Report: Strahan, Giants discussing return; Kiwanuka moved to DE
ESPN.com news services


Ex-New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan and his former team have begun talks about a possible return in the wake of Osi Umenyiora's season-ending knee injury, the New York Daily News reported Monday, citing an unnamed source.

A team official called and talked to Strahan, 36, who retired in the offseason after helping lead the Giants to a Super Bowl championship, a source close to the seven-time Pro Bowler told the paper.


The paper had previously reported Strahan would come back with the Giants if offered an $8 million contract for this season, according to a source close to Strahan.

The Daily News later reported several of Strahan's friends said Monday that his interest in talking about a possible contract is genuine, but that he may seek as much as $12 million for this season.

"If the Giants make a sincere overture, it's a good chance that Strahan would consider coming back," one of the sources said, according to the Daily News. "There are other things he has to take into consideration: the money and his contract with Fox."

Strahan currently holds a position at Fox Sports as an NFL studio analyst.


"But if the Giants really want him, they have a shot," a source said. "It's not out of the question."


Co-owner Steve Tisch told the New York Post the Giants have warmed to Strahan returning.


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• Blog network: NFL Nation
"Would I like Michael to be a New York Giant this season? Absolutely. Absolutely," Tisch told the Post. "Will he be? I have no idea. I don't even want to put a percentage on it but things changed very quickly [Saturday] night and if one of the potential solutions is to reach out to Michael, worst-case, it's certainly worth a phone call.''

Coach Tom Coughlin addressed the early Strahan reports Monday and the Giants' void at defensive end.

"There hasn't been any discussion that I have been involved in there," Coughlin said. "We are going to explore every option that is available. And the last time that I talked with Michael he had accepted his new challenge and was very happy about that. And I have not spoken with him at all since the other night's game."

Coughlin said the Giants would move strongside linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka back to defensive end.

Kiwanuka was shifted to linebacker last year so the team could put its best 11 players on the field.


"The move was always to get the best, most quality people on the field," Coughlin said. "And Mathias accepted every job that we have offered and every task we have presented him with. I talked with him yesterday and he was more than ready to do whatever we wanted him to do that was in the best interest of the team."

Strahan, who is vacationing in Greece, turned down a $6 million contract offer in the offseason. He has since signed to work on Fox Sports NFL pregame shows on Sunday.

"There is no clock running," Coughlin said. "Obviously, whatever we can do that is in the best interest of our team, we will do it. I don't know that there is any sense of real --- we have people here that can play the positions. Obviously when you take Mathias and put him down, that gives more opportunity at the linebacker spot."


A Giant Hole?

Michael Strahan's retirement has proved part and parcel of the Giants' struggle this offseason to maintain a Super Bowl-caliber defense. Defensive end Osi Umenyiora was the latest loss.

2008 offseason DE Michael Strahan Retired
LB Kawika Mitchell Signed with Bills
LB Reggie Torbor Signed with Dolphins
S Gibril Wilson Signed with Raiders
DE Osi Umenyiora Out for season
Strahan wouldn't confirm the possibility of returning in an interview with the NFL Network.

"I haven't heard from anybody else, so to say if I would or wouldn't is premature," Strahan said. "So I'm enjoying my retired life right now."

Strahan retired in June, ending a 15-year career highlighted by the Giants' stunning Super Bowl victory over the unbeaten New England Patriots.

Coughlin recently talked with Strahan about his TV career.

"The only thing I talked with Michael about was his new challenge, moving forward in his new assignment and he was very excited about that," Coughlin said, according to The Associated Press.


Agent Tony Agnone said the Giants have not contacted him to ask about Strahan.

"Obviously, he loves the Giants and obviously he is working for Fox," Agnone said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "Right now he is relaxing and getting ready for his Fox gig."

Strahan missed all of training camp last season while mulling retirement. He reported to the team a little more than a week before the season opener and played well.

However, he trained while thinking about retirement last year and was in good shape.

The Giants open the season on Sept. 4 against the Washington Redskins.

Teammates tended to doubt that Strahan would return.

"As I know it, he is probably on a beach somewhere sipping on some pina coladas, so I doubt football is the first thing on his mind today," said defensive end Justin Tuck, who replaced Strahan at left end.

Defensive tackle Barry Cofield said Strahan gave no indication that he wanted to play again when he visited the Giants at training camp in Albany, N.Y., less than two weeks ago.

"He has not been bouncing back and forth like [Brett] Favre," Cofield said. "He has been pretty happy. We saw him up here and he said he missed it but he was content. He has decided to go on to the next phase of his life so I don't look too strongly into that [him playing again.]"

Danny Clark, a nine-year veteran who was signed as a free agent in the offseason, will move from weakside linebacker to the strong side to replace Kiwanuka. Gerris Wilkinson will start at weakside linebacker.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Is this going to be another Favre-like unretirement?

TMPletz said:

Well they are good friends. If you'll recall, it was Favre that laid down so Strayhan could get his sack "record".

I don't think he'll come back.

