AP

The good news for the defending Super Bowl champions is that the lead up to the 2012 season looks a lot like the lead up to the 2011 season.

The bad news is that means players are going down with ACL injuries during practice. The Giants lost Terrell Thomas, Jonathan Goff and Brian Witherspoon to torn ACLS in training camp last year and Witherspoon didn’t wait that long before hurting himself again this season.

Witherspoon had to be carted off the field during the first Organized Team Activity of the year. According to Mike Garafolo of the Newark Star-Ledger, coach Tom Coughlin said that the initial indications are that he tore the same ACL.

If the early indications are correct, it will almost surely mean another lost season for Witherspoon and another long period of rehab. It’s a terrible break for Witherspoon, who was hoping to land a reserve cornerback/special teams role with the team. The timing is better from the Giants’ point of view as they have time to find other options.

Just to be on the safe side, they might consider taking it easy with Thomas in case this isn’t the only way history plans on repeating itself.