Osi Umenyiora “Banged Up Beyond Belief”: For at least several weeks, DE Osi Umenyiora has been slowed by an issue with his right knee. The Daily News is reporting that contrary to what the Giants were claiming last week, it was Umenyiora’s left knee (not the right knee) that almost kept him out of game against the Bears. Umenyiora apparently hurt his left knee – the same knee he had surgery on in August 2008 – at practice last Thursday. The injury kept him out of practice on Friday and Umenyiora needed an injection in the knee just to play on Sunday night.
The Daily News reports that an unidentified source says Umenyiora was probably not going to play until it was learned that DE Mathias Kiwanuka (neck) was to miss the game. The paper says the two knee injuries are bothering Umenyiora more than the team is letting on. So is an issue with his hip that will likely require offseason surgery. The unidentified source says its the hip issue that is likely causing Umenyiora to put more stress on his knees. “It’s all probably related to the hip,” the source said. “He is banged up beyond belief.”
Ahmad Bradshaw Named “NFC Offensive Player of the Week”: HB Ahmad Bradshaw has been named “NFC Offensive Player of the Week” for his performance against the Chicago Bears last Sunday. Bradshaw rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries and caught two passes for 14 yards.
Notes and Quotes: As is often the case on Tuesdays, a number of players worked out for the Giants yesterday including TE Nathan Overbay, OL Ike Ndukwe, CB Joe Burnett, and P Hunter Smith.
The following are the regular-season records of Giants’ head coaches through 100 games:
Steve Owen: 59-34-7
Tom Coughlin: 57-43
Bill Parcells: 56-43-1
Jim Fassel: 56-43-1
Allie Sherman: 52-44-4
The Bears were 0-for-13 on third-down conversions attempts against the Giants. It was the first time a Giants’ opponent was 0-for-13 or worse on third downs in a regular-season game since the merger. However, the Washington Redskins were 0-for-14 against the Giants in the 1986 NFC Championship Game.
QB Eli Manning on Giants’ fans turning on former Giant HB Tiki Barber: “You know if they’re asking him questions, he’s gonna say something and say whatever is on his mind. A few years ago, he made comments about me and I kinda fired back and went through the whole deal. Not that I feel bad for Tiki, but it’s unfortunate how everything has happened. My brother told me that when they introduced him (for the Ring of Honor on Sunday) there were a lot of boos. It’s just unfortunate because he was a great player for the Giants, had a great career, and was a great player in my first years here and helped us win a lot of games when I wasn’t playing particularly well. It’s unfortunate how it’s all happened, but I think he’s definitely deserving of making the Ring of Honor. It’s unfortunate how people view him now because he was a great player for the Giants, but things have happened that are unfortunate.”
