ready for full contact, but he's back on the field – which is a start.
It's been almost a month since Gachkar broke the thumb during practice in Oxnard, Calif. The veteran linebacker finally worked his way back to practice on Sunday, as the bone is now sufficiently mended from the surgery he had earlier in August.
"The bone is back to – it's not a break anymore," he said. "It's just the ligament getting fine and all that stuff. I was just super excited to get back on the field."
Getting onto the field takes a bit more prep work these days, though. Gachkar said he has to have his hand recasted before every practice – a process he said can take up to a half hour. Once that's taken care of, it's all a matter of adapting to playing with the cast and trusting it.
Gachkar said he doesn't know when he'll be full-go, but he expects that day to be soon. With still roughly two weeks until the season opener, he said he plans to be ready for the Giants.
"That's what we're going for, and we have all intentions of being ready for that game," he said.
-- David Helman
