The Osi Umenyiora saga continues to push toward a conclusion. If, that is, a specialist in Atlanta clears him to return to practice despite a balky knee.
Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reports that Umenyiora finally will meet with the Georgia doctor on Thursday. If the doctor says that Umenyiora is OK to play, he’ll return to practice Monday.
“I hope so,” coach Tom Coughlin said regarding Osi’s potential return. “Yeah, I really do. I hope we get some closure on that chapter and start on a new one.”
Though we continue to wonder whether Osi is reluctant to play through pain based on his current salary but would be willing to do it if he gets a raise, Vacchiano reports, citing an unnamed source close to Umenyiora, that the player suddenly has decided to drop his demand for a new contract.
Coughlin doesn’t seem to be buying the possibility that Osi would need surgery as an alternative to managing the situation via adjustments to his practice schedule. “I am thinking that whatever is in the best interest of our team right now, that’s the only thing I’ve thought about,” Coughlin said. “We will manage whatever we have to manage. We’ve done it with the hip. We couldn’t practice Osi both Wednesday and Thursday [last year], so we practiced one day under those circumstances. If there’s an issue here we’ll find a way to work with the issue and we’ll find a way to get the player in the best position he can be in.”
Still, for now, it looks like Osi will be back. We’ll know more once the doctor in Atlanta takes a look at Osi’s knee.
Unless, of course, the doctor refuses to practice (medicine) due to dissatisfaction with his own contract.