It didn’t take long to find out why Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora went AWOL from the Giants facility Monday. (And, no, AWOL according to Tom Coughlin didn’t mean that he failed to show up five minutes early, as one commenter suggested. But good job.)
It turns out Umenyiora left the team because of a disagreement with defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan that occurred Monday morning. Umenyiora was criticized for a play he made in New York’s preseason game Saturday, and Umenyiora believed Sheridan was “contradicting” a previous statement.
Mike Garafolo of the Newark Star-Ledger references a source that says Umenyiora and Sheridan haven’t gotten off to a great start since Sheridan took over for Steve Spagnuolo.
While the news is troubling for the Giants, especially if Umenyiora’s absence drags on, it sounds like a problem that can be settled. There was no confrontation between the two men, and the absence apparently isn’t contract related.
Then again, the issue could fester if Umenyiora’s absence is a sign of a larger problem that the defense isn’t buying what Sheridan is selling.
UPDATE: Umenyiora’s agent Tony Agnone believes Umenyiora will be back with the team Tuesday. “This will probably all blow over and Osi will have a great year,” he said.