What about Bob? Glauber's NFL Blog

92 didn't show up for camp today, and is apparently contemplating retirement.

Then again, we suspect if the Giants had ponied up with a few mil extra on his contract, he'd have been on hand talking about how much he loves camp and how he might never retire.

Surely it's getting harder for the 14-year veteran to get motivated to play, but Strahan is also clearly concerned that his $4 million salary is under market value; it actually is for a player of his caliber. His problem: He's 35 years old and he's had injuries two of the last three seasons.

When he's healthy, Strahan remains one of the top all-around defensive ends in the game. There is no doubt in my mind about that. But GM Jerry Reese, who has taken a hard line with other players this season - see: his release of left tackle Luke Petitgout early in the off-season - isn't inclined to re-do the deal that has two years to go on it.

The temptation is to say Strahan is in the wrong, that he should honor his contract, report to camp and just live with it. And if he's looking for more scratch to pay off his divorce settlement, then tough luck.

But the reality is that NFL contracts are relative, and it's commonplace for teams to re-do deals well before they expire. The general rule of thumb is to never let one of your better players get to the final year of his deal, although there are always exceptions.

In Strahan's case, what I would do if I were Reese is this: Tell Strahan the team is willing to at least consider revisiting the deal, perhaps waiting until the season is well underway to see whether Strahan is back to full strength after his foot problems last year. Strahan has generally been a resilient player, and keeps himself in terrific condition, and he is clearly a man on his way to the Hall of Fame.

So it's appropriate for Reese to treat this case somewhat differently than he might another player, because Strahan is one of the team's all-time greats. You can play hardball with other players, but not Strahan. He's done too much for the franchise, and he has too much good football left in him not to at least make some accomodation.

I hope the guy plays again. I really do. He's one of the handful of guys you enjoy watching every Sunday, and his level of play still still high enough to make a huge impact.