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Super Bowl could be Osi’s last game with Giants

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George Willis
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Feb 3, 2012

INDIANAPOLIS — Osi Umenyiora insisted it was all an innocent mistake. He didn’t realize the media interview session Wednesday morning was mandatory or that his absence would create all the fuss it did. He simply wanted to spend some time with his family. That’s his story and he’s sticking to it.

“It cost me a lot of money,” Umenyiora said of the $20,000 fine he incurred for skipping the session. “I’m sorry about that. But at the end of the day, I don’t know what I had to discuss with you guys between Tuesday’s media day and Wednesday morning. It’s not like we had a practice or anything like that.”

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He had a point. But having gone through this routine four years ago at Super Bowl XLII and knowing what a stickler Tom Coughlin is for players understanding their schedule, it is hard to believe Umenyiora was the only one among the players and coaching staff who thought Wednesday’s interview session was not mandatory.

Truth is, his no-show wasn’t totally out of character because Umenyiora has been known to make impulsive decisions that leaves him open to ridicule. Whether it was walking out of training camp after having a spat with a defensive coach, or not practicing because of a contract dispute with general manager Jerry Reese or abruptly having knee surgery to the surprise of his own team, Umenyiora has often walked to the beat of his own drum.

This latest AWOL venture will be judged the way all the previous indiscretions were — by his actions on the field. Sunday’s Super Bowl showdown against the Patriots could very well be Umenyiora’s last game as a Giant.

He has one year remaining on a $41 million deal he signed in 2005. Attempts last summer to renegotiate nearly turned ugly and could become contentious enough this offseason to prompt the Giants to trade the former Pro Bowl defensive end.

With Jason Paul-Pierre looking like a future star, the Giants will have to send big money his way soon, and there might not be enough in the budget to pay Justin Tuck, Pierre-Paul and Umenyiora. There were a few whispers Umenyiora’s stiff-arm of the media was somehow related to his pursuit of a new deal, but he insisted, “It had nothing to do with the contract. That’s hilarious.”

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If Umenyiora is the odd man out when the team\nstarts planning for the 2012 season, Sunday’s game will be his last chance to\nadd a second Super Bowl ring to his Giants legacy, joining the likes of former\ndefensive heroes Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks and Leonard Marshall.

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Umenyiora hasn’t always been as loved by fans as those players are. Even\ncurrent teammates like Eli Manning, Tuck, Victor Cruz or even Pierre-Paul would\ntop him in a popularity contest. But if he can put Tom Brady on his pants a few\ntimes Sunday night and lift the Lombardi Trophy again, Umenyiora will have to be\nmentioned among the very best defensive players in Giants history.

If he\nis traded, he will be missed. However fickle he could be with the media,\nUmenyiora has always practiced — and played — hard. There are certainly enough\nbig plays left in his game to make a difference Sunday.

His individual\nbattle with Patriots tackle Matt Light is one of the spotlights of the game. If\nUmenyiora wins more battles than he loses, missing the media session on\nWednesday will be forgotten. If he does not have an impact and the Giants lose,\nUmenyiora’s media absence could be labeled as a distraction that caused him to\nlose focus.

My guess is Umenyiora will make one of those big-time plays\nthat big-time players make in big games. Sacking the quarterback, causing a\nfumble or recovering one is what Umenyiora has always done best. Sunday could be\nhis last chance to do it as a Giant.

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