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For one thing, I believe Osi Umenyiora's statements to WFAN yesterday amounted to a lot of nothing. Time will prove me either right or wrong, but the mere fact that he said he'd rather "quit" if Perry Fewell didn't reinstate him as an every-down defensive end was simply a lot of rhetoric. Maybe it was to motivate himself. Maybe it was meant to send a message to Fewell, which would be the stupid, if not typically, way for a player to get his way.
Whatever the case, Tom Coughlin said before the season ended that the Giants have no designs on getting rid of their run-challenged defender. And from all reports, that opinion hasn't changed. It could change if somebody came up with a nice trade package before draft day, say, a veteran plus a second and a five. But it's hard to believe Umenyiora would be a desirable commodity after the year he had.
Besides, he can still be considered damaged goods. I think the league will be watching him this year, his second after knee surgery, to see if he rebounds fully. And if he does, he'll play fulltime. He'll be happy. And the Giants will be happy with him.
Mark it down. He's going nowhere, people.
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According to my guy Ralph, our on-site Super Bowl reporter (just kidding. I only have enough money to steal his info off his reports, meaning I got zilch), Eli Manning will have a hand in hiring the new quarterbacks coach.
He confirmed the Giants spoke to Buffalo's Alex Van Pelt, who opted to sign on with Tampa Bay instead. But he and Coughlin are working off a short list. The object, he said, is to get a coach who looks at the game through the quarterback's eyes, something at which the departed Chris Palmer did a great job. It's more of a support position, rather than a coaching spot.
"It’s a support system," Manning said. "It’s a guy that’s going to have your back and support you. When some coaches might not see things some ways, the quarterback coach sees it your way. I thought Coach Palmer did a great job. He thought more like a quarterback than a coach. That’s what you want, a guy that’s seeing what you’re seeing. Anybody can say ‘Hey you had a guy wide open over there.’ But (a quarterback coach knows) my read is over here, and I can’t help that (the defense) busted a coverage because I’m not even supposed to be looking at that guy."
Manning said the search will continue next week.
EP
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I will bet u a beer Osi is gone by day one of the draft. This guy is a jerk and verybody around there knows it. I would like to officially throw my hat in the ring for a chance at the QB coach position. I have watched every Giants game in the last 20 years, and was a hell of a qb in Gym class. I can support Eli.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you just give away Pro Bowl players coming off a down year where the entire defense was plain awful from top to bottom.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Osi is not a cancer...yet. He created some animosity at the beginning of the season and has made some dumb comments now in the early stages of the off-season. Hard to call it that when the Super Bowl hasn't even been played yet. He went to a Pro Bowl twice? Three times at most? He had 14 sacks in one season, but 6 of those came in one game. Yes, the guy is not a Strahan or Freeney. He is still a good DE. It might have been a hard adjustment. No matter what the situation is, if Osi's attitude starts becoming detrimental to the team, a change must be made. This team has come too far from the Tiki/Shockey/Plax fiascos. A precendce has been set. If Osi continues to become a prima dona, I say trade him. So far, the Giants seem to be a stand-up team at this point. With good players such as Eli, Steve Smith, Boss, Tuck, who play with heart and not with a chip on their shoulder, it is not fair to these guys to have Osi not being a team player. Guess what Osi, if you end up on the bench, it is because you didn't want it enough. I hope you are right, Ernie, and he might be trying to motivate himself. But, after having the Tiki-Shockey-Plax situations, I have become jaded and have a short fuse for this type of stuff.
ReplyDeleteWayno, I am all for you being QB coach, as long as I can call the plays. I still think KG has no imagination on gameday.
I don't think you can quite compare Osi's statements or antics to the likes of Barber, Shockey, or Burress. The guy doesn't want to be a part-time player and he wants to make that known. I see no problem there. That's a gamer's attitude. With that said, if his play proves to be less than adequate then deal with it accordingly. We just can't talk about ridding ourselves of a player of his caliber with nothing in return.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Dad, Archie ?
ReplyDelete