Flu bug might be least of rookie corner's worries

GLENDALE, ARIZ. - Poor Aaron Ross.

The rookie has a fine season, helps the Giants upset the Packers in the NFC Championship Game and is buckling in for Monday's exciting flight from Newark to Phoenix for Super Bowl XLII.

Yep. Life was good, baby.

And then ... well, let's just say Ross got sick. Real sick. So sick that it took about an hour to clean up the team plane before heading to the desert.

Now, the young cornerback is here hoping to resume practicing today after Tuesday's Super Bowl Media Day, an off day from the field for both teams. Hopefully, his stomach is strong because most of his assignments on Sunday evening require jamming, pestering and covering a guy named Randy Moss.

The same Moss who caught an NFL-record 23 touchdowns during the regular season. Moss has only one catch in each of the Patriots' two playoff victories for a harmless 32 yards. However, his last big game came against the Giants, when he caught six passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns in New England's regular-season finale, a 38-35 victory that capped a 16-0 regular season.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin said Tuesday it was impossible to predict how the flu bug will affect his team today, let alone on gameday.

"We did have some of the flu bug this week," Coughlin said. "Hopefully we're going to be able to get everybody together at practice tomorrow. I think that will be a key."

New York players who missed practice Friday include fullback Madison Hedgecock, safety Michael Johnson and defensive tackle Manny Wright. But it's Ross, the team's first-round draft pick, who ranks as the most valuable player with flu-like symptoms.

"We'll be OK," Giants defensive end Michael Strahan said. "Everybody got sick at Green Bay. It was cold. We'll be fine. This is not a sign or anything."

The Giants beat the Packers in overtime in the second-coldest game in the history of Lambeau Field. By the time Lawrence Tynes kicked the game-winning field goal, the temperature had dipped from minus-1 at kickoff to minus-3.

"You're going to have some colds when you operate in our climate," Coughlin said. "We just came out of an extreme condition in Green Bay, and then went back to New York."

As if flu-like symptoms aren't enough, the 6-foot Ross also gives up 4 inches in height to Moss. And Ross also has been struggling with a shoulder injury that doesn't allow him to use his full range of motion.

Other than that, Ross has had a fun week so far.