New York Giants Defensive End Osi Umenyiora is now retracting his earlier statement (tweet) where he said he would be in a wheelchair by the age of 45.

Just minutes ago while on the ESPN show Outside The Lines Osi was asked by Jeremy Schaap why keep playing if in fact he believed his football playing would ultimately lead him to being injured or in a wheelchair by the age of forty five.

When questioned Umenyiora took a different approach and responded by saying:

Obviously it was an exaggeration on my part, at least I hope so, I hope it was an exaggeration but there is no question it is a dangerous sport.

Concussions have become a front and center topic of debate in the sports world. Not only for football players but many other athletes who receive blows to the head. Even soccer players have been diagnosed with head trauma after heading soccer balls which come at them at high speeds.

Many NFL players have been very vocal about the potential serious effects of continuous blows or impacts to the head, especially after the recent and unfortunate death of Junior Seau. There is no doubt that players have been affected and veterans suffered from a lack of research in previous seasons and also a lack of knowledge.

I like Osi Umenyiora but statements such as the one's he made via Twitter do not help matters, it only confuses the situation especially for retired players currently fighting the National Football League. On one hand you have players who went on the field without having evidence nor actual scientific results of the potential dangers. These veteran players went out there without really understanding the risks or long term effects and without having a choice.

On the other hand you have today's players who have a better understanding of the risks involved and also have proof of the dangers by just looking at their retired peers. But many of these players who know the risks still choose to play the game! Osi Umenioyra admits he understands the risks but appreciates the lifestyle football provides him so he chooses to play.

This is setting up to ultimately become a huge battle in the courts and modern day players need to be careful how they word their statements. Eventually if they choose to play knowing the dangers then they will not have a legal case in the future and may hinder potential cases of retired players who have a legitimate case to bring upon the courts.

Osi Umenyiora doesn't know if he will be in a wheelchair by 45, he doesn't even really believe that but it was something to tweet on a subject which has become a trending topic. Athletes want to be so relevant that they tweet or say things which either make no sense or just make them look foolish. Osi Umenyiora is implying to today's youth that it is acceptable to take chances with your life and well being as long as you get paid no matter what the consequences may be to you or your loved ones.

The New York Giants draft RB David Wilson in the first round with the 32nd overall pick.

Wilson, an athletic, fast running back out of Virginia Tech was highly regarded by Jerry Reese and the organization. The only RB New York had ahead of Wilson was Trent Richardson out of Alabama.

Some fans found the pick surprising and were not very happy about it but who are we to argue or to doubt Jerry Reese who has a proven track record with draft picks. The drafting of Jason Pierre-Paul was highly criticized by some fans and so called draft experts and now JPP stands as one of the best defensive players in the NFL.

David Wilson stands 5'10"  and weighs 205 pounds, he gained some popularity recently after posting a YouTube video where he does backflips pretty effortlessly. We will be posting the videos shortly. This kid is a heck of an athlete and will fill a void with the departure of Brandon Jacobs. I am a huge fan of Ahmad Bradshaw and I believe he still has plenty left in the tank but he needs another talented running back to take the load off a bit. Bradshaw is also injury prone.

This young man still has much to learn and adjust to in the NFL  but what a great situation for a young player who will backup an excellent running back and team player like Bradshaw. Learning from Ahmad and not being asked to be the main man in a team who is coming off a Super Bowl Championship season is an ideal situation. The Giants possess and explosive offense and this pick just makes them that much stronger and deeper for years to come. Tom Coughlin was quick to show his enthusiasm over the selection and also made sure to point out that he still will be a work in process when he said:

Needs some work in some of the other areas, pass protection and that kind of thing, as do a lot of these young guys. And also the question comes up about ball security and we'll remind him of that right away.

There were more popular players on the board which were considered safer picks at 32 but New York remains true to it's draft motto which is selecting the best player available on their board. Once again Reese doesn't go with the expected pick but as in previous drafts he may have found another gem!

