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Last month, New York Giants defensive end, Osi Umenyiora made some pretty heavy statements regarding his contract with the Giants. He said that general manager Jerry Reese told him in 2008 that if he was playing at a high level two years later, then the Giants would re-work his contract to make him one of the top-five best paid defensive ends in the league, or trade him to a team that would do so. Umenyiora is demanding that Reese be held to his word once the NFL lockout ends.

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Earlier today, Umenyiora met with Giants co-owner John Mara wholesale ncaa jerseys and NFLPA* representative DeMaurice Smith when they were on a break during the lockout negotiations. Smith invited Umenyiora to the talks today because he is one of the top 10 plaintiffs in the Brady vs. NFL federal antitrust wholesale ncaa jerseys lawsuit. Apparently, Osi and John Mara had a conversation about the issue at hand today, although no one knows the outcome. Sal Paolantonio was in New York today and witnessed the two conversing, but couldn't shed much light on what was said.

    “I don’t know the details of the conversation but I’m told that around the periphery there was a discussion wholesale ncaa jerseys about at least how to make Osi Umenyiora happy,” Paolantonio said during an interview on the Ryan Ruocco and Robin Lundberg show on 1050 ESPN New York. “And I was told very specifically that Umenyiora is sticking to his gun. And you know what he wants.” (ESPN.com)

Osi is sticking to what he said last month when he demanded a new contract or to be traded. And it seems that his happiness with his current contract will play a big part in whether the NFL and NFLPA* come to an agreement and the lockout ends. The other plaintiffs in the lawsuit want the issue resolved before they will agree on a deal.

    “They all want to be taken care of,” Paolantonio said. “If (Umenyiora) doesn’t get it (a raise), he doesn’t sign off on the deal. If he doesn’t sign off on the deal, we have no deal league-wide. So there is going to be some kind of deal to make Osi happy.”

Awesome. So this whole deal depends on if wholesale ncaa jerseys Osi Umenyiora is happy with his contract? It's absolutely ridiculous. First of all, Osi didn't even play in 2008 due to injury. His 2009 season was mediocre at best, and although he improved in 2010, I'm still not sure he's playing like a top-five defensive end. Not that he can't, or isn't, but he's not playing like one.

Let's take a look at this statistically. We can rule out 2008 since Osi didn't play that year. In 2009, Mathias Kiwanuka and Justin Tuck led the Giants with 46 and 44 tackles, 3 and 6 sacks, and 2 and 5 forced fumbles, wholesale ncaa jerseys respectively. They also wholesale ncaa jerseys ranked in the top 10 in the NFL at their position. Umenyiora? He had 29 tackles, 7 sacks and 4 forced fumbles. Oh, and he ranked 113th in the league. In wholesale ncaa jerseys 2010, Osi's numbers jumped a bit. Mostly due to the loss of Kiwanuka and added playing time for Osi, he had 48 tackles, 11.5 sacks and 10 forced fumbles while ranking 31st in the league. But here's the thing, Justin Tuck ranked third in the league with 76 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles with five recovered. So even with Kiwanuka out, he still wasn't the best defensive end on the team. Granted, Tuck made twice as much money as Umenyiora in 2009, it's clear he hasn't played up to the team's expectations.

Now, there are other things to consider besides stats. Osi's presence on the field is huge wholesale ncaa jerseys for the Giants. Teams want to make sure he is blocked, thus allowing for other players to make plays instead of him. But not every time. He also blocks on interceptions and fumble returns, allowing whomever received the ball to gain more yardage. He's a guy that gets things done. It's not just about stats with him, it's about the other advantages he brings to the field. The problem he will face during re-negotiation is the intangibles. Stats are easy to look at and judge, but Osi will have to explain how he is doubled or tripled by some teams which hinders him and allows for Tuck and others to make plays. Owners and general managers don't want explanations, they want results. And by just looking at his stats, Umenyiora is not delivering.

This whole if-Osi-ain't-happy-no-one-is-happy thing is kind of silly. He's one player looking to get what he deserves, just like every other player in the league. A new agreement should not be dependent on if he's happy with what the Giants decide for him. I understand that if he doesn't sign off on the deal then the deal doesn't get done, but how can he expect something to be done while the league is in a lockout? He's not any more special or deserving than any other player in the league. There's no reason he can't sign off on a deal and then re-negotiate his contract with the NFL. If he truly thinks the lockout is causing irreparable damage to current players in the NFL, he'll sign the deal so a CBA can get done and the NFL can return to business as usual.