Snap Judgments: Strahan's exit doesn't spell doom in New York

It's kind of fitting Michael Strahan and Brett Favre retired the same offseason, because when I think of No. 92, the first image I'll see is him setting the single-season sack record of 22½ in 2001 courtesy of Favre 's infamous flop at his feet in the final game of that season. Funny, but they don't play that one on an endless highlight reel on the NFL Network .

I know it's all bouquets and valentines when you've had a Hall of Fame career and you get the added bonus of walking away as a Super Bowl champion, but you should know that when Strahan was holding out of Giants camp last summer, there were plenty of folks in the New York organization who weren't exactly heartbroken over his absence or willing to accept his motives on face value.

Yes, Strahan was a team leader within the Giants locker room. But not all the time. Strahan was a master at that me-first, sporadic sort of leadership that some athletes demonstrate best when the TV lights get turned on and the cameras are pointed at them. By and large, Strahan was seen within the Giants as someone who never lost track of what was best for Strahan at any particular moment.

The best news for New York is that just as last year, when Tiki Barber 's production in the backfield was compensated for nicely by the likes of Brandon Jacobs , Ahmad Bradshaw and Derrick Ward , the Giants aren't going to suffer from separation anxiety without Strahan around. As he proved throughout the playoffs and most tellingly in the Super Bowl, fourth-year defensive end Justin Tuck is a dominating presence who's ready for a full-time starting role. And New York can always move 2006 first-round pick Mathias Kiwanuka back to his natural defensive end position (from outside linebacker) if defensive line depth or a need for more pass rush becomes an issue.

Don't get me wrong. Without Strahan , the Giants will be missing a superb player who could still greatly impact a game 15 years into his career. But on the whole, New York 's Super Bowl title defense didn't suffer its first major setback this week. Far from it. In addition to the heroics, Strahan always provided a few headaches for Giants coach Tom Coughlin and his team. Rest assured, New York will do just fine without either one from No. 92.

�€� Jerome Bettis retires after 2006 and goes straight to TV. Tiki Barber retires after 2007 and goes straight to TV. And now it's Strahan 's turn, who's probably Fox-bound if the rumors are correct (Barber is the only one who didn't go out with a ring).

Strahan will be a natural, of course, and by August he'll likely have gone public with more than a few opinions to stir things up in New York , Tiki-style. Get ready for Mike's take on the Jeremy Shockey saga. You know it's coming.

�€� Cedric Benson . Travis Henry . Marshawn Lynch . It's been wake-up-and-smell-the-coffee time for quite a few NFL running backs in recent weeks. Two of them are out of a job by their own doing, and the third seems to be facing a potentially costly off-field legal issue that could wind up impacting his 2008 season.

Lynch 's potential involvement in that hit-and-run accident in Buffalo is still a story without an ending, but the other two running backs may have cost themselves a career with their penchant for poor decision-making.

�€� Speaking of poor decisions, you can add Benson to the long list of Chicago 's first-round misses -- and it's not just running backs. In the past 15 drafts alone, the Bears have selected the following underachievers in the opening round: defensive end John Thierry (1994), running back Rashaan Salaam (1995), running back Curtis Enis (1998), quarterback Cade McNown (1999), receiver David Terrell (2001), offensive tackle Marc Columbo (2002), defensive end Michael Haynes (2003), quarterback Rex Grossman (2003) and Benson (2005).