Guess Who's Bizzack!?

MICHAEL STRAHAN!! YAY!! One BIG BLUE happy family! Word came out early last week that he was in contact with Giants GM Jerry Reese, and that they had "constructive and positive" talks. At that time, Strahan was expected to officially make a decision by mid week. Of course, that didn't happen. Finally, almost a week after the Strahan story resurfaced, we have a definitive answer. Michael Strahan is not retiring! On Friday, he said said he's ending his holdout and reporting to the Giants effective Monday, September 3rd! IT IS ABOUT DAMN TIME! He missed 36 days of training camp, and all four of the Giants preseason games. At $14,288 per day, Strahan has racked up a whopping $514,368 in fines. Strahan and the Giants have worked out a deal to considerably reduce that amount, and he's still scheduled to make a cool $4 mil this season. The Giants regular season opener is Sun, 9.9 at Dallas. This would leave him less than a week to prepare, but head coach Tom Coughlin said he won't play in the game.

Everyone, including Strahan, knows he's getting old. Let's face it, he didn't want to go through yet another training camp. Training camp is for rookies and walkons, not 15 year veterans. Who the hell wants to do two-a-days in sweltering August heat? Not a 35 year old man! Instead of risking a freak preseason injury, he worked out in L.A. for a few weeks. Sure it cost him a few bucks but he has been doing this since forever and he'll be right back in the mix. A bit late, but still needed. Strahan is an emotional leader and adds character and fire to a team that is otherwise pretty dull. The Giants are going to have a pivotal season, with Tiki Barber gone and Eli Manning at the reins. Brandon Jacobs and Reuben Droughns are the ground game, and if the starting WRs, Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer, can stay healthy, the air isn't too bad. Young guys Sinorice Moss and Steve Smith could come up big this season as well. The defense has battled injuries during the preseason, with Sam Madison dealing with hamstring trouble and Will Demps on IR because of a dislocated elbow. Some of the regulars will still be there, Osi Umenyiora, Mathias Kiwanuka, Fred Robbins and Antonio Pierce.

Strahan's timing coincides with the deadline for teams to cut their rosters down to a regular season limit of 53 players. The Giants released 21 players, including six-year vet Tim Hasselbeck, who lost his third string job to Anthony Wright. Big Blue also let go tight end Charles Davis, wide receivers Brandon London and Kevin McMahan, offensive linemen Justin Jones, Jon Dunn, Ryan Keenan, Todd Londot and Matt Lentz, defensive ends Tommy Davis and Marquis Gunn, defensive tackles Jonas Seawright and Tui Alailafaleula, linebackers James Davis and Tyson Smith, cornerbacks Gerrick McPhearson, Darren Barnett and E.J. Underwood, guard Zach Piller, safety J.R. Reed, punter Cory Ohnesorge and kicker Josh Huston. London, Lentz, Gunn and Underwood were signed to the practice squad. They also claimed two players off waivers, CB Dovonte Edwards from the Vikings and G Kevin Boothe from the Raiders.

Eli Manning Up

Ok, so everyone's talking about this Eli Manning/Tiki Barber mini controversy. So hell, here's my take on it. I was actually watching the Sunday night game with the New York Giants vs. the Baltimore Ravens. The halftime show came on and there was Tiki, a man I admire and respect with uhhh, 2 other guys. They were introducing him into the lineup of anchors we'll have this season on NBC's Sunday Night Football. I remember thinking to myself, hmm, this is a bit of a tricky situation for Tiki to be in. Halftime show of a Giants game, and now he has to talk about their performance. And trust me, the way the Giants played in the first half, there were not many praises to be doled out. So the panel gets to talkin and they ask Tiki to tell them some stories; they want the scoop on what really went on behind closed doors. What's Lil' Manny (that's what I call him!) really like? Tiki, like a kid eager to please, gave up a story about passing a weekly motivational speech onto Manning for one game and he pretty much tanked. His voice was weak, and he seemed unsure and timid. Eli responded to Barber's jabs by questioning his leadership ability, citing his retirement announcement that came in the middle of last season, distracting the team, and an occasion when Tiki called out head coach Tom Coughlin.

