Osi Umenyiora Needs To Check His Giant Ego at the Door and Play Ball

For what seems like an eternity, fans and players alike have been subjected to the whining of New York Giants All-Pro Defensive End Osi Umenyiora about the "unfair" treatment and "lies" the 29-year-old has received from the only team he has known in his eight-year NFL career.

He continues to claim that in 2008 Giants GM Jerry Reese promised to either re-negotiate his contract or trade him to a team that would, contingent on the fact that he was still playing at a "high level."

Umenyiora went as far as to put his gripes in writing on an affadavit that was to be filed in Federal Court as part of the NFL players "anti-trust" lawsuit against the NFL during the lockout.

As the lockout ended, he held out, resulting in a $30,000 fine.

Since deciding that the cost was too much, he arrived at camp the next day...only to sit himself on an exercise bike and refusing to participate in practice, resting what he insists is a "sore knee."

Teammate Justin Tuck, a long-time supporter of Osi's, has softened on his original stance that Umenyiora was not "playing games" with the Giants by claiming to be injured. Yesterday, when asked if he felt that was the case again, Tuck replied, "I haven't been in his situation yet...I'm not a good chess player. So you'd have to ask Osi that question."

Former teammate and Giants captain Antonio Piece also chimed in on the situation during a lengthy discussion on ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning, giving his brutally honest assessment of the situation:

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“It is kind of hard to say I am on Osi’s side...I understand it from the player’s side but from the ownership side they are doing the right thing. They understand that there are some medical issues with Osi and maybe he doesn’t have a lot of good years left with that health and his body.

The guy is being very productive but Osi needs to make up his mind and say you know what, I might not go out there and get money like I think I can, I might not get this Charles Johnson money. Maybe I am going to settle for this seven or eight million I am going to make in the next two years.

“Really I’m not on Osi’s side on this one. I think he should have stuck to his guns back in 2008. I think it’s a missed opportunity for him.”

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Said Giants DT Chris Canty, "Make no mistake about it, we're a better team with Osi out there...But if he's unavailable, we've got guys who can play and perform at a very high level. If that time comes and Osi's not here, we'll do what we have to do and get the job done."

It certainly sounds as if the players are starting to grow tired of the constant questions surrounding his future.

With 2010 first-round pick Jason Pierre-Paul taking reps that Umenyiora would normally take and with Matthias Kiwanuka back in the fold with the ability to play on the edge or at linebacker, the Giants have options should Umenyiora continue to hold firm and refuse to play.

If Pierre-Paul turns into a "Jevon Kearse-like" player as many pundits believe he could, one has to wonder whether the Giants would even need Osi.

While the team has not rebuffed his assertion that he has an injury, it certainly seems a convenient excuse for someone who does not want to perform under his current deal, one that pays him $7.1 million over the next two years, including $3.1 million this season.

That's not bad money.

Osi wants nearly $10 million a season, more in line with what he believes the top defensive ends in the league are worth.

For argument's sake, let's say that Jerry Reese and the Giants were willing and able to give him a raise of $7 million.

How much do you want to bet that his "knee injury" would quickly heal?

What Osi fails to take into account is the fact that the Giants are perilously short on cap space—so much so that they were unable to re-sign tight end Kevin Boss and jettisoned Rich Seubert and Shaun O'Hara, long-time fixtures on the offensive line in order to be able to sign their draft picks—and along with RB Brandon Jacobs re-structuring his contract, have the ability to re-sign RB Ahmad Bradshaw.

The Giants gave his agent, Tony Agnone permission to seek a trade for his client—with the understanding that the Giants were only interested if they were receiving a first-round draft pick in return.

Agnone failed, only able to garner interest from teams willing to surrender a second-round pick, and the Giants promptly told him to stop seeking a deal.

While the shelf-life of a NFL player is a short one and players have small windows of opportunity in which to maximize their earnings, it is not as if he's not been well paid thus far.

If he's been pissing his money away, that's his problem, not one that the Giants need to be concerned with.

Umenyiora needs to do the right thing for both himself and the team and get on the field. While there is no questioning that, when healthy, he is one of the three best defensive ends in the game, sitting on the sidelines only shows other teams that he is a malcontent who will pout and throw a tantrum until he gets his way.

It also leaves questions unanswered about his ability to maintain his performance level coming off his outstanding 2010 campaign as he reaches his 30th birthday—he will turn 30 on November 16, just before the Giants' Week 11 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

None of the above issues are going to help his value around the league or give him leverage to use against the Giants.

Perhaps he would prefer to play on nothing more than one-year contracts, thus allowing him to re-negotiate his salary after each season.

What's that Osi? You don't want to do that because if you have a down year or get injured, chances are you would receive offers lower than your last contract?

That's what I thought.

Grow up Osi. There are far more egregious things in the world then making a couple of million dollars a year to live your dream...to play a game.