EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants have injury problems that could force them to make a move at tight end.
Tight end Kevin Boss sustained his third concussion since 2008 in the season opener against the Carolina Panthers. His status for Sunday night's game against the Indianapolis Colts is uncertain.
Not only is Boss iffy, but Giants coach Tom Coughlin said backup tackle William Beatty is out with a broken right foot that requires surgery.
Beatty's injury is an added concern because he lined up as the second tight end Sunday after Boss was hurt during the first quarter. Travis Beckum took over in the No. 1 spot.
Boss and Beckum are the only tight ends on the Giants' 53-man roster.
"He is going to have to go through all the tests and we'll wait and see what is said about it," Coughlin said Monday of Boss.
Coughlin was annoyed with Jerome Boger's officiating crew after the injury.
After failing to catch a pass over the middle, Boss was hit in the back of the neck and helmet while he was on the ground by Panthers safety Sherrod Martin.
"If people are following the rules, the kid doesn't get touched," Coughlin said, pointing out that the NFL has new rules to protect defenseless receivers. "That was as blatant and obvious as anything you see. No call. No nothing."
Coughlin complained to the officials and they told him they had no idea what happened.
Boss wasn't in the locker room Monday.
Boss missed a game at the end of the '08 season with a concussion and suffered another one on Thanksgiving at Denver. He was cleared when the Giants returned to practice the following week.
The Giants might have tried to get by with Beatty for another week, but the second-year tackle complained of pain in his right foot after the game. An exam revealed a fracture of the fifth metatarsal. He was wearing a boot Monday.
New York could try to get by with another offensive lineman backing up Beckum, but that seems unlikely. Guard Rich Seubert has reported as a tight end during his career, but that would mean moving him out of his starting job on certain plays and putting recently signed Shawn Andrews at left guard.
"You'll have to wait and see," Coughlin quipped about any moves involving his offensive line.
Beckum, who was missed most of training camp with a hamstring and neck problems, caught two passes for 11 yards Sunday in the Giants' 31-18 win in the first regular-season game at the New Meadowlands Stadium.
A third-round draft pick in 2009, Beckum played in 15 games last season, finishing with eight catches for 55 yards.
"Obviously, it's my first time doing a bunch of those things, but now going back and looking at it, and going through with the corrections, I feel a lot more confident," Beckum said.
Pascoe said he will be ready to play if needed.
"I am going to prepare like I am going to play," Pascoe said. "The more confidence you have going into the game, the faster you are going to play, and you do that by preparing and watching film."
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