Like the saying goes, "If You Can't Beat Them, Recruit Them", OK that's not quite right but you get the idea.

The San Francisco 49ers have signed RB Brandon Jacobs to a one year deal. He joins his former NY Giants teammate WR Mario Manningham who recently inked a 2 year deal with San Francisco.

In Manningham the 49ers are getting a young, talented wide receiver with a lot of potential, that was a good pick up for them especially when you consider their deficiencies at the wide receiver position. The Brandon Jacobs picl up on the other hand is not a very good one in my opinion. The former big bruising RB has become a tippy toeing ballerina around the line of scrimmage.

I have been calling him a tippy toeing ballerina for about 2 years now, his best years are behind him for sure. Jacobs has lost a step or two and is by far more trouble than he is worth when it comes to team chemistry.

New York Giants fans are used to seeing the big back who stands 6'4" tall and about 265 pounds get stopped consistently on 3rd and 1's. For a big guy he is one of the worst short yardage RB's in the NFL. The only positive is that San Francisco will not be using him as their primary back, but they better hope Frank Gore can stay healthy or else they will be in for some frustrating runs with Jacobs.

If San Fran signed the former Giants RB looking for a great trash talker then they will get their moneys worth in that department. The man can talk trash all day, every day. He is also very good a starting scuffles after every run, he gets up pushes a few opposing players around and talks tough which occasionally brings out the yellow flags. Oh and wait till 49ers fans catch his Chippendales style TD dance.

I appreciate Brandon Jacobs time in New York, especially his first few seasons but he truly wore me out the last 2 plus years. This past season he kept threatening New York with leaving what he did not count on was that the organization didn't really want him to stay. Best of luck Brandon Jacobs in San Francisco!

Free Agent Wide Receiver Mario Manningham has signed with the San Francisco 49ers.

The former New York Giants WR reached an agreement with San Francisco late yesterday, agent Drew Rosenhaus informed the press of the 2 year deal. Mario Manningham arguably had the most important catch during Super Bowl XLVI when he caught a 38 yard pass from Eli Manning which extended a drive and helped the Giants secure a victory.

The 49ers had clear deficiencies when it came to their passing game. It was evident in the NFC Championship game that TE Vernon Davis was their best receiver. Now they have added Randy Moss, Super Mario to go along with Davis and their young receiver Michael Crabtree who has been a bit disappointing. I would venture to say that at this point Manningham is a better signing for San Fran than Moss.

A few days ago when it was announced that Randy Moss would become a 49er I was not very impressed, I even mentioned to a couple of friends that if San Francisco was smart they would sign Mario Manningham over a lazy, old WR like Moss. Needless to say I thought they were done signing wide receivers and really surprised me with this deal.  I am sure this situation seems much more attractive to free agent QB Peyton Manning.

Manningham has had his up and downs, he can be very explosive but he is also apt to make a boneheaded play or two during a game. As part of the Giants young core of receivers which included Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, Mario seemed to have the most issues hanging on to the ball. He tends to drop easy passes and is not the best route runner. With that being said he is very talented and is still young enough where he can continue developing into a much better route runner unlike Randy Moss who is on the decline.

The upside is tremendous especially if they do in fact land Peyton Manning as their QB. The New York Giants will definitely miss Mario Manningham, he had dropped to 3rd on their depth chart behind Nicks and Cruz but easily could be the feature WR on many NFL teams. When he was healthy and on the field the Giants were a better team, there was no way opposing teams could matchup well with that trio of talented wideouts. I wrote a piece titled "Pick Your Poision" which focused in on the issues facing opposing teams when trying to cover Nicks, Cruz and Super Mario.

I am sad to see Mario leaving New York and wish him well except when he is facing the Giants. He has the potential to be the best wide receiver on the San Francisco 49ers, yes better than lazy Randy Moss and over hyped Michael Crabtree.

