It’s scary to imagine what the Giants defense would look like if Osi Umenyiora didn’t tear the lateral meniscus in his left knee against the Jets on Aug. 24.
Through the first seven games without Umenyiora, the Giants (6-1) are leading the NFL with 26 sacks and are third in the league in total defense, giving up 271 yards per game.
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The two-time Pro Bowl end who has led the team in sacks the last four years was facing a four-month recovery period and the team deemed his season a lost cause, placing him on IR.
The Giants haven’t needed him, but they may be kicking themselves for their decision. Umenyiora is progressing well and said he could be ready by the end of the season – only he’s ineligible to play before 2009.
“I got off crutches about a week and half, two weeks ago,” Umenyiora said yesterday while at the ESPN Zone in Times Square to promote a video game. “I’m doing some jogging, some light drills. I’m progressing pretty well and I’m a little bit ahead of schedule.”
When Michael Strahan retired after last season’s run to the Super Bowl title, Umenyiora was slated to fill his shoes as the defensive leader. Since Umenyiora went down, Mathias Kiwanuka moved from linebacker back to his natural position at end, and the rest of the defense has pulled together.
“You can’t just expect one player to make a team,” Umenyiora said. “Everybody is stepping up and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
When the Giants host the hobbled Cowboys on Sunday, they are not taking anything lightly.
“They have a lot of injuries, but the thing about it is they’re the Cowboys,” said cornerback Sam Madison. “They always have football players that are hard-nosed and very tough. So on their end, they probably won’t have all their guns, but they’re still going to be a very dangerous football team.”
bcyrgalis @nypost.com