8/04 NY Giants Training Camp Quotes from Osi Umenyiora

First published on Examiner

New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora is battling a hip injury that isn't going away. Neither is Osi.

"(The hip injury) is something I've been managing for the last couple of years. It's something that I'm going to continue to manage," Umenyiora remarked on Wednesday morning. While Umenyiora will eventually need surgery, he doesn't intend on going under the knife anytime soon. "I'm really not looking forward to getting cut open again," Umenyiora said. "It's something I really don't want to do but at some point it's going to be necessary and at some point - if I feel like I need to prolong my career or something - that I'm going to have to do eventually."

Umenyiora did hint that he may not feel the need to "prolong his career," stating "Everything that I wanted coming into the NFL, everything I wanted, I've accomplished, whether that's winning a Super Bowl or being an all-star player or being financially secure, I've accomplished all that already."

One thing Umenyiora has promised is to not blame the hip injury for his performance on the field during the 2010 NFL season. "That's the sissy way out," Umenyiora said. "However I go out there and play, it's not going to be because of my hip. I feel like I have the mental willpower to overcome all that and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

Umenyiora had made it clear in previous months that he either wanted to start for the Giants or play somewhere else. It appears that is no longer the case, as Umenyiora said "No matter where they put me, if I'm coming off the bench, I'm just going to be the best bench player ever so whatever they require me to do, I think they're going to use me to the best of my abilities because this team wants to win. It's not a personal vendetta against me or anything that I've done in the past. I think that everybody needs to be a little bit less selfish and realize that there's enough playing time, there's enough money, there's enough everything out there for everybody and I think we'll be good to go."

This was arguably the most interesting interview of the 2010 New York Giants NFL training camp. Osi Umenyiora had many Giants fans concerned due to his poor attitude and health problems. The health problems may not be going anywhere, and it seems that Umenyiora realizes he is not going to be the focal point of this team's pass rush. The Giants' defensive line is a unit, one that will have to work together in order to be successful in 2010.

All quotes courtesy of the New York Giants Communications Office

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