E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat writer
for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995.
He is the author of 26 books and he is one of
only four sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls.
Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

By Dave Klein
OSI UNDERGOES MINOR KNEE SURGERY
PROGNOSIS BETWEEN THREE AND SIX WEEKS

By Dave Klein
... and the beat goes on.

Defensive end Osi Umenyiora insisted his knee hurt, but the Giants' team doctors cleared him to play.

Then Friday, one of those team doctors, Russell Warren, consented to do a minor surgical process on his right knee, an "arthroscopic debridement," as it was called. (Debridement - the medical removal of dead, damaged or infected tissue to promote the healing of the remaining healthy tissue.) So who was right and who was wrong, or is all this still about his unhappiness with his contract?

Yeah, like that.

Even the projected time of recuperation differs between sides in this "he said, she said" scenario. The Giants have announced a waiting time of three to four weeks, while Osi and his camp are predicting six weeks.

"It was a simple debridement," said Ronnie Barnes, the team’s Vice President of Medical Services, of the procedure performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Barnes also projected the recovery time to be approximately three-to-four weeks.

"Osi called me at the end of the day yesterday to let me know that he wanted to have the surgery now," said general manager Jerry Reese. "After practicing for three days he had some swelling in the knee, and it was clear that we were going to have to adjust his practice routine to every other day to maintain his knee. Osi's feeling is he wants to get it cleaned up now because he is looking forward to playing this season, and he wants to do it without the knee being an issue for him. He told me how much he really enjoyed being back on the field this week, and he's looking forward to getting back out there once he recovers from the procedure."

Osi chimed in with this: "It was better to do it now as opposed to mid- season. It was going to have to be done, the only question was when. If I'm going to miss a little while, I would prefer it be now than at the crucial part of our season. It's the best decision for the team and myself."

And just wondering, but what if during this healing process Jason Pierre-Paul really takes off and Osi is demoted to a reserve? That is bound to make him even more unhappy, you know?

"Between the doctors and Osi," said head coach Tom Coughlin, "it was decided that he would have the procedure now and hopefully eliminate the risk of swelling and practicing only on certain days. Maybe he'll come back fast and it will be only three weeks or so."

One must question what team would sign Osi if he gains his 'freedom" after this season or if the Giants make him play out the second year currently in effect. He'll be 30 in November and should he have to play out (or sit out) his full contract, he'll be 31 before he can begin to test the free agent market.

Add to that an apparently growing reputation as a "diva" and this might be the last major payday he realizes.

EXTRA POINTS - The Giants have signed former No. 1 draft pick Jimmy Kennedy, 6-4 and between 305 and 320, to a one year contract. The Penn State defensive tackle who was the 12th overall pick in the 2003 draft by St. Louis has played with five teams since then - St. Louis, Denver, Chicago, Jacksonville and Minnesota. ... He played in nine games for the Vikings last year but sat on the sidelines at the end of the season because of knee surgery.

Reports are rampant that MetLife has agreed to purchase the naming rights to the New Meadowlands Stadium, a deal that would bring the Giants and Jets a total of $17 million annually. ... The insurance company made famous by Snoopy and the Red Baron currently pays $7 million for one of the quadrants around the stadium, but would give up that cornerstone once the full stadium naming rights are officially in place.

Five players returned to practice Friday - quarterback Sage Rosenfels, weakside linebacker Michael Boley, defensive end Justin Tuck, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and rookie safety Jarrard Tarrant. ... Three did not practice - cornerback Terrell Thomas (death in the family), wide receiver Darius Reynaud (hamstring) and kicker Lawrence Tynes (quad bruise).

Check out Dave's website at E-GIANTS where you can subscribe to his newsletters which run much more frequently than what is available here.
- Team Giants

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