LeSean McCoy might regret his twit-icism of Osi Umenyiora. The New York Giants certainly seem unlikely to forget about it when they see McCoy and his Philadelphia Eagles this season.
Justin Tuck became the latest Giant to defend his teammate, saying the team will take McCoy calling Umenyiora "soft" personally when they play Sept. 25 and Nov. 20 and adding that Twitter "has made people cowards."
Pick Six: Let's play the Twitter feud!
Where does LeSean McCoy- Osi Umenyiora rank in the pantheon of tweet tit-for-tats? Adam Rank selects the best -- and
some of the worst, too.
"Two things: One, yes we will take that personally, and two, he might want to watch some film before he starts talking about a defensive end of Osi's quality," Tuck said Wednesday on ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike in the Morning," according to SportsRadioInterviews.com. "I don't know where he would say something of that nature because honestly I think Osi's stats back up the fact that he is a pretty good NFL football player."
Umenyiora's stats are pretty good. He posted 11.5 sacks last season and has 60 in his career. He also has been selected to two Pro Bowls, after the 2005 and 2007 seasons.
McCoy started the feud June 16 when he responded to a story about Umenyiora wanting a new contract by tweeting: "Overrated n soft 3rd best d-line on his team honestly." That didn't sit well with Umenyiora, who called McCoy names, including a Chihuahua, a poodle, a little girl, a Twitter gangster, Lady Gaga and a woman, according to Philly.com. Giants wide receiver Steve Smith rushed to his teammate's defense by noting that his team has won a Super Bowl and the Eagles have not.
Tuck's biggest issue with the whole situation is that McCoy used Twitter to criticize Umenyiora.
"I honestly think social media makes people cowards," Tuck said. "Where I'm from, if you have a problem with somebody, you say it to their face, and that was it. I think now people are hiding behind computers and smart phones to get out something that they got on their chest. ...
"I don't know what's gotten into these young guys, but, I mean, it is what it is. I think Osi handled it the right way, and we'll handle it on the football field when we get an opportunity."