Giants Lose Umenyiora for the Season

Several weeks ago when faced with the question of who the New York Giants can least afford to lose if they are to successfully defend their NFL championship, we answered Osi Umenyiora.

So, of course, who did the Giants lose over the weekend to injury but none other than Umenyiora himself.

In a bit of a freak occurrence, the veteran defensive end suffered what the team says is a torn lateral meniscus while planting his left foot, and will miss all of the 2008 NFL season. He is scheduled to go under the knife on Tuesday.

Obviously, this is a huge blow to the Giants and their defense considering Umenyiora was expected to step up in the absence of Michael Strahan, who called it quits following Super Bowl XLII. The injury has sparked speculation that the Giants will try to lure Strahan out of retirement, and Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reports that coach Tom Coughlin confirmed that just such a scenario was raised in the team’s offices on Sunday.

Those potential plans could be complicated, however, by the fact that Strahan is currently under contract with FOX. And there's been no indication yet on his part that he would even be interested in playing again this year.

My guess is he'll be very interested if the price is right.

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