Ever since the retirement of 15-year veteran defensive end Michael Strahan became a possibility, it has just been assumed that the Giants would move Mathias Kiwanuka back to the position he played when he was their No. 1 draft pick in 2006.

Last spring he was moved to strong-side linebacker and seemed to flourish there until he suffered a fractured fibula in Detroit Nov. 18.

But if Strahan retires, it would make perfect sense to simply put him back on the line. After all, he played in all 16 games as a rookie (17 including the wild card playoff loss in Philadelphia). He started nine of them, had 55 tackles, two interceptions, four sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. His seven tackles in the playoff game was the Giants' team-high number.

Logical? Of course.

But not so, according to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

"If Michael does retire, I think we'll try to leave Kiwi at linebacker," he said. "That was the original plan and he was growing into the position. Of course, in case of injuries, guys move around. And in our defense, he might be on the line now and then, but I would like to keep him as a linebacker."

Should that happen in the coming months -- Strahan retires, Kiwi stays put -- the Giants' defensive ends would be Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck, who combined for 111 tackles and 23 sacks last season; Tuck didn't even start.

Depth would be the problem, of course. Scanning the roster one can find Dave Tollefson (a veteran free-agent pickup last Oct. 2 from the Oakland practice squad), who played well in limited duty; and last year's rookie Jay Alford, who was switched from end to tackle.

But the way Spagnuolo designs his highly unorthodox defense, there's no telling where Kiwanuka will be coming from down to down. Several times last season the Giants' front line consisted of Strahan, Umenyiora, Tuck and Kiwanuka.

"The goal is to get the best 11 players on the field," Spagnuolo says. "We are fortunate in that we have several players who can play different positions and hence different roles."

In a real and valid sense, it's what helps make Super Bowl champions.

Copyright (C) 2008 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.