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Rice on menu for Giants
Sources: Ex-Buc to meet with Big Blue tomorrow
By RALPH VACCHIANO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
ALBANY - Simeon Rice always insisted he's a better player than Michael Strahan. Very soon, the Giants might find out for sure.
Rice, the 33-year-old defensive end who has had a running feud with Strahan for the last nine years, is scheduled to come in and visit the Giants tomorrow, according to two NFL sources. With the 35-year-old Strahan holding out of training camp and threatening to retire, the Giants are exploring their options and want to see if Rice is healthy enough to take Strahan's place.
Rice became available Thursday when he was cut by Tampa Bay. The Bucs said he failed a physical due to a shoulder injury that limited him to eight games last season. But Rice claimed he was waived when he refused to take a pay cut from the $7.25 million he was due this year.
The Giants likely will give him a physical tomorrow, but even if he passes it, Rice told reporters in Tampa that he needs at least three more weeks to rehabilitate his shoulder. However, if the Giants are satisfied with Rice's progress, they do plan to discuss a contract with him, according to a source.
When that will be is still something of a mystery. As of last night, Strahan and Tom Coughlin had exchanged several messages, but had yet to speak to each other. And GM Jerry Reese hadn't had any conversations with Strahan's camp since he spoke with the DE's agent, Tony Agnone, Thursday night.
Strahan, according to sources close to him, is home in California pondering his options. He has set no timetable to make his final decision.
However, the Giants' flirtation with Rice could push him over the edge. According to one source, Strahan is likely to be livid when he hears of Rice's visit. Not only has the seven-time Pro Bowler had a long-running war of words with Rice, but he also knows Rice will be expensive. And considering Strahan was rebuffed in his efforts to get a raise on his $4 million salary, he's not likely to be happy to see big money possibly going to someone else.
The fact that it's Rice will make it worse. The public sniping between the two of them dates back to 1998, when Rice was still an Arizona Cardinal. As recently as last August, Rice said, "Year in and year out, Michael Strahan is a great player. But he's still not me."
Strahan's response: "If you don't want to pay attention to what the defense is counting on you to do, if you just want to run up the field and get sacks, then you can be a Simeon Rice. You can have big numbers but you don't have the respect of defensive ends.
"He seems to be a little bit jealous of something," Strahan added. "I don't know what it is."
Perhaps it's the fact that Rice, a 6-5, 268-pounder, is second among active players with 121sacks. Strahan, of course, is first with 132-1/2, but that fact seemingly had no effect on Rice's ego. When he was cut by the Bucs, Rice said, "I'm the best that ever did it and they never gave me my props."
This actually is the second time the Giants have flirted with Rice. In 2001 they tried to lure him to become Strahan's teammate with a contract worth approximately $5 million per year. But he was looking for an annual salary closer to $7 million, so the Giants instead settled on Kenny Holmes.
That season, Rice began a string of five straight years with at least 10 sacks, totaling 67-1/2 over that span. The streak ended last year, his 11th NFL season, when he played in only eight games and registered only two sacks.
Rice also has drawn interest from the Tennessee Titans, who reportedly are trying to set up a visit as well.
Sources: Ex-Buc to meet with Big Blue tomorrow
By RALPH VACCHIANO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
ALBANY - Simeon Rice always insisted he's a better player than Michael Strahan. Very soon, the Giants might find out for sure.
Rice, the 33-year-old defensive end who has had a running feud with Strahan for the last nine years, is scheduled to come in and visit the Giants tomorrow, according to two NFL sources. With the 35-year-old Strahan holding out of training camp and threatening to retire, the Giants are exploring their options and want to see if Rice is healthy enough to take Strahan's place.
Rice became available Thursday when he was cut by Tampa Bay. The Bucs said he failed a physical due to a shoulder injury that limited him to eight games last season. But Rice claimed he was waived when he refused to take a pay cut from the $7.25 million he was due this year.
The Giants likely will give him a physical tomorrow, but even if he passes it, Rice told reporters in Tampa that he needs at least three more weeks to rehabilitate his shoulder. However, if the Giants are satisfied with Rice's progress, they do plan to discuss a contract with him, according to a source.
When that will be is still something of a mystery. As of last night, Strahan and Tom Coughlin had exchanged several messages, but had yet to speak to each other. And GM Jerry Reese hadn't had any conversations with Strahan's camp since he spoke with the DE's agent, Tony Agnone, Thursday night.
Strahan, according to sources close to him, is home in California pondering his options. He has set no timetable to make his final decision.
However, the Giants' flirtation with Rice could push him over the edge. According to one source, Strahan is likely to be livid when he hears of Rice's visit. Not only has the seven-time Pro Bowler had a long-running war of words with Rice, but he also knows Rice will be expensive. And considering Strahan was rebuffed in his efforts to get a raise on his $4 million salary, he's not likely to be happy to see big money possibly going to someone else.
The fact that it's Rice will make it worse. The public sniping between the two of them dates back to 1998, when Rice was still an Arizona Cardinal. As recently as last August, Rice said, "Year in and year out, Michael Strahan is a great player. But he's still not me."
Strahan's response: "If you don't want to pay attention to what the defense is counting on you to do, if you just want to run up the field and get sacks, then you can be a Simeon Rice. You can have big numbers but you don't have the respect of defensive ends.
"He seems to be a little bit jealous of something," Strahan added. "I don't know what it is."
Perhaps it's the fact that Rice, a 6-5, 268-pounder, is second among active players with 121sacks. Strahan, of course, is first with 132-1/2, but that fact seemingly had no effect on Rice's ego. When he was cut by the Bucs, Rice said, "I'm the best that ever did it and they never gave me my props."
This actually is the second time the Giants have flirted with Rice. In 2001 they tried to lure him to become Strahan's teammate with a contract worth approximately $5 million per year. But he was looking for an annual salary closer to $7 million, so the Giants instead settled on Kenny Holmes.
That season, Rice began a string of five straight years with at least 10 sacks, totaling 67-1/2 over that span. The streak ended last year, his 11th NFL season, when he played in only eight games and registered only two sacks.
Rice also has drawn interest from the Tennessee Titans, who reportedly are trying to set up a visit as well.
