Breaking News: Giants Place Gerris Wilkinson On Injured Reserve

Yet another fallen comrade has hit the "done for the season" list. He joins a long list of fellow teammates, and the impact of this loss will be felt on special teams.

Wilkinson was a special teams standout and a great backup linebacker. He got some good playing time last year, but with the addition of Michael Boley and the fine play of Chase Blackburn, he was moved down the depth chart.

He led the team with 12 special teams tackles; the Giants will look to replace him this week in practice.

This is yet another disappointing loss to add to the several Giants on IR. He joins Jay Alford, Kenny Philips, and Andre Brown on the list.

The Giants entered the season as arguably the deepest team in the league defensively, but injuries to just about everyone on that side of the ball have dismissed that notion.

The Giants have played poorly on defense in their four-game losing streak, and surely these injuries have something to do with it. It sounds like an excuse because every team deals with injuries, but at some point it has to be accounted for.

Fortunately the Giants got Michael Boley and Chris Canty back on the field against the Chargers. They looked much better but still came up short when they needed a stop.

The Giants replaced Wilkinson with defensive back D.J. Johnson, who was signed off the Denver Broncos' practice squad.

Johnson played at Missouri before transferring to Jackson State, where he was an All-American. He recorded 10 interceptions in two seasons, along with a forced fumble, blocked kick, and two touchdowns.

He will more than likely compete for the glaring weakness at free safety, that is if Aaron Rouse doesn't keep playing like he did on Sunday, when he got his first start in place of C.C. Brown.

The Giants will look to regroup during the bye week, as the most important game of the season looms. If the Giants lose to Atlanta, you can basically kiss the playoffs good-bye.