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Osi demand to start or he will Quit

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Post  Big_Pete Thu Feb 04, 2010 3:25 am

from http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2010/02/ny_giants_defensive_end_says_h.html

NY Giants defensive end says he'd rather quit than be a backup next season
By Mike Garafolo/The Star-Ledger
February 03, 2010, 5:44PM

osi020310.jpgJustin Lane/EPAGiants defensive end Osi Umenyiora said Wednesday he hopes to return to the Giants next season but is not sure if that will happen.
Two years ago, it was Jeremy Shockey's situation that beared watching in the off-season. Last year, it was Plaxico Burress, his legal issues and his trade request.

This year, the precarious situation for the Giants is the one involving Osi Umenyiora.

The two-time Pro Bowl selection had a rough season in 2009 - from the time he left a team meeting after being criticized by then-defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan to his being relegated to a pass-rush specialist late in the season after concerns about his play against the run.

Umenyiora hasn't demanded a trade and only said in late December a few things needed to change before he could agree to return to the Giants. One of those things was his desire to be a starter again.

Wednesday, in an interview on WFAN with Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts, Umenyiora said he'd rather retire than be a situational player once again.

"I’m not going to be a back up player, I can promise you that,” Umenyiora said. “I’ll stop playing football before I do that ever again. This has been just the worst off-season of my entire life. I can’t even think of a time when things were this bad during the off-season. You’re supposed to be relaxing, but I can’t relax because all I can think of is the things that took place last season. So for me, it’s not something that I’m going to do. And if I’m asked to come back there and do that then I’ll just stop playing football.”

That was the tail end of his response to a question about whether he thinks he'll be back with the Giants. This was the start of the quote: "That’s a good question. I hope so. I have a lot of love for the team. I love the Giants. I’ve been there my entire career and I’d love to stay there. I’m under contract with them until 2012 so I can’t sit over here and say with any degree of confidence that I’m not going to be there next year."

But he's obviously been thinking about it being the end of his Giants career for a while.

“Did it go through my mind? Obviously, yes,” he said. “Obviously, you come through a situation where you’ve been here for a long time and you’ve won (a) Super Bowl, you’ve been to the Pro Bowl a couple of times and then things like that start happening, you start being benched and they say you’re coming in on the third-down rush. It almost seemed as if the writing was on the wall at that particular time. I felt like I had worn out my welcome, because once teams start doing things like that, it seems like you’ve obviously worn out your welcome. For certain people, no matter what happens, they’ll never take them out of the lineup. ... But you never know, man. I hope it’s not. I hope things can be rectified and things can be resolved. But we’ll see.”

If it doesn't get resolved, you can bet Umenyiora will go the Shockey route and push hard for a trade. To whom? Well, that remains to be seen, but I'll tell you right now to keep the Rams (with former Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo as their coach) at the top of that list.

* * * *

Speaking of former Giants coordinators, Umenyiora told me on the day Sheridan was fired the two of them were "cool on a personal level" and that the real force behind his being benched was Tom Coughlin. Umenyiora told Joe and Evan similar stuff Wednesday and said he had no incidents with Sheridan other than when he bailed on the meeting. Umenyiora also told the guys the blame for the defense's play is "absolutely not" solely on Sheridan.

Read between the lines here, folks. Basically, Sheridan's firing did nothing to ease Umenyiora's list of concerns about his situation with the Giants. He and Coughlin have plenty to iron out moving forward if he's going to come back.
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Post  Big_Pete Thu Feb 04, 2010 3:26 am

from http://blogs.northjersey.com/blogs/trueblue/osi_taking_the_shockey_route/

Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Osi taking the Shockey route?

While Jeremy Shockey insists he did not talk himself off the Giants, Osi Umenyiora apparently is following the Shockey trail in an attempt to leave town.

Umenyiora, who lost his starting job late last season, said on WFAN Wednesday, “I’m not going to be a backup player, I can promise you that. I’ll stop playing football before I do that ever again. If I’m asked to come back there and do that then I’ll just stop playing football.

“I felt like I had worn out my welcome, because for certain people, no matter what happens, they’ll never take them out of the lineup.”

