Just Call Osi Umenyiora 'The Riddler'

New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora was trying to deliver a message Wednesday, and chose a unique way of doing it. By basically speaking in riddles.

"I think in discussing the 2010 New York Giants, the one thing I would say is this: Individually, the team is like stars, but the team is the sun. While we might all shine, when the sun comes up, we all disappear. I’m quite sure you Giants fans understand exactly what I’m talking about, but there are some players on our team who have no idea what I just said. I’ll say this again, and by the way, they’re all on defense. Individually, the team is like stars, but the team is the sun. While we might all shine, when the sun comes up, we all disappear. That’s the mantra this year: team first, team last, team everything. We will be physical, we will be aggressive, we will be a dominant football team," Umenyiora said.

Speaking at the team's annual kickoff luncheon, Osi wasn't quite finished.

"I would like to take this opportunity to personally apologize for everything that went down last year towards the end of the season. That’s not the way we play, that’s not the way we are coached to play, and I can personally guarantee you that things like that will never happen again. If you ever look at an EKG machine when it’s hooked up to a human heart, you see it keeps going up and down and up and down, all that does is indicate that a person is alive. The minute it flat lines, that means they’re dead. This team is very much alive, and though last year was a down, this year we will be back up again.''

Solving riddles is hardly a specialty of mine, but I think Umenyiora was really sending a message to his teammates. Basically, the message to his fellow Giants defenders is put aside your egos, your agendas, play to win games and don't repeat the embarrassment of 2009.

It's a pretty good message, actually.