They were joking about this on ESPN but damn, I didn't think it was for real. It's going to hurt the Giants without Kiwanuka, that's for sure. If they offer Strahan the right kind of money...But again, is Strahan in "playing" shape? The brutha probaly has put on 40, 50 pounds easy already from being retired. The season's about to start. Sure he knows the system, the palys, has hella experience but...will HE be ready to play in such short notice? He come back and fuck around and could get hurt cuz he's not in shape. If that's the case.

blackguitaristz said:

I don't know what you're talking about cuz he hasn't gained that much weight at all. Dude looks great. ESPN just showed Chris Mortensen talking about it and he said he saw Michael two weeks ago and that he was still in shape but was complaining about shoulder problems. Their biggest issue IF he came back would be him being in condition to play. It would prolly take at least a month or two before he saw any playing time. But I still don't think he'll come back for less than $10 million, which I seriously doubt the Giants would pay.

blackguitaristz said:

Fixed it for you.

According to the Daily News, Strahan's ten pounds less than his playing weight of 255. He switched to cario & machine work and has lost some muscle.

What *I* wanna know is, what the fuck is the deal with the #1 draft pick quarterbacks cuz Matt Leinart and Alex Smith are some straight BUSTAS.

SCNDLS said:

That's cool..I wasn't saying that he HAD gained weight, I stated IF he had gained weight. Lot of cats, right after they retire, they swell up like a balloon. That's cool that he hasn't.

blackguitaristz said:

Don't worry, BG - SCNDLS takes her "big football men" VERY SERIOUSLY .

blackguitaristz said:

Oh, aight, cuz I was fista say . . . that nucca is STILL foine! I might have to cut Nicole Murphy though.

MuthaFunka said:

SCNDLS said:

Too soon to tell. This is the hardest position in pro sports. Veteran QBs will tell you it can take anywhere from 3-6 years for a young QB to "get it". There's so much to learn - playbooks, making split decisions at the snap, reading defenses, developing chemistry with teammates, adjusting to the insane speed of the NFL game, plus dealing with off-the-field stuff(media, fans). And if a young QB is on a bad team(with no O-line) or in a system that doesn't suit his style, it'll set him back further. It's unfair to expect these kids to be Dan Marino or Peyton Manning. Those are the exceptions.

Unfortunately, the NFL is a "now" league, which hurts the development of young QBs.

SCNDLS said:

Uh-huh - SEE! You just told on yaself with ya previous post!

Mars23 said:

hater

SCNDLS said:

Co-sign on that. Lemme at him!

uPtoWnNY said:

Given your comments (and I agree), why draft a QB in rounds 1 or 2 and pay millions for basically nothing the 1st few years in the league? Does this makes sense?

Graycap23 said:

I still think they're bustas cuz they're not even exhibiting the "natural" talent, cool heads, and smart play that got them there in the first place. I mean, even when Vince Young fucks up it's spectacular. You see the natural ability and hustle that will carry him until the rest of his game develops. I don't see that ability to think on your feet and get outta shit quick in Leinart or Smith since they came in the league.

SCNDLS said:

They look like scrubs, I agree. Brady Quinn is a scrub 2.

Graycap23 said:

They're paying for POTENTIAL, but the teams have to do a better job of developing these young QBs. Look at Romo, Rivers, Bulger, Garrard - they held the clipboard for a few years and it paid off. Nothing wrong with letting Leinart & Smith watch and learn. Leinart's in a bad situation, because the Cardinals are a horrible organization, with a lousy record of developing players.

uPtoWnNY said:

U can get potential in rounds 4 thru 8. It's just dumb. Where was Montana and Brady drafted?

uPtoWnNY said:

Were any of those guys #1 picks though??? I'm sorry but they've been watching for 3 years now and anytime they get playing time they make epic mistakes that go beyond they're on a learning curve. And when you're drafted that high isn't the expectation/assumption that you will naturally be able to overcome SOME mistakes and play through it cuz you have some exceptional skills? I dunno, they look quite busterish to me.

Graycap23 said:

Romo was undrafted.

Marc Bulger - sixth round
David Garrard - fourth round
[Edited 8/26/08 7:17am]

SCNDLS said:

True.

SCNDLS said:

A friend of mine at a football website posted this about Young. Dude's a football scout and he's 100% right:

"Vince has the potential to be great, but he has to make adjustments to his game, otherwise he'll be known as a glorified running back who can throw the ball on occasion. He's gifted athletically, but that will only take you so far(see Michael Vick - for him it led to injuries). Young has to learn to trust his arm and his receivers. If he can't trust his receivers, then the Titans better upgrade the position. And Young does a poor job of reading defenses....."

uPtoWnNY said:

Look at the Falcons, they gave Ryan $38 million guaranteed dollars. That is INSANE.

SCNDLS said:

If the Cardinals had a real staff, they would have realized Leinart has a soft arm. The smarter choice was Jay Cutler(dude has a rifle for an arm), but I guess Arizona was mesmerized by Leinart's good looks & USC pedigree.

Graycap23 said:

Dude's making more than Tom Brady, which is a disgrace.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the league is working on a rookie salary cap.

uPtoWnNY said:

The Commissioner wants one. They need one badly. Only established players deserve that kind of money.

uPtoWnNY said:

I agree completely, however, how does his performance compare to Leinart and Smith in your opinion? You've already said they're developing, but in your opinion do they exhibit the natural ability and hustle that a #1 or first round pick should THREE years later? It's not just that they're learning, it's the types of mistakes they make once in the game. Vince minimized the mistakes pretty early on. I'm not saying he's incapable of erratic play on occassion but I think he's beyond where a lot people expected him to be at THIS point. Regardless, he's light years ahead of Leinart and Smith IMO.