The Facts: Following up on a previous item. ... As if the New York Giants and Victor Cruz weren't involved in enough of a stare down, Nicks sent the team a little message by not showing up for practice Wednesday. Pay day is coming soon for Nicks, too. That was the unstated goal of Nicks' not attending the Giants' organized team activity practice, a source indicated Wednesday.

Diehards Line:As Yahoo's Jason Cole stressed, Nicks didn't violate any rules. OTAs are voluntary. Nonetheless, no-shows aren't appreciated. His absence left quarterback Eli Manning throwing passes to the likes of Jerrel Jernigan, Rueben Randle and Louis Murphy. HC Tom Coughlin didn't try to hide his irritation. Asked if he expected Nicks to be there, the coach replied: "Yeah, sure I did. I expect everybody to be here, trying to get our team better." Nicks, who was a first-round NFL draft pick in 2009, has one year remaining on his original contract. ... Stay tuned.