Tag: Osi Umenyiora (Page 4 of 5)

      Will the Giants release or trade Osi Umenyiora in the offseason?

      December 28, 2009 /

      A month ago, Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora was demoted from a starter to a pass-rush specialist following New York’s loss to the Broncos on Thanksgiving night. Yesterday, he played in only a handful of snaps in the Giants’ embarrassing 41-9 loss to the Panthers in East Rutherford.

      All of this has left Umenyiora pondering his future in New York, and his comments following the loss to Carolina indicates that he won’t be a Giant past this season.

      From the Newark Star Ledger:

      “What did I play, five snaps today?” said Umenyiora. “I don’t know, I don’t know what happened. I thought I was the problem.

      “It’s an unbelievable situation, man. Last game at Giants Stadium, probably as a Giant, just the way everything has unfolded has been unbelievable.”

      Unless Umenyiora knows something about the team’s plans to deactivate him next week, Sunday was not his final game as a Giant.

      But perhaps he meant it would be his final home game, which means he’s anticipating a trade, his release or a holdout on his part until he gets one of the first two. Umenyiora is signed through the 2012 season, so the Giants probably don’t plan on cutting him loose without any compensation.

      Unless he forces their hand.

      “I couldn’t really explain what I’m feeling right now. Disappointment is an understatement, in everything,” the two-time Pro Bowl selection said. “The way everything has played out this year has been absolute nonsense; very disappointed, disheartened, discouraged, whatever you want to call it. I feel all those emotions.”

      If Umenyiora wants to stay with the Giants, then he, along with many fans, would love to see the team show defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan the door. Sheridan has been a disaster since taking over for former coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who is now the head coach of the Rams. His schemes don’t allow for Umenyiora and the rest of the Giants’ talented defensive ends to rush the passer as much as they did under Spagnuolo. Sheridan will often drop his ends into coverage, which doesn’t (and hasn’t) take advantage of their pass-rush capabilities.

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      NFL

      Giants beef up their defense with additions of Boley and Canty

      March 1, 2009 /

      The Giants signed two players over the weekend that should make their already stout defense even better.

      On Saturday, New York signed free agent linebacker Michael Boley (Falcons) to a five-year $25 million contract with $11 million in guaranteed money and on Sunday, the G-Men added defensive lineman Chris Canty (Cowboys) after agreeing to terms on a six-year, $42 million contract. (Canty’s deal also includes $17.25 million in guarantees.)

      Not many football fans have probably heard of Boley – especially not after he lost his starting job last year to Coy Wire. But before the Falcons hired Mike Smith to be their new head coach last offseason, Boley was on his way to becoming a Pro Bowl player. He didn’t fit into Smith’s defensive scheme so that’s why he fell out of favor in Atlanta, but he’s a young, athletic linebacker that could excel at the weak-side position in New York given the amount of talent that will be around him. He could become a household name next season.

      Canty, who stands 6’7” and weighs 300 pounds, is a massive defensive end best used in the 3-4. But the Giants could use him as a defensive tackle in a 4-3, or an end when they go to more 3-4 fronts next season. He joins an already stacked defensive line that includes Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck, so it’ll be interesting to see how NY plans on using all three linemen to wreak havoc on opposing offenses.

      The G-Men are quietly having a solid offseason.

      NFL

      No Strahan or Umenyiora – how will Giants’ defensive line cope?

      August 29, 2008 /

      In the weeks leading up to the kickoff the 2008 NFL Season, I’ll take a look at position groups that could potentially lift teams to new heights, or bury them and their postseason hopes. Today I take a look at how the New York Giants expect to cope without having Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan on their defensive line.

      Michael StrahanWhen the New York Giants selected defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka with the 32nd pick in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft, many eyebrows were raised at the pick. Why would the Giants take another defensive end when they already had Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck on the roster?

      After Strahan retired following the Giants’ Super Bowl victory in January and Umenyiora was lost for the 2008 season because of a knee injury, nobody is questioning New York’s decision to draft Kiwanuka now.

      Kiwanuka not only has the daunting task of having to transition from outside linebacker back to defensive end, but he also will attempt to fill the shoes of Umenyiora, a highly productive player who registered 52 tackles and five sacks last season.

      Playing opposite of Kiwanuka on the line will be Tuck, a promising fourth-year player who compiled 10 sacks last year as part of a rotation. While he’s shown plenty of upside, this will be the first time in Tuck’s career that he’ll be counted on as a full-time starter.

      Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins will man the interior of New York’s defensive line. Neither stands out as impact players, although Cofield did show promise in his rookie season when he compiled 44 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

      There’s no denying that losing both Strahan and Umenyiora was devastating. The Giants demonstrated what a heavy pass-rush could do for an entire defense in the Super Bowl when they completely flustered Tom Brady and his offensive line. While young corner Aaron Ross is developing into a nice player, the rest of the secondary is average at best – especially after safety Gibril Wilson signed with Oakland this offseason – and will need the front seven to put pressure on opposing teams’ quarterbacks so they’re not vulnerable in coverage.

      New York GiantsNew York is going to need Kiwanuka and Tuck to provide the type of rush that Strahan and Umenyiora got last year in order for the defense to not be exposed in certain areas. Both ends have a ton of talent, but how will they do as full-time starters? Can they be as effective as every-down players as they were in a rotation last year? Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was outstanding in devising game plans last year to frustrate opposing teams, but a lot of what he does depends on his ends getting pressure.

      Time will tell if the Giants will sink or swim without the two ends that helped them when a Super Bowl last season.

      NFL

      Michael Strahan would return to Giants for $8 million?

      August 25, 2008 /

      The New York Daily News has discovered that former Giants’ defensive end Michael Strahan would be willing to come out of retirement to help his old team in the wake of Osi Umenyiora’s season ending injury. But it’s going to cost the G-Men $8 million.

      “If the Giants make a sincere overture, it’s a good chance that Strahan would consider coming back,” the source said. “There are other things he has to take into consideration: the money and his contract with Fox. But if the Giants really want him, they have a shot. It’s not out of the question.”
      Strahan, in an interview with the NFL Network, wouldn’t rule it out either.

      “I haven’t heard from anybody else, so to say if I would or wouldn’t is premature,” Strahan said, “so I’m enjoying my retired life right now.”

      The question, though, is do the Giants really want Strahan to return for a 16th NFL season? They obviously need help at defensive end now that an MRI revealed torn cartilage in Umenyiora’s left knee and he will undergo season-ending surgery tomorrow. And they were looking for help at that position even before Umenyiora’s injury, which is why they discussed trading disgruntled tight end Jeremy Shockey to Miami last month for Jason Taylor.

      But as of last night, they had not reached out to Strahan’s agent, Tony Agnone, and one source close to the defensive end said, “I don’t think they will.” They know Strahan’s asking price — the same $8 million that they would’ve paid Taylor — but back in the spring they weren’t willing to go any higher than $6.5 million, including incentives.

      The Giants are reportedly fine with moving linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka back to defensive end (he played the position in college). But if the team was willing to pay Strahan $6.5 mil this summer for him to postpone retirement, what’s another $1.5 mil if that’s what he’s asking for? Kiwanuka just spent an entire summer getting used to outside linebacker, now you’re going to ask him to change positions two weeks before the season starts? Paying Strahan a little more makes sense, assuming he’s in football shape, that is.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Giants’ Osi Umenyiora out for season – will Michael Strahan get a call?

      August 24, 2008 /

      The New York Giants suffered a massive blow to their hopes of repeating as Super Bowl champs, losing defensive end Osi Umenyiora for the entire season.

      Osi Umenyiora suffered serious ligament damage in his left knee last night, and he will miss the entire 2008 season.

      That was the terrible news that the MRI revealed this morning, according to his agent, Tony Agnone. The injury is a torn MCL, according to a source, though it’s not immediately known if the tear is full or partial. He will need surgery to repair the damage and the recovery time is expected to be 3-4 months.

      Clearly that wasn’t what the Giants were expecting. After the game Saturday night, team doctors had told Tom Coughlin there was no ligament damage. But the MRI said otherwise. And while there was a possibility that Umenyiora could rehab the injury without undergoing surgery, that option was a little risky and a full recovery wasn’t guaranteed.

      It’s not clear when the surgery will take place, but Umenyiora’s season is over.

      Here’s a question: Will Michael Strahan come out of retirement to help the G-Men if asked? The man hated training camp and guess what? Training camp is over. The Giants would surely welcome the veteran sack master back with Umenyiora now done and the team hurting for depth. It’ll be interesting to see if Tom Coughlin reaches out to Strahan, or even if Strahan would want to come back after ending his career on top with a Super Bowl ring.

      If Strahan isn’t an option, Mathias Kiwanuka will have to move from outside linebacker to end, which is the position he played in college. Either that, or journeyman Renaldo Wynn will likely get a start at end if the Giants want to keep Kiwanuka at LB.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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