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Osi glad to be a Giant
BY RALPH VACCHIANO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Osi Umenyiora glances down the row of lockers that separates him from the prize of the Giants' franchise and can only shake his head and laugh. Nineteen months later, it's still "crazy" to him that the Giants nearly gave up their draft-day pursuit of Eli Manning, all because they were unwilling to give up him."That is crazy," Umenyiora said. "If I was the general manager, I probably would've traded myself to get Eli. I'm glad I'm still here, though. I feel like I'm about to be part of something special. I'm glad they didn't make that trade."
The Giants are glad they didn't make that trade too, and not just because they were able to get Manning from the Chargers on draft day 2004 without giving up Umenyiora - the lone player the Chargers asked for as part of the trade. The Giants are glad they kept the raw, 6-3, 278-pound defensive end because they were always convinced he'd develop into a dangerous pass rusher - a belief he has supported with nine sacks in his last 14 games.
That includes the seven he had last season when he led the Giants (thanks in part to a midseason injury to Michael Strahan) and his first career two-sack game Monday night against New Orleans. As Umenyiora heads into tomorrow night's game against his almost teammates in San Diego, he's well on his way to justifying the Giants' faith.
"I really don't know what the expectations of me are, but I might be playing well according to them," Umenyiora said. "But according to me there's still a couple of things I have to get better at. I'm definitely light years ahead of my rookie year. It's like I'm two different players right now. But I've still got a lot of work to do."
The Giants knew Umenyiora, 24, had work to do when they made him a surprise second-round pick in the 2003 draft. As a senior at Troy State, he finished second in the nation with 16sacks and he clearly had the speed to be a premier pass rusher. But there were concerns that he was too small to be a solid player against the run, and that coming from a small school he was untested against top competition.
Still, even during Umenyiora's disappointing rookie year, the Giants saw brilliant flashes. So, apparently, did the Chargers. That's why Chargers GM A.J. Smith said he asked for Umenyiora "on a regular basis" throughout the Manning trade talks. It's also why Giants GM Ernie Accorsi kept telling him, "No."
"To that point I felt like I hadn't done anything," Umenyiora said. "But they still wanted me after that, so I guess they saw something that I wasn't seeing at that point in time."
Here's what the Giants saw: an improving player who could finally become the perfect bookend for Strahan, maybe even taking away some of Strahan's constant double-teams. And they saw a raw talent with a high ceiling because of his good work ethic. Already he's become more to the Giants than just a pass-rushing specialist.
"He's more than that," Tom Coughlin said. "You bet."
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Hey DeMarcus. You're nine sacks behind your former teammate. Get going.
BY RALPH VACCHIANO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Osi Umenyiora glances down the row of lockers that separates him from the prize of the Giants' franchise and can only shake his head and laugh. Nineteen months later, it's still "crazy" to him that the Giants nearly gave up their draft-day pursuit of Eli Manning, all because they were unwilling to give up him."That is crazy," Umenyiora said. "If I was the general manager, I probably would've traded myself to get Eli. I'm glad I'm still here, though. I feel like I'm about to be part of something special. I'm glad they didn't make that trade."
The Giants are glad they didn't make that trade too, and not just because they were able to get Manning from the Chargers on draft day 2004 without giving up Umenyiora - the lone player the Chargers asked for as part of the trade. The Giants are glad they kept the raw, 6-3, 278-pound defensive end because they were always convinced he'd develop into a dangerous pass rusher - a belief he has supported with nine sacks in his last 14 games.
That includes the seven he had last season when he led the Giants (thanks in part to a midseason injury to Michael Strahan) and his first career two-sack game Monday night against New Orleans. As Umenyiora heads into tomorrow night's game against his almost teammates in San Diego, he's well on his way to justifying the Giants' faith.
"I really don't know what the expectations of me are, but I might be playing well according to them," Umenyiora said. "But according to me there's still a couple of things I have to get better at. I'm definitely light years ahead of my rookie year. It's like I'm two different players right now. But I've still got a lot of work to do."
The Giants knew Umenyiora, 24, had work to do when they made him a surprise second-round pick in the 2003 draft. As a senior at Troy State, he finished second in the nation with 16sacks and he clearly had the speed to be a premier pass rusher. But there were concerns that he was too small to be a solid player against the run, and that coming from a small school he was untested against top competition.
Still, even during Umenyiora's disappointing rookie year, the Giants saw brilliant flashes. So, apparently, did the Chargers. That's why Chargers GM A.J. Smith said he asked for Umenyiora "on a regular basis" throughout the Manning trade talks. It's also why Giants GM Ernie Accorsi kept telling him, "No."
"To that point I felt like I hadn't done anything," Umenyiora said. "But they still wanted me after that, so I guess they saw something that I wasn't seeing at that point in time."
Here's what the Giants saw: an improving player who could finally become the perfect bookend for Strahan, maybe even taking away some of Strahan's constant double-teams. And they saw a raw talent with a high ceiling because of his good work ethic. Already he's become more to the Giants than just a pass-rushing specialist.
"He's more than that," Tom Coughlin said. "You bet."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey DeMarcus. You're nine sacks behind your former teammate. Get going.