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N.Y. Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora will miss the 2008 season with a torn MCL. He injured his left knee in the second quarter of the Giants 10-7 preseason loss to the N.Y. Jets last night. So not only are the defending Super Bowl champs missing one of their Pro Bowl defensive ends (Michael Strahan to retirement), they’re now missing both of them with this devastating injury.
It was a sickening sight to see Osi’s left knee buckle on a play where he was simply rushing the quarterback. It looked like his foot caught …read more

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, joined by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and N.Y. Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, began a three-country summer USO tour led by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen today. According to the USO, this is the first time the commissioner of a sports league will visit U.S. troops overseas as part of a USO tour. Pete Abitante, a special assistant to Commissioner Goodell, is accompanying the group on the trip and will file

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
I don’t really know what to make of the Pro Bowl anymore. My email inbox was so flooded with Pro Bowl alternate announcements last month, I lost track of them all. I guess I had better things to think about — like the Super Bowl. But I can tell you there are 41 first-timers in Hawaii for the practices/vacation and game tomorrow. That’s the most since the year 2000 when there were 44. I realize it’s mostly due to injury that a player would not participate in this event after being awarded with …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
N.Y. Giants WR Plaxico Burress is officially listed as questionable for Super Bowl XLII because of his injured right ankle and swelling in his left knee. Plax went down on the injury report as “did not practice” although according to my pool report from John Clayton, he tried to do some things in the individual portion of today’s 80-minute practice at the Arizona Cardinals’ headquarters. Plax stretched and loosened up with his teammates and for the first time since arriving in Phoenix, he ran a few routes in drills to test out his …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
By the time the N.Y. Giants took the field, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect after my experience with the Patriots. And as a result, I feel I had a better session with the G-Men. As much as Tom Brady was getting most of the attention for the Pats, Giants QB Eli Manning and DE Michael Strahan were pretty much split in their popularity for New York. Both of them appeared to handle the adoration very well. Michael seems to thrive on his popularity. And he’s usually joking and …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
There’s a Manning in the Super Bowl again this year. But this time, it’s younger brother Eli’s turn as he led his N.Y. Giants to a 23-20 overtime win against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game. Yes, Eli Manning led them. It was the Giants’ 10th straight road win and once again, Eli took charge by managing the football game and not making mistakes. He was 21 of 40 for 254 yards with no touchdowns, but also no interceptions. There is so much to be said for not turning the …read more

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Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
The Dallas Cowboys placed a league-high 12 players on the NFC All-Star team. Among the players selected to the NFC squad was Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor, who died last month. Sean received the most votes at his position and was chosen as the starting free safety for the NFC team. A replacement will be announced at a later date. Eleven NFC players will participate in their first Pro Bowl, including Minnesota Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson, who leads the NFC in rushing yards with 1,278.