Strahan’s Done … Maybe, Perhaps?
By Chad Klassen
Love of Sports Correspondent
When the Giants put together their miraculous Super Bowl run last year and pulled off an upset of giant proportions, it was the perfect time for a veteran guy like Michael Strahan to ride off into the sunset with that elusive piece of jewelry.
But when the injury bug hit his former team hard, especially with the news of Osi Umenyiora’s season-ending knee injury, the Giants were desperate and tempted Strahan to come out of retirement.
Well, whether it was - contract talks breaking down over dollar figures or the fact he’d truly made the right decision for himself, unlike Brett Favre - the 15-year veteran said “thanks, but no thanks” to GM Jerry Reese, who’d been in contact with his former star defensive end in recent days.
They moved Mathias Kiwanuka back to the defensive end spot immediately to fill the gapping hole, the position at which he played his college football at Boston College.
But it doesn’t negate the fact that both of their starting defensive ends from 2007 are no longer of service to the team.
In the last couple days when Umenyiora’s status went public, there were serious questions whether the longtime Giant would drop his TV gig and come out of retirement to help his brothers out for one more year.
We’d already endured through the soap opera that was Favre’s probably return, so what would another possible comeback have been to spike the interest? But Strahan decided against the prospects of another grueling NFL season, and I believe he made the right choice.
Probably speaking for the majority of fans, it surely would’ve been great to see him out on the field doing his thing, because he was an exciting player to watch. It obviously would’ve been the best thing for the game, but the same can’t be said for Strahan.
This is a guy who paid his dues throughout his whole career and worked hard for that one opportunity to win a Super Bowl. He failed at his first attempt in 2000, when the Giants were creamed by Baltimore in Super Bowl XXXV, but he found redemption last year on a team that had underachieved down the stretch and were expected to be bounced early in the playoffs.
Like Favre did, Strahan also questioned whether he’d come back last year, being a holdout in training camp and pulling on Reese’s strings throughout the whole ordeal. He eventually decided to return for one more season, in order to take another crack at winning the Super Bowl.
Well, he achieved the life-long dream and really has nothing else to accomplish in the one or two more years he would’ve strapped on the pads. Strahan’s arguably one of the best defensive ends ever to play the game, finishing with a franchise-record 141.5 sacks over his 15 seasons. He won NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2001, breaking the single-season sack record, with 22.5.
Strahan’s a terrific personality on television as well (the gap in his front teeth add to his charm) and will add a lot of flare to the pregame coverage on FOX. He’s had numerous appearances on the Best Damn Sports Show Period as a guest host which made it look like he was born to be in front of the camera.
Making the step from the gridiron into the studio is going to be some of the best times of his life, talking football and goofing around with the three amigos: Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson.
Good for you, Michael, for sticking with your gut feelings and retiring as a champion. I bet you’re truly Lovin’ Life today!
Next stop: the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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