The Giants say they have no interest in parting ways with Umenyiora. But remember, GM Jerry Reese said, “Jeremy Shockey is our starting tight end” almost up to the day he was sent to New Orleans, where he now is using the Super Bowl as a platform to insist he never wanted to leave the team. He forgets, apparently, that several times he sought out team president John Mara to ask for a trade.

There certainly will be teams interested in Umenyiora if the Giants do make him available. But clubs with 3-4 defenses may not find a spot for him. He cannot hold up as an end in that format, and it’s unlikely he would be able to make the transition to outside linebacker.
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Post  Big_Pete Thu Feb 04, 2010 3:38 am

I must admit, I have had reservations about Osi heading into the offseason.

A significant portion of his issues last year seemed to be his attitude. While Sheridan may have been part of the problem, I don't think they were the main factor.

I actually think one of the biggest reasons comes back to money. He sees what the top DEs are getting and he wants to be paid likewise, but that isn't going to happen here. I also thought there would be simmering issued beneath the surface with the front office with his antics last year.

It seems to me now that Osi wants out. Reese is sayng he wants him, but that may be to maximise his trade value.

Osi's demand seems to be a sign of what will happen. He wants to be guaranteed to be the starter and is threatening to retire. Well there is no way he is going to be simply handed a starting gig after how he and the rest of the team performed. Osi is going to have to earn it like almost everyone else (although he certainly is the front runner). That is just isn't how Coughlin and the Giants do football.

Frankly considering the pathetic performance of our defense that is how it should be, particularly when you have someone like Kiwanuka in competition. Kiwanuka may not be in the same class as Osi as an edge rusher, but he puts in 100% and doesn't quit; plus he isn't afraid to mix it up in the trenches. I believe Osi should have confidence that he can work hard in the offseason and beat out Kiwanuka, instead he makes demands to start with the threat of retirement.

I think Osi is quickly heading towards the point of no return, I think it is very likely he will be traded.

I can easily see 3-4 teams like New England, San Diego, San Fransisco, Miami, Cleveland, Kansas City, Denver, NY Jets, Arizona plus 4-3 teams like St Louis, Indianapolis, Tennessee and Jacksonville all being very interested. All of these need a legitimate pass rusher and with the limited number of free agents, Osi will be in demand. I would be surprised if Osi is still on the roster come May.

I got to admit, I am extremely disappointed in Osi this season. I used be to a big fan, but I have lost almost all respect for him. To me that is not what Giants football is all about; it should be about physical play, toughness, playing hard for your team mates, rolling up your sleeves and getting dirty for the team.
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Post  56 Crazed Dogs Thu Feb 04, 2010 9:49 am

Simple fix.
Play better = more playing time = No Griping

Osi will be coming up in a few minutes on Mike & Mike in the morning. I'm curious to see if this subject matter comes up.
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Post  Pizan Thu Feb 04, 2010 11:56 pm

It's definitely no surprise. Osi is gonna get better value that people think.
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Post  Big_Pete Fri Feb 05, 2010 3:26 am

Pizan wrote:It's definitely no surprise. Osi is gonna get better value that people think.

I wouldn't be surprised if he got more, we will see
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Post  Pizan Fri Feb 05, 2010 5:07 pm

Behind QB a Pass rushing DE is arguably the next top priority for a team. Osi is only 28 years old and still a very effective pass rusher who has the athleticism to stand up and play a 3-4. There are a number of teams who would love to have him. I think Bids will start at a 2nd but bidding wars could escalate that into either a 2nd or 3rd or possibly the Saints, Jets, Chargers, Cardinals, and maybe even the Ravens looking at the end of the first. Almost all the teams with early seconds would be interested.
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Post  Big_Pete Sat Feb 06, 2010 12:29 am

That is true

plus Osi is a proven playmaker with exceptional spped and t quickness

frankly I wounld't be hugely surprised if one of the playoff teams gave up a late 1st for him. Particularly when the final 8 teams have additional restrictions in free agency.

Top of the list would ne San Diego who want to replace Merriman (and wanted Osi in the Eli-Rivers trade) and the Colts who may want another Freeney style DE and insurance for Freeney's health.
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