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Can't hurt Giants just to give Strahan a call

Bob Glauber

August 25, 2008

Michael Strahan answered my text message within minutes. Not a bad response time, considering he's vacationing in Europe, according to a close friend.

The subject was Osi Umenyiora's injury, and Strahan knew what was coming next. So ...

"I already heard the news and I've been asked the question, but 'no comment' is my answer," Strahan wrote.

And there you have it. Not long after it was revealed that Umenyiora would miss the season because of surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee, Strahan did not completely close the door on a return to the Giants. After all, he said "no comment," not "no way." This just 76 days after announcing he was retiring.

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But before you jump to any conclusions about the 36-year-old Strahan coming back, remember this: The Giants have to ask him first. And as of last night, they had not done so. It doesn't mean they won't, but the team will be very deliberate about what they do at this point.

Even if Strahan is tempted to make like Brett Favre and unretire, it would still be a mild surprise if he actually went through with it.

Consider this: When I saw him last Monday at Giants Stadium when he showed up for the Giants-Browns preseason game, I asked him whether he missed the game. He said he did not, and that he is thoroughly enjoying his new career as a Fox television announcer and pitchman for several products.

Then he related a story about something Lawrence Taylor once told him about when it's time to walk away from the NFL.

"LT used to say, 'Once you don't want to hit people, you're done,'" Strahan said. "I don't want to hit anyone."

As one Giants executive told me yesterday when I asked what his gut feeling was about a Strahan return: "My gut feeling is he stays retired."

So even if the Giants offered Strahan enough incentive to come back - i.e. several million dollars - you'd have to wonder if his motivation would be sufficient to get him through the year.

Sure, he missed all of training camp last year and didn't report until the week before the regular-season opener. But Strahan had not retired at that point, and sat out while figuring out whether he wanted to keep playing. In the end, he decided to come back, and wound up with a storybook ending to his career by winning the Super Bowl.

Strahan was convincing at his news conference in May announcing his retirement, and it seemed like nothing could change his mind. He sounded just as convinced when I spoke to him last week.

Then again, Favre sounded sure he was done when he tearfully explained his reasons for quitting at a news conference in Green Bay in March. And look where he is now.

It surely would be tempting for the Giants to give Strahan a call, and they owe it to themselves to at least check it out. But they also realize a Strahan return isn't necessarily the simple answer in this case. Remember, Strahan plays left end and Umenyiora plays right. Taking over at Strahan's old spot is Justin Tuck, who I'm convinced can develop into the premier left end in the game before long. Maybe even this season. Moving Tuck to the right side doesn't make much sense, especially if Strahan would need several weeks to get his conditioning up to the proper level.

Don't forget, too, that general manager Jerry Reese needs to take into consideration the other consequences of throwing millions at Strahan for a return. Umenyiora himself was looking for a substantial raise but was rebuffed. Plaxico Burress' contract extension is still unresolved. And linebacker Antonio Pierce sounds like he wants a new deal, too.

But the Giants ought to at least find out first whether the guy is interested in playing. If so, then see what it would take to bring him back. If not, then move on.

If a Strahan return doesn't happen, then one alternative is to have Dave Tollefson take over at Umenyiora's spot; a cataclysmic drop-off, for sure, considering Tollefson doesn't have so much as a single sack on his resume. The better alternative is to move strong-side linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka, who was drafted as a defensive end but switched to linebacker before last season. Having Kiwanuka go back to right end would give the Giants the kind of bookend defensive ends they would need to put together a quality pass rush.

The Giants have decent linebacker depth to move someone into Kiwanuka's spot - Gerris Wilkinson and Chase Blackburn are candidates. And the Giants could use Kiwanuka, Tollefson and newly acquired veteran Renaldo Wynn in a rotation that would keep the pass rushers fresh.

Sounds like a plan, especially if a Strahan return is off the table. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time a future Hall of Fame player well into his 30s decided to come out of retirement.

Isn't that right, Brett?