Osi Umenyiora restructured the remaining year of his contract, and will play with the NY Giants in 2012. Details of the contract were not immediately available. As of this posting, apparently the contract was not extended beyond 2012. When more details emerge, we’ll be able to comment about the terms.
This is obviously terrific news for Umenyiora and the NY Giants. And it is easily bad news for the rest of the NFC East and all of the Giants competitors. With Osi wearing #72 for the Gmen in 2012, he is going to be most productive for this team. Free agency makes the league a weaker product because players lose their familiarity with their previous teammates and playbook. The Giants and Umenyiora are conversely a stronger team and player by staying together.
I frankly did not expect a deal. Inertia told me that multiple years of dissatisfaction, bickering, implied distrust etc were going to be very hard to overcome. This is pure speculation on my part, but winning a(nother) Super Bowl could not have hurt the chances of the Giants and Umenyiora getting a deal done. They got to carry forward some ‘feel-good’ sentiments and likely were able to bridge a narrower gap to patch things together.
Umenyiora has to realize that his chances for going to the Hall of Fame improve if he can somehow remain in blue. For starters, by staying, he improves his and the Giants’ chances of winning another title NOW. Wearing 2 rings is going to get you consideration, but wearing 3 will obviously get you more. Secondly- Osi has 30 Forced Fumbles and is 17 FF’s away from the #1 spot. At the rate he is going, if he stays healthy, he could get there in ~4 years. If Osi is wearing 3 rings and has the FF crown, that can give him consideration. Detractors will note that he has never been an effective run-stopper, but in today’s NFL of 2012, who gives two flying Fs?! Get to the passer, sack the QB, strip the ball, change the game. On this note, we will leave you with one image: Aaron Ross is beat and Aaron Rodgers is about to connect for a wide open TD, but it is Osi Umenyiora who strips the ball for a turnover in the playoff win over the Packers… the NY Giants’ chances for a repeat in 2012 just got a whole lot better.
Extra: This news about Martellus Bennett pisses me off. We noted back in March that the signing was sized to 1 year because of (1) Ballard coming back thereafter PLUS (2) the headcase factor for this TE from Dallas. 291 lbs?!! Headcase? Underachiever? The Giants made the skinniest of commitments so that Bennett could prove his worth and reestablish his value in the NFL. Wasn’t that plenty of motivation for the guy to get a fresh start? It’s already June and he is 36 lbs over his listed weight. I haven’t seen sabotage like this since OL Jeff Hatch, the UPenn R3 terd draft pick that had a back injury from the moment his bonus check cleared. Barring MB having had another medical issue (like an illness or another injury which prevented him from working out.. remember Hakeem Nicks?!), he is guilty until proven innocent.
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