In Case You Missed It

~ There may not have been a practice session today, but there was plenty of news.  Those of you following my twitter feed (that's @fatgiantfan) enjoyed the roller coaster that was Hakeem Nicks' knee.  The 2nd year receiver--who it seems everyone is convinced is going to have a huge year--hyper-extended his knee near the end of practice on Tuesday.  It sounded eerily similar to the Dominik Hixon fiasco last month.  He had an MRI that night, but this morning the team announced that he was headed back to NYC for another MRI and closer examination.  It had the makings of a disaster for sure.  But when the dust settled, it turned out the Giants were just being extra cautious and the doctors reported no damage.  Nicks is reportedly already back up in Albany and the team did not rule out him returning to practice as early as tomorrow.  Phew.....

~Sean O'Hara also got good news from the docs in NYC.  His ankle is still swollen, though, and it looks like this could be a chronic injury.  Fortunately, he's one tough SOB, and G Rich Seubert scoffed at the idea that the injury will keep O'Hara out.  Still something to keep an eye on, though.  Back-up C Adam Koets and Seubert filled in for the injured O'Hara with the first team on Tuesday.

~ It seems Osi Umenyiora has had a change of heart.  In a very unusual interview with reporters today he backed off his off-season demands to start:

“Obviously I’ve been very selfish in the past in my demands in some of the things that I wanted.  I don’t really feel that way anymore, right now. There’s enough playing time for everybody. As soon as I get on that football field I’m going to make plays, period, no matter where they put me at. If I’m coming off the bench I’m going to be the best bench player ever....  I’ve been talking to the coaches and talking to everybody around and realized they probably really felt like what they were doing (last year when they benched him) was in our best interests,” Umenyiora said. “It wasn’t nothing personal against me. That’s just the way I have to roll with it.”  (from the bluescreen)

He also talked about his injury and his decision not to have surgery.  Again, it was a bit strange:

“I’m really not looking forward to getting cut open again.  It’s something that I really don’t want to do. But at some point its going to be necessary and at some point, if I feel like I need to prolong my career, it’s something I’m going to have to do eventually....

"Sometimes I think that I do (want to prolong my career), and sometimes I think, ‘Really, what am I prolonging my career for? Everything I wanted coming into the NFL — every single thing — I’ve accomplished. Whether that’s winning a Super Bowl or being an all-pro player or being financially secure, I’ve accomplished all that already. So I’m not sure that’s something I want to continue to do."  (from the bluescreen)

On one hand, Osi's new-found team-first attitude is a welcome surprise. On the other hand, something just doesn't sound right about all of this.  I think it's now clear to Osi that he can't win the starting job outright, and that more than anything else is driving this change of heart.  The "if I feel like I need to prolong my career" line reminds me of Tiki Barber.  Like Tiki, Osi loves being in front of a camera, he is always doing guest-spots on bye weeks and the off-season.  And his comments suggest that like Tiki, he is not interested in tearing up his body for the love of the game.  Not that I blame him....

~ The other Steve Smith (from Carolina) said he's "going after" the Giants' Michael Johnson in week 1 in retaliation for a hit from last year.  Johnson fired back “Who you talking about? The Steve Smith that went to the Pro Bowl?  So you’re not talking about Pro Bowl Steve Smith, right?” 

~ Oh...I almost forgot.  Plaxico Burress may be out of jail in time for this season (still faces suspension by the league).  Rumors are flying about the Giants resigning him but don't waste your time with that nonsense--it's not going to happen.