I'm not mad at this situation for the same reasons other people are mad. Tiki didn't say anything the media hasn't been saying for years; Eli looks meek. His demeanor is stoic, he's not very animated, and he doesn't get guys hype, on the field, in the huddle, on the sidelines or in the locker room. Eli is not his brother Peyton. I've heard people saying Tiki should just shut up and mind his business. Huh?! Football is his business! It's his (new) job to be critical of teams, and that includes the team he played for his entire NFL career. People are saying that Eli has finally said something in response to his critics. Hooray backbone!! You think after all these years in NY he's finally had decided to beat back? Nuh uh. Eli doesn't give a shit what all the other media analysts say. He cares about his job and his team, that's it. And when a former teammate, one that he thought he could trust, comes out against him with personal tales of his shortcomings and failures, Manning takes a stand. Eli's not mad that critics call him a sub par leader, he's mad TIKI called him a sub par leader. These guys were supposed to be friends, teammates at the least. When someone you look to for help to speak so negatively about you on national television, you really don't have much of a choice but to fire back and come to your own defense. And for what it's worth, I'm on Eli's side on this one.

Let's face it, Tiki is an analyst now, he's going to be dissecting teams, and it's impossible to think that everything he says will be positive. There will be some weaknesses pinpointed and some deficiencies exposed about his former team. That is to be expected. But revealing insider information? That's kinda low Tiki. When they asked him to disclose some info dirt on Manning, I expected Tiki to remain a bit impartial. Hell, let me just say it - Tiki should have kept his mouth shut! I would have respected his answer more had he given some lame story that didn't make Eli seem completely inadequate and feeble. Maybe something along the lines of him being young, and this year really being a pivotal year for him to grow and step more into that leadership role, especially with Tiki being gone. I've heard people say, Well, how come Tiki didn't say any of that while he was on the team? Duh DUMMIES!! Cuz he didn't want to belittle the guy who is supposed to be the cornerstone of their offense. In the traditional sense, the QB is the leader but we all know, including Eli, that Tiki ran that offense. It would have been in poor taste for him to lay into his QB during the week, and expect things to be all good on Sunday. That's not the way it works. He's Tiki, not T.O.

But hey, Tiki's tactlessness seems to have given Eli the motivation he needed to finally speak out. Tiki lit a bit of a fire under his ass, and for the first time, I think Manning actually felt it. Let's just hope this little flame will turn into a well-contained wild fire when he hits the field. If it doesn't, no one will be surprised. But if it does, we have Tiki to thank for it. That's Tiki for ya! Always helpin the Giants! Even after retirement.

Strahan, Strahan, Strahan (And The Giants...)

As if his nasty, public divorce wasn't enough for him, New York Giants DE Michael Strahan has found yet another way to keep his name in everyone's mouth. He has yet to report to training camp, which started on July 27th (hey, my birthday!!) up in Albany. $8 million over the next 2 years just isn't enough for him, and he wants to renegotiate his contract. When the Giants held firm and said they would not restructure, Strahan said he's mulling retirement. After 14 years in the league, it's understandable. BUT!!!! If His wife hadn't taken him to the cleaners, and hung his wallet out to dry, I would believe that. She won $15.3 million divorce settlement! The fact of the matter is Strahan NEEDS the money!! $$$$$$$!! For sitting out of training camp, the Giants have decided to fine him $14,288 for each day he doesn't show. So this retirement mess is just a ploy to get more money out of the team, and uhhh, it seems more like he's losin money rather than makin it.

I've been a Strahan fan for years, and I would love to see him be part of the 2007 Giants lineup. He has the most career sacks among active players with 132.5. This puts him above guys like Simeon Rice, Jason Taylor, Kevin Carter and Warren Sapp, all OGs in the sack game. He missed half of last season with a foot injury, and if I was part of management, I wouldn't risk signing him for even more years and even more money at his age. I read that Strahan's expected to make an announcement about his future in the next couple of days. I also heard today that his agent contacted several teams in the offseason, to see if they were interested in a trade. And uhhh, no one was with it. I don't have a problem with you renegotiating your contract. By all means, get that cake. But don't wait til now to put your foot down. A contract is a contract, and you really don't have a leg to stand on. Hell, get a better agent. I'm sure someone else could have done a better job getting you some money, but sitting out like this? You look like a crazy old man.