The New York Giants have signed ex Dallas Cowboys TE Martellus Bennett to a 1 year contract reportedly worth $2.5 million.

This is a smart move by the organization considering both Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum suffered serious injuries during the Super Bowl and are not expected back at the start of the season.

Bennett is a talented player who has had limited opportunities in Dallas, playing behind TE Jason Witten does not afford backups much playing time. Martellus does come with a little baggage, in the past he has made negative comments which seem to have been directed towards Tony Romo. He had an incident where he posted nude photos of himself online, and has been criticized for not playing up to his potential. He has married and seems to have made changes in his life.

Before the 2011 season he said

I represent my wife. I really didn't care what anybody said about me until she started to care. I am more professional with all the things I want to do right now

Giants fans certainly hope he has matured and is sincere about being more professional. Martellus Bennett is 6'6" and 265 pounds, he is strong, athletic and has a lot of potential.

The Giants Organization realizes this can be a win/win situation. A one year contract which is relatively cheap (NFL terms), a player who has some experience and has played behind one of the best TE's in the league. Bennett realizes his chances are running out and needs to play his best in order to get either a contract extension from New York or a new contract from another NFL team after the 2012 season. One would expect him to put his best effort out on the field every game.

Underrated Bear Pascoe and Martellus Bennett are a nice one, two punch at the Tight End position for the New York Giants and lets not forget reinforcements should come in during the season with Ballard and/or Beckum.

It's official Running Back Brandon Jacobs has been released by the New York Giants.

His contract was terminated by the organization after failing to come up with a suitable agreement for the big RB. Despite a successful Super Bowl Championship season, Jacobs had slowly but surely worn out his welcome.

Some of his comments during the season were out of line, his play was also not up to par. He improved somewhat towards the end of the season but the 6'4" 260+ lbs back seem to find it difficult to gain a yard in 3rd and short situations. It was also clear that Brandon Jacobs had lost more than a step when sprinting down field. So you would think the fact the Giants kept him around with a higher salary than a more productive back like Ahmad Bradshaw would humble him a bit but that isn't in his vocabulary.

I hate to be harsh, at one point I was a big fan and that is the reason I proudly included his image in my header with some of my favorite players. But his attitude towards the end stunk, he was not producing yet he kept complaining and threatening that this would be his last season with the New York Giants. The feeling was obviously mutual not only for the organization but also with many fans.

He had some really productive seasons with the Giants and was a fan favorite, I loved his play for the first 3 seasons. The fact his play diminished doesn't bother me as much as his attitude. I wonder if Brandon Jacobs really believes there is going to be a large market for a 29 year old, slow running back who has lost the ability to gain a yard. How many teams are looking for a player who voices negative comments in the media and complains constantly at the drop of a hat? He will find a home somewhere for sure, and maybe one day he can transition to becoming a Full Back but I doubt he is going to find a team willing to shell out a lot of money for him at this time.

He was very classy with some of his comments today, he said

It’s a great organization, a standup organization. I had fun. Won two Super Bowls here. I accomplished a lot in my career as a professional athlete here. That’s it. It’s been a good ride. Time to move on.

I appreciate his contributions, he definitely was an important part of both Super Bowl runs, with that being said it was time to part ways. I'm sure many fans will miss him as I am sure there are many fans who are glad to see him go. If Peyton Manning can be released by the Colts, Brandon Jacobs can certainly be released by the New York Giants.

The 2011 Super Bowl Champions New York Giants opening day game for the 2012-13 NFL season has been moved to Wednesday September 5, 2012.

The NY Giants will open the season one day earlier than anticipated in order to avoid time frame conflicts with President Barack Obama's Democratic National Convention speech scheduled for Thursday September 6th.

It has been reported that neither the Democratic National Convention Committee nor anyone from Obama's office requested the change. The change was made solely by the National Football League. Regardless the Wednesday night game which is scheduled to start at 8:20pm will still conflict with the second day of the convention but not on the day that the President of the United States takes the podium. Classy move on the part of the NFL!

