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New York Giants rookie edge rusher Azeez Ojulari had an up-and-down first six weeks to the season, but he completely showed out on Sunday.
Ojulari picked up five tackles (three for a loss), four QB hits and 2.5 sacks in a 25-3 upset victory over the Carolina Panthers in Week 7. He also set the edge well and was sound against the run.
It was, by far, Ojulari’s best all-around performance to date.
“It was encouraging to see him play well, but this guy has been playing hard the entire time. There’s not going to be any one button you push to say this is the reason why it happened,” head coach Joe Judge told reporters on Monday. “I think he’s doing a lot of things that – a lot of times the edge players as rookies, it’s a real big transition because it’s very different from college and the talent level is extremely different from college. He’s been productive early in his career really just by playing within his own strengths and skillset.”
Ojulari has been quiet and patient as a rookie, leaning heavily on his coaches and veteran teammates. There have been drips and drabs of his potential showing up, but nothing like we saw against the Panthers.
While Judge says there’s not any one button you push to explain the sudden eruption, Ojulari credits the slowdown he’s experiencing.
“I’ll say every week I’m just trying to get better. As I continue to play these games, I’m getting used to it and adjusting to the game speed and everything. It’s just kind of slowing down for me and getting better by the week,” Ojulari said.
Ojulari also admitted he had quite a few messages on his phone after Sunday’s game, which is a testament to how well he played. But he remains focused on tomorrow and not yesterday — for now it’s about stacking big days and team wins.
“I’m blessed to be able to go out there and compete and make those big plays out there. At the end of the day, I was just happy to get the win, to get back in the win column. I’m just happy to get the win for the team,” he added.
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