Strahan, here's my personal message to you - CRAP OR GET OFF THE POT!! BRING YO ASS OR GET THE HELL ON!!! You and I both know you need the money! $4 million this season is MORE than enough for most people, but this divorce payout has you all fucked up!! And clearly it's more than any other team is willing to give you. If you actually wanna retire, then go out like a real hero. Let us love you out the door, not shove you out over a fake retirement stand off. Do like Jerome Bettis, retire, cop mad endorsements, and get that GUAP!! If you're feeling old, then BE OLD. Shit, at 35, you're no damn spring chicken! Get the hell outta the way so we can MOVE THE FUCK ON!! This is a holdout, not the retirement your trying to pass it off as. I love you Mike, but you are getting fined over $14 grand for every day you refuse to show up. And we all know you need the money!! You have alimony AND child support, nigga you better WORK! If you don't, be prepared to be suspended, fined, AND get your bonuses taken away! The Giants and fans love you, but if you chose not to play, we WILL move on.

But if Michael Strahan decides it's not worth it to comeback, I'm good. The Giants are going to be a totally different team in 2007. Tiki Barber is gone, and Brandon Jacobs is the 2nd coming. He is a POWER HOUSE and this season he'll get more than just goal line and short yardage opportunities. He's going to be the starter and he'll play a huge role this season in the Giants offensive game. Not to mention the acquisition of Reuben Droughns in the offseason. We got running backs galore! It's not just the RB position that's been upgraded, but the wide receiver as well. Amani Toomer is back and ahead of schedule with rehabbing his knee. Plaxico Burress stepped up his game last season, and if he can stay healthy this season, I look forward to seeing more of him this season. I've been a Burress fan from his days as a Pittburgh Steeler, and he and Eli Manning have a connection that grows stronger with time. And just in case he also gets injured again, the Giants drafted WR Steve Smith out of USC in the second round of this years draft. Word on the street is he's FIYAHH!! I'm looking to see how much playing time he'll get behind guys like Toomer and Burress. I'm excited to see them all back on the field. And if I was head coach Tom Coughlin, I would tell backup QB Jared Lorenzen to keep his helmet on cuz if Manning reverts to fetus mode on the field, like he usually does under pressure, he's out. I don't care if he is Peyton Manning's baby bro, he is GONE and the Pillbury Throwboy is in there. Like swimwear.

The Tampa bay Buccaneers waived defensive end Simeon Rice last week and he's been making his rounds thoughout the NFL to see who wants to pick him up. He came by the Giants facilities on the 1st of August, passed his physical, and is still shopping for a team. Rice is an old ass like Strahan, at 33 years of age and 12 years in the league. He has 121 sacks, second only to Strahan among active players. We made need him if Strahan decides not to come back.

Let's Make It Official

On Tuesday, July 24, 2007, The New York Post reported that New York Jets running back, 34 year old Curtis Martin, will finally reveal the news that pretty much everyone has already known. Martin will officially announce his retirement from the National Football League on Thursday, a day before the start of Jets training camp.

Martin spent his first three seasons with the New England Patriots, then signed with the Jets as a free agent before the start of the 1998 season. Martin missed the entire 2006 season and hasn’t played a lick in the past 19 months. He initially tore cartilage in his right knee against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 of the 2005 season. Martin continued to play and the injury flared up two weeks later against the Baltimore Ravens. He then re-injured the same knee Week 12 against the Patriots. He ended that game, and his season, with 29 yards on 15 carries. The seriousness of his injury stems from the fact that he was so badly injured that the cartilage was surgically removed and his knee was literally bone-on-bone. (OUCH!!) Martin had rushed for over 1,000 yards in his previous 10 seasons, but finished 2005-2006 with 735 yards. After that he was placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list, and pretty much stayed there the rest of his career.

In November of 2006, while attempting to rehab his ravaged knee, Martin had this to say at a news conference, “I think this is as good as my knee gets, where it is right now.” Though he realized the severity of his devastating knee injury, but it took him some time to accept the ramifications of it until recently. “It doesn’t look like it’s too bright as far as me having a further career.” Martin signed an eight year contract extension in August of 2002. He has since re-worked his contract and voided to final two years, the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Martin has also taken deep pay cuts 2 years in a row; from $2.5 million to $810,000 in 2006 and from $3.25 million to $820,000 in 2007. All of these moves allow the Jets more than $2 million in salary cap space. Through all of this the Jets have been very gracious, appreciative and supportive of him in his wish to come back. They much admired his talent, recognized the value of his sacrifice, and knew that since they had ridden his ass so hard the previous seasons they might as well give him the courtesy of payin his ass a little extra.