So what are the New England Patriots going to do with all their pre-printed "Super Bowl Champions" t-shirts and caps? Tom Brady doesn't have to be sad, they will be put to good use.

New York Giants WR Victor Cruz talks about his Puerto Rican roots in a Spanish television interview for TeleFutura (Univision).

Reporter Lindsay Casinelli speaks to both Victor and his mother Blanca Cruz in this insightful interview. The NY Giants Wide Receiver tells Casinelli that his grandmother was the person who taught him how to dance salsa when he was a kid.

Proud mother Blanca remembers when a young Victor would participate in all different types of sports such as karate, baseball and basketball but eventually gravitated towards football. During this video and interview his mother reminisces about her son always running around outside and inside the house. But Victor puts it best when he says (translation):

When I was a kid I used to love to run and now I run for the Giants

Not too many get to live out their dreams of becoming sports stars especially a local kid who now has become a Super Bowl Champion with his hometown team who represent New York and New Jersey. Cruz' Spanish is not perfect but it's evident he is proud of representing his Puerto Rican (latin) roots not only on the field but in front of the camera, here is the video.

Victor Cruz Puerto Rican Roots Spanish Interview Video

You can read more about number 80 and his background in this article "Victor Cruz Bringing More Than Just Salsa To The NY Giants".

I personally like ESPN's Chris Carter but he is delusional when it comes to Randy Moss and his comeback.

The former standout receiver who played with Moss in Minnesota has been hitting the airwaves with his opinions on his former teammate and proteges potential comeback. Some of his comments seem far fetched and meant to hype his friend up, not sure how much of it is based on reality.

Carter went as far as saying that he believes the Patriots would have had an advantage against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI with Randy on the team. His exact quote was:

If he was on the team in New England 2 weeks ago when they were playing the New York Football Giants, they would have had a distinct advantage.

Really Chris? If I'm not mistaken the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl in 2007 with a healthy Randy Moss on that team.

For the most part I respect Carter's opinion, he is a knowledgeable analyst and was an excellent wide receiver and just overall football player. In this particular case I would have to disagree and call BS on his comments.

He also believes Randy Moss can still run a 4.3. I wonder if Chris has timed his friend lately cause 2 years ago he couldn't out run anyone. Randy Moss is 35 years old and has clearly lost a step, so much so that in his last season the Patriots, Vikings and Titans had no use for the man.

No one is ever going to proclaim Moss a good route runner, his advantages on the field were his height, speed and overall athleticism over other players. With his particular skills diminishing he really does not have much to offer NFL teams but the usual DRAMA that follows.

To make an analogy lets take one of the all time great boxers Roy Jones JR. In his prime there was no one faster or more athletic than Jones. Roy never learned fundamentals cause his pure God giving natural ability carried him. Once his natural attributes began deteriorating other boxers began making contact and knocking him out. Jones who never developed fundamentals had nothing to fall back on and his career was pretty much over.

Same thing goes with Randy Moss, he never developed good route running skills, he doesn't like to go down the middle and isn't a possession receiver. He likes the long ball but the question is, can he go get it now? He didn't show much in his last season. To top it all off Moss is LAZY!!! He has even admitted to taking plays off and playing at 70% effort.

I would take a healthy Terrell Owens over Randy Moss. T.O. did not have a bad season with the Bengals in 2010, as a matter of fact he was their best wide receiver. With Owens you know what you are getting. Some drama which offsets with Moss but T.O. is always in tip top shape, he also does not mind going down the middle and taking a hit for a catch. Despite being 38 and coming off injury Terrell Owens is a much better option for NFL teams than Randy. I'm actually not a fan of either one of these wide receivers, both can be a little selfish and both are divas but would take Owens.

If an NFL team is looking to add a veteran wide receiver I would venture to say they would have better results asking Chris Carter to unretire than allowing a lazy, bad route running, big mouth, self centered diva like Randy Moss on their team.