Michael Strahan retires

[Colonel_Reb]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3433557


Michael Strahan, the New York Giants' 15-year veteran defensive end and seven-time Pro Bowl player who helped lead them to a 2008 Super Bowl win, ESPN.com's John Clayton confirmed Monday with a source close to Strahan.


"It was important that my teammates knew which way I was going before they got on the field to start the work to defend our title," Strahan told foxsports.com, who first reported his retirement plans. "It's time. I'm done."


The Giants, who begin minicamp Wednesday, signed defensive end Renaldo Wynn last Monday as an insurance policy should Strahan retire.


"It's a tough decision but I wanted to be fair to the Giants and fair to my teammates," Strahan said, according to foxsports.com.


Strahan, the Giants' all-time sack leader, recorded a career-high 22½ in 2001. He posted nine last season, which inlcuded 46 tackles, as the Giants won their third Super Bowl, beating the New England Patriots 17-14.

 

[guest301]

Bye. The guy has alot of charisma and I am sure we will see much more of him on some network covering the NFL. He can't be any worse than Irvin, Deion, Sharpe or Emmitt. He may be a improvement. Let's see if he is as critical of Eli as his ex-teammate Tiki Barber was when he retired. Eli's got a championship and a gaudy big fat ring to shut his critics up now.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

What a career for Mr. Strahan!

As a Giants fan I have to admit I'm a little sad that he isn't playing another year. Strahan should never have gotten the single season sack record though, IMO Brett Favre truly did fall down to give him the sack. Favre claims he dropped down when he realized that getting sacked was inevitable and he couldn't get the ball away in time without risking a turnover, but somehow I am very skeptical of that by the way Favre slid down.

 

[Don Wassall]

It's only fittingStrahan went out at the same time as Favre as they'll always be remembered for a play that symbolizes the pro wrestling aspect of the Caste SystemNFL. Now they can go in the Hall of Fame together as bosom buddies in five years.

 

[Thrashen]

Aww, what a sad moment in caste history

.

Strahan might be the last homosexual to ever play in the NFL. I'm very happy to see him go, maybe now DE Dave Tollefson can take his starting spot. I really could care less about Strahan, or his phony, undeserved single season sack record.

I too think he'll be featured alongside the myriad of former affletes on NFL Network, Fox, ESPN, etc. It should be quite annoying to hear his pea-brain, buck-toothed, lisp-ridden self giving his two cents on TV for the next couple years. As I said when Tiki Barber retired, "good riddance."

 

[Sean Carlisle]

That play made me lose a lot of respect for Farve. Maybe Gastineau should retain the season sack record or Srahan should get an asterick(jj).
I was sad to see Strahan and the rest of the Giants defensive line out play the white o line of New England. No slight on Eli but that was where the game was won.

 

[Don Wassall]

That didn't take long did it?
<H1 =storyTitle>Report: Former Giant Strahan will join Fox NFL pregame show</H1>
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3457998

 

[Poacher]

How many people do they friggin' need?

I gotta start practicin' my room brightener.

 

[Deadlift]

Left tackles can breathe a little easier

August 24, 2008 4:50 PM


Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Osi Umenyiora's season-ending knee injury delivers a significant blow to a Giants defense already without the recently retired Michael Strahan.

NFC West left tackles Orlando Pace, Walter Jones, Joe Staley and Mike Gandy won't have to worry about Umenyiora this season. A look at the NFC West's matchups with the Giants in 2008:

Sept. 14, Giants at Rams: Pace is still rounding into form. Drawing Umenyiora this early in the season would have been a potentially rough matchup.

Oct. 5, Seahawks at Giants: Umenyiora beat Jones a couple times in obvious passing situations late in the first half of their matchup at Qwest Field in 2005. Those sacks drew plenty of headlines because Jones rarely allows them. The matchup would have been tougher for Jones at Giants Stadium.

Oct. 19, 49ers at Giants: Staley is entering his first full season as an NFL left tackle. Umenyiora would have been favored in this one, particularly with crowd noise on his side and the 49ers possibly playing from behind.

Nov. 23, Giants at Cardinals: Gandy, who signed with Arizona last season after two years in Buffalo, has never matched up against Umenyiora in a regular-season game.

Opposing offenses had a hard time accouting for both Strahan and Umenyiora. Double-teaming both would have limited the offense in other ways.

Umenyiora was already facing a new challenge without Strahan attracting attention on the other side. He had 13 sacks last season. Strahan had nine. Justin Tuck had 10. If Tuck remains on the left side, he'll match up against NFC West right tackles Alex Barron (Rams), Sean Locklear (Seahawks), Jonas Jennings (49ers) and Levi Brown (Cardinals).

[url]http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcwest/0-2-335/Left-tackles-can- breathe-a-little-easier.html[/url]

From what I've seen in the preseason, Mike Gandy hasn't looked good, but he's not "doubted" like Joe Staley is...


Fact is, Osi wasn't superhuman, but most of these left tackles aren't anything to write home about either. Ironically, the title of this blog entry is appropriate and all-too accurate!

They would also "breathe a little easier" if they lost some weight!!


Aren't there some Caste-screwed White DE's that some of these teams with injuries should be contacting ASAP? Is it such a foreign idea to be inclusive towards a significant portion of people that have been systematically left-out?

There's no way that an aged Strahan is superior to plenty of young, strong, explosive and hungry White men. What a farce!

 

[Don Wassall]

Umenyiora is the typical one-trick pony rushing end. He's averaged 10 sacks a season, good but not great, but only about 40 solo tackles, which is weak. Someone like the much-maligned Justin Smith is a far more effective all-around force because he can stuff the run as well as put pressure on the passer.