Now before I get into everything I really want to say, let me state, for the record, that Curtis Martin is one of the most efficient running backs in NFL history. He spent 13 years in the league and was a playmaker, a great teammate, and one of the finest running backs of all time. Martin is atop the list for Jets all-time leading rushers with 10,302 yards. He ranks fourth in NFL history, amassing 14,101 yards, behind guys like Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders. Sanders is the only other man in NFL history to have 10 consecutive 1,000 yard seasons. In 2004, Martin won the NFL rushing title with an astounding 1,697 yards. I mean, we’re talkin elite here. Curtis Martin is IN the Pro Football Hall of Fame. So please, don’t take anything said below to mean I don’t appreciate him and understand how special he was to the teams he played for, the National Football League, and his fans.

NOW - Someone please show me the clause in his contract that states that an NFL player must run himself ragged and, literally, into the ground. Exactly! There’s no law that says you have to play football until you’re washed up and worn down! There’s a simple philosophy that means more and more to me as I get older. The idea behind it is that you work hard, but you never give anyone or anything your all, your everything. There has to be something left for you; save room for yourself. And that’s not to say get on the field and half-ass it. Or be an absentee parent. Or a part-time lover, for that matter. Whatever it is you’re doing, let that be your main focus. You benefit the most when you give it 100%. Make every day count so you know that when it’s all said and done you have no regrets, and you have your health. But always remember, that if or when that thing or person you’re doing runs out, you’ll be okay. In a violent and physically taxing sport such as football, isn’t that the main goal? Whether you’re raising your kids or lovin somebody down, keep your damn eyes on the prize! Don’t be so blinded by your ambition and determination that by the time you take those blinders off, your head, shoulders, knees and toes are all beaten up and useless. Don’t run yourself ragged chasing after those kids. You know why? Cuz by the time they’re off to college and married you’re exhausted, overweight and underappreciated. And not to mention divorced cuz you spent more time on those rug rats than your own damn spouse! Don’t get so caught up in the goodness of the cootie that you can’t see the herpes for the trees!! Don’t become so mesmerized by the tight swang, the dope dick as some would call it, that you don’t care to see that he’s not strappin and wrappin it up!! Cuz you know where that leaves you? On Maury screamin at him that you are 100% positive he IS the father!! SAVE SOME FOR YOURSELF PEOPLE!! TAKE CARE OF YOU!! Cuz in the end, that’s really all you got…

When you look at a guy like Curtis Martin, what do you see? Because what I see is a slightly older, less wise version of Tiki Barber. Everybody was pissed that Tiki took the “easy” way out and retired “early.” If you ask me, Tiki has some damn common sense!! The beatings these players take are unbelievable!! Seldom does an RB go down without the “help” of the defense. In October of 2006, on his Sirius Satellite Radio Show, “The Barber Shop,” Tiki talked about the goals he had for his life. “I’m a diverse person. I have a lot of interests and I’ve never wanted to be solely defined as a football player. I wasn’t that way in high school, I wasn’t that way in college and I won’t compromise my ideals to be that way in the National Football League.” Tiki spent 10 years in the NFL, yet people were outraged when he decided to retire. ‘What?! You’re actually trying to bow out gracefully?! You don’t dream of getting carted off the field? Or suffering a catastrophic injury that’ll render you helpless for the rest of your life?! Ugh, you’re so selfish!’ Thank the lawd Tiki got out when he did! People were mad that his absence affected them, rather than being happy for someone who decided he didn't want to spend the next 5 years getting knocked around some more. I hate to put it like this, but we used and abused him for years! Then people have the nerve to get angry that the work horse is still viable but opts out of the exploitation! And I’m not saying it like Tiki, or any player for that matter, is a victim because for the most part, they’re willing participants and get paid damn good money to do so. And let’s face it, you can’t be an NFL running back forever. There’s a limit to the pounding and beating a body can take. Most of these guys have played football all their lives; Pop Warner, high school, college and then the pros!! That’s a lifetime of hard hits and if you’re fortunate, healable injuries. And walking off before you get carted off doesn’t sound like a sucka move to me!

I said all that to say, Curtis Martin is a future hall of famer who, if he had stopped playing when he injured his knee initially, could possibly be getting ready for training camp at Hofstra University on Friday. I understand wanting to be there for your team and organization, and the “Coach, I’m fine, put me in” mentality, but there are times when that sentiment can get you knee-deep (oooh, bad timing) in trouble.