During his first NFL practices at the 2010 New York Giants rookie minicamp, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul had to take a breather to rest his sore back. Later he told the media that his back usually has this problem whenever the season starts, but as the days went by, the pain usually dissipated.

He was right.

On Wednesday Pierre-Paul missed his first practice of 2012, but coach Tom Coughlin indicated it was some of the dynamic pass rusher’s usual early season soreness. However, Coughlin did say that Pierre-Paul will sit out of Friday’s preseason game against the Chicago Bears.

“It'll end up being precautionary," Coughlin said, adding, "He would have practiced and played, but the medical people kind of said this would be the best way to go so that we ensure going forward that he'll be okay.”

Pierre-Paul -- who registered two sacks in Friday’s preseason win over the Jets -- had this issue briefly in 2011 as well, but ended up playing in 16 regular season games and registering 16.5 sacks. In other words, no one should panic.

What will the Giants do without Michael Boley?: Since Boley’s hamstring doesn’t appear to be getting any better, it seems as though Keith Rivers will see extended time as the starting weakside linebacker -- something veteran linebacker/defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka is comfortable with.

“He’s definitely a seasoned veteran,” Kiwanuka said. “He’s professional about his craft. He fits into the type of guys that the Giants really go after. But he’s definitely an athletic linebacker who can cover some distance.”

But there would still be a void if Boley were absent, and Kiwanuka knows this because he saw what happened to the Giants defense last season when Boley went down with a hamstring against the 49ers.

The Giants ended up losing that game, and the next two against the Eagles and the Saints before Boley returned for the Week 13 loss to the Packers. During his absence New York yielded 84 points in the 10 quarters that Boley missed with a hamstring injury.

“It’s a leadership void, not just in the linebacker room but out there on the field,” Kiwanuka said. “He brings a lot to the table just because he goes, he’s one of those players who can play above the Xs and Os because he’s been through the fire, he’s been tested, he understands it, he gets it. As a group we’re going to have to step up and account for that.”

Jayron Hosley is still sore: Hosley and Coughlin disagreed as to whether the former has “turf toe” or just a “sore toe,” but the bottom line is unaffected: Hosley has to stay off his feet.

The rookie cornerback, who is still in a walking boot, said he’s focused on getting the “stiffness out,” but he’s happy with the progress he’s had in treatment up until this point. Obviously, Hosley isn’t expected to play against the Bears on Friday, but he said he’s hoping to be back early next week.

As for his performance against the Jets -- which included a 77-yard pick-six -- Hosley said he’s seeing the improvement and is starting to feel comfortable at nickelback.

“Definitely seen some improvement from [first week] to the Jets game,” Hosley said. “Just knowing where I’m supposed to be. My alignment, assignments and technique got better overall. That play kind of made things a little better. But I think it was pretty good -- not too much plays, but I made it count when I got the chance.”

Against the Bears, Coughlin said Dante Hughes and Will Hill could see time at nickelback, as well safety Antrel Rolle, who has been giving Hosley some tips on playing the position.

Coughlin pushes Hakeem Nicks: Since the Giants are off on Thursday, coach Tom Coughlin asked Nicks to push himself in his third practice back since coming off PUP. Coughlin was very pleased with what he saw, and afterward Nicks told CBSSports.com that his surgically repaired foot is great and he feels very close to top form.

If you saw Nicks practicing on Wednesday, you would never have guessed he missed the entire training camp.

Who didn’t practice? LT Will Beatty (back), CB Jayron Hosley (foot), WLB Michael Boley (hamstring), OG Brandon Mosley (ankle), DT Marvin Austin (back), CB Terrell Thomas (knee), TE Travis Beckum (knee, PUP), DT Chris Canty (knee), S Will Hill (death in the family), DE Jason Pierre-Paul (back), CB Brandon Bing (hamstring), DT Shaun Rogers (blood clot) and DE Adrian Tracy (hamstring).

CB Michael Coe (hamstring) practiced on Wednesday, and he previously said he hopes to play against the Bears.

Mosely had a walking boot on Tuesday, but was in regular shoes on Wednesday and said he ran and felt fine.

Austin also ran on Wednesday and said he’s ready to return, but the Giants are just being cautious because of the litany of injuries at defensive tackle.

And just to prove his point, Austin bended his back in several directions before doing a little shoulder shimmy. He said his posturepedic bed has been extremely helpful. And while Austin wasn’t one of the players that blamed the training camp bed for his back injury, he did say he’s happy to be back home on his usual mattress.

When asked what made the bed so special, Austin bragged that it can incline, recline and it also vibrates. And yes, he said he wants to be a spokesman for the brand.

Follow the Giants and Alex Raskin @CBSSportsNFLNYG and @AlexRaskinNYC.