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Upon Further Review
DE Osi Umenyiora suffered a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee and is out for the 2008 season
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com

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AUGUST 23, 2008

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - Tom Coughlin's and the Giants' worst fears were realized today when they learned that defensive end Osi Umenyiora - the team's four-time sack leader and lone Pro Bowler from the 2007 Super Bowl champions - will miss the entire 2008 season with a left knee injury suffered in last night's preseason loss to the Jets.

DE Osi Umenyiora is lost for the 2008 season with a torn lateral meniscus

After an MRI and an exam today at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, team physical Dr. Russell Warren told Coughlin that Umenyiora has a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee. Umenyiora is scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday. Coughlin said on a conference call today that the recovery period could be four months.

It is every coach's nightmare to lose one of your best players to a long-term injury in a preseason game. It happened to the Giants almost 10 years ago to the day, also against the Jets, when cornerback Jason Sehorn suffered torn knee ligaments returning the opening kickoff. Now the Giants have lost Umenyiora, their two-time Pro Bowl end, just 76 days after Michael Strahan, their Hall of Famer at the same position, announced his retirement.

"I think the number one thing that strikes is frustration, anxiety, knots in your stomach - all the things that go along with the injury to the players that do not allow your team to function as it is presented on paper," Coughlin said. "Those types of things are very difficult for coaches, no matter what age you are."

Umenyiora had one solo tackle in the game before he was hurt with 10:48 remaining in the second quarter. On third-and-seven from the 50, Umenyiora was rushing quarterback Brett Favre when he was pushed by Jets tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson. Umenyiora's foot might have briefly stuck to the turf and he went down. He did not put weight on his left leg as he was helped off the field by members of the Giants medical staff. After being examined on the bench, Umenyiora hopped to a cart and was driven off the field. He was replaced by Dave Tollefson.

In his news conference after the Giants' 10-7 loss, Coughlin was hopeful that Umenyiora would not miss an extended period of time.

"There was no attempt last night to make us aware of the possible severity of the injury," Coughlin. "Obviously, nothing had been done yet. There was no MRI and they could not conduct a full examination. Once that was conducted, then the doctors felt very strongly about this course of action.

"It is an extensive injury that takes considerable time (to heal). I have heard it said four months, but again, probably each individual is somewhat different. The doctors have told me that this will be a four month recovery."

Coughlin learned about Umenyiora's condition in a noontime phone conversation with Dr. Warren. "It was obviously the news I didn't want to hear," Coughlin said. The coach later spoke by phone with Umenyiora. "He was obviously subdued, but he assured me that he was okay," Coughlin said.

While many inside and outside the organization wonder how Umenyiora's absence will affect the Giants, Coughlin was focused on his injured player.

"My number one concern is about Osi," Coughlin said. "I did talk to him on the phone a short while ago and told him that he is in everyone's thoughts and prayers and that this is something that ... Dr. Warren has convinced us that this repair will put him in great shape going forward and because of that we are certainly 100 percent behind the decision. We just hope that the surgery goes well on Tuesday and that it is a full recovery and that he is even better than ever here shortly down the road.

"After listening to the explanation and Dr. Warren's thoughts on it, I am convinced that this is the right procedure, the right way to go. I tried to talk to the coaches about it and I assured the coaches that we will have to be at our best, because our team will know before they come in here tomorrow because of the media and we have to do a great job of getting our players refocused and our thoughts on going forward."

But in the short term the Giants will sorely miss Umenyiora. The sixth-year pro is one of the NFL's very best defensive ends. He has 40.5 sacks in the previous four seasons, including a team-best 13 in 2007, when he was twice named NFC Defensive Player of the Week and was selected to his second Pro Bowl in three years. Last Sept. 30 Umenyiora set a franchise record with 6.0 sacks against Philadelphia.

Umenyiora had worked hard this offseason and was expected to help fill the leadership void created by Strahan's departure. Now the first order of business is finding someone to play right end. Justin Tuck, who had 10.0 sacks in 2007, has stepped in for Strahan on the left side.

Coughlin was not prepared to address potential replacements in depth because had not yet spoken to the players. It is possible Mathias Kiwanuka could return to the line. He was drafted on the first round as a defensive end two years ago and had 4.0 sacks there as a rookie. Kiwanuka was moved to strongside linebacker last year and has remained there this summer.

"I haven't talked to any of the players or to Kiwi or anyone this afternoon," Coughlin said, "and until I do that, I will just refrain from any thoughts about what might happen within our team."

What about the possibility of asking Strahan to end his brief retirement? He visited the team in Albany near the end of training camp and said he didn't miss playing. Strahan is about to begin a new career as an analyst on the FOX Network's NFL pre and postgame shows.

"The only thing I have talked to Michael about is his new challenge, moving forward in his new assignment, and he was very excited about that," Coughlin said.

The other in-house possibilities include third-year pro Dave Tollefson, who does not have an NFL sack, and 12-year veteran Renaldo Wynn, who joined the Giants in June and was expected to be a backup at end and tackle.

General manager Jerry Reese, Coughlin and his assistant coaches are already weighing their options. The Giants conclude preseason play Thursday at home against New England. They open the regular season on Thursday night, Sept. 4, against NFC East rival Washington (which announced today that its star defensive end, Jason Taylor, will miss 10-14 days with a sprained knee).

"I am sure that Jerry Reese and I and ownership will look long and hard at whatever options are out there," Coughlin said, "and do what is best here at this point in time."