Three former New York Giants pass rush legends showed up to training camp to check things out this week.
Justin Tuck, Mathais Kiwanuka and Osi Umnayiora all stopped by the Giants’ training facility on Monday to get an up-close look at this year’s version of Big Blue.
Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora & Mathias Kiwanuka showed up to Giants camp today pic.twitter.com/TAAv8ntCcL
— Talkin’ Giants (@TalkinGiants) August 2, 2021
Giants head coach Joe Judge loved the idea of old being new.
“Osi, Kiwi and Justin coming back and talking to the team, that was huge for us. I’ve said it from the beginning, this is a different organization, there is a connection between past players, past history of these teams and the players that sit in these chairs today,” Judge told reporters on Tuesday.
“It’s important our players understand and have respect for the history that they come after. They have to understand what’s happened, the players who did it, and the culture and the standards that remain consistent throughout those great times of this organization.
“Without going into direct specifics of what they said, I would just say that everything you could ever ask to be said to a team and needed to be said, they covered. Covered very direct from a player’s perspective, very strong message, it was very well received. I heard from a lot of players, a lot of coaches, I could say from my own perspective of the impact it had on the team in terms of understanding the standards, the expectations of former players, this is different. Some organizations, you kind of come and go. This is one of the different ones where history matters, history carries over.
“In terms of former players coming back here, if anyone hasn’t heard my voice yet, I hope they hear it now, I want them back. I want them here, I want them involved with our team, I want them here at practice, I want them in meetings, I want them around our players, I want our players to understand the pressure they should have on them from past players who achieved great things here. I want these guys in this program. They were here before us and the history of this program will go on after we’re gone here. I want them to understand they are valued, they are respected and they are important to the players who are currently on this roster and our current players have to understand the significance the players played in establishing the culture here.”
Tuck was the Giants’ defensive captain and a two-time Super Bowl champion. Osi was a second-round pick out of Troy in 2003 and was also a two-time Super Bowl champ as was Kiwanuka, the Giants’ first-round pick out of Boston College in 2006.
Umenyiora is seventh on the Giants’ all-time sack list with 75. Tuck is 10th with 60.5. Kiwanuka amassed 38.5. Umenyiora forced an incredible 35 fumbles in his career. Kiwanuka forced 13 and Tuck 22.
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