Tag: Osi Umenyiora

Giants great Osi Umenyiora explains how he earned $41M extension in 2005

Retired New York Giants DE Osi Umenyiora shares an interesting story about how he earned a $41 million extension in 2005.

In 2003, the New York Giants selected Troy defensive end Osi Umenyiora with the 48th overall pick in the NFL draft. His NFL career got off to a slow start, recording just one sack as a rookie but then began to heat up in Year 2 with seven sacks.

In 2005, Umenyiora was seeking a new contract. It was Week 11 and Tom Coughlin’s team was 7-3 and heading towards the playoffs. They flew west to Seattle to face the eventual NFC Champion Seahawks (8-2) and Umenyiora would have to prove his worth to the team against future Hall of Fame offensive tackle Walter Jones.

Umenyiora had a monster game with seven total tackles, two sacks and the forced fumble on Matt Hasselbeck shown above. Two weeks later, the Giants announced a six-year, $41 million extension with $15 million guaranteed.

That was investment that ultimately served the Giants well. Umenyiora helped lead the team to two Super Bowl titles and

Ex-Giant Osi Umenyiora to lead NFL’s Africa contingent

Retired New York Giant Osi Umenyiora will help lead the NFL’s expansion into Africa where they hope to discover future football talent.

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Former New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora is headlining the way to the NFL’s expansion into Africa.

The former NFL star has been making shockwaves throughout the international football world. Umenyiora himself is a star that is of African descent (having two Super Bowls championships and two Pro Bowls honors under his belt). Now he wants to make sure the NFL can utilize this talent for a homogenous expansion into Africa.

“You see the number of athletes we have in the NFL right now of African descent,” Umenyiora told Andscape, via ESPN. “There are a lot, and the winds are blowing even stronger in that direction. We’ve seen what the NBA has done in terms of its investment in Africa. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be in full force on ground there also. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

The NFL is starting in Ghana as they evaluate a group of 40 players who were selected from regional camps run by Umenyiora. He will be in Ghana starting on June 21 for the NFL’s activities through this program.

This is not the first time that Umenyiora has helped foster a relationship between Africa and the NFL as he has founded The Uprise — a developmental program for prospects ages 16 to 22. He started this program in Nigeria and has since expanded it into South Africa and Ghana.

From The Uprise, Umenyiora has helped send three players to the NFL: Haggai Chisom Ndubuisi (Arizona Cardinals), Chigbo Roy Mbaeteka (Giants), and Kehinde Hassan Oginni (Kansas City Chiefs).

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Osi Umenyiora sees himself in Giants pick Kayvon Thibodeaux

New York Giants rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux has drawn a lot of NFL comparisons and now Osi Umenyiora has added another one.

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The New York Giants selected Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux with the fifth overall selection in this year’s NFL draft. He joins a long line of great Giants’ pass rushers from Lawrence Taylor to Michael Strahan to the more recent Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka and Osi Umenyiora.

So, who does Thibodeaux resemble the most. Umenyiora chimed in with his opinion.

“He wouldn’t be anything like JPP, he doesn’t remind me of Kiwi, doesn’t remind me of Tuck, doesn’t remind me of Strahan, actually,” Umenyiora told the New York Post. “He’s more like myself.’”

If that turned out to be true, the Giants would be pleased. Osi was a two-time All-Pro, two-time Pro Bowler and a two-time Super Bowl champion. During his NFL career, he amassed 85 total sacks (75 with the Giants) and forced 35 fumbles, returning four for touchdowns.

“I like him as a player for sure,” Umenyiora said. “Very dynamic football player. He’s strong against the run, which for a college pass rusher of his caliber, you don’t really see that. Strong, quick first step, good bend around the edge, good pass-rush moves, good speed, good motor.

“The way he plays, the way he rushes the passer I think you would say he has a very similar game and a very similar skill set to what I did, for sure. I like him as a player, I do.’”

Outsiders would tend to disagree with Osi’s comparison as Thiobodeaux is believed to be more dynamic than Osi but time will tell. In either case, the Giants should be excited.

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Roy Mbaeteka impressed Giants with his football IQ

Nigerian OL Roy Mbaeteka impressed the New York Giants with his understanding of schemes and blocking assignments.

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Earlier this offseason, the New York Giants made news when they signed 6-foot-9, 320 pound offensive line prospect Roy Mbaeteka, a product of the NFL’s International Pathway program out of Nigeria.

Mbaeteka was discovered and mentored by Giants Ring of Honoree Osi Umneyiora, another player with African roots.

“Roy was telling me that up until the point his feet touched the ground in America, he still didn’t believe this was going to happen,” Umenyiora, 40, who lived in Nigeria from ages 7-to-14, told the New York Daily News. “They’ve dealt with so much disappointment over the course of their lives. They’re thinking something’s gonna happen to the plane. It’s a crazy experience.”

Mbaeteka is a project in every sense of the word and is a long-shot to see the field anytime soon but is developing quickly. This winter, he trained at the esteemed AMDG Sports Performance Facility in Chandler, Arizona run by former NFL star lineman LeCharles Bentley. Mbaeteka came in with limited knowledge and experience.

“He did not know what shotgun formation was when he first got here,” Bentley said.

But since then, Mbaeteka has been making strides in his crash courses to learn the game. He impressed the Giants enough during his April 7 meeting for them to sign him.

“The Giants took him to the board, asked him to draw up what he knew, and he knew the schemes,” Umenyiora said. “He knew who he was supposed to block, all the information.”

Mbaeteka is just the latest international player to get signed by an NFL team. Charles lauded the Giants for “turning over all the rocks to see what’s out there” and the NFL for “expanding the footprint of what’s possible discovering talent around the globe.”

Mbaeteka will likely spend this season on the Giants’ practice squad as he’s still got a lot to learn, but he’s coming along fast. With the Giants rebuilding their offensive line, all options are on the table. Mbaeteka could be one of those diamonds in the rough that teams get lucky with on occasion.

“The playbook, Roy is gonna kill that, because Roy can learn fast, he can learn quick. Just show him, he’s gonna do it,” said former Cleveland Cavaliers draft pick Ejike Ugboaja, who also hails from Nigeria.

The Giants are hopeful he will.

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Giants likely to carry, develop OT Roy Mbaeteka on practice squad

The New York Giants gave OT Roy Mbaeteka a three-year deal with a very specific amount of guaranteed money.

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Last week, the New York Giants signed offensive tackle Roy Mbaeteka, a product of the NFL’s International Player Program out of Nigeria. He was discovered and developed by former Giants great Osi Umenyiora, who spent some of his childhood in Nigeria and is seeking out prospects across the continent.

“It’s like a mentorship,” the 6-foot-9, 320 pound Mbaeteka said of his relationship with Umenyiora. “I really respect him. He gave me a shot. He took a shot at a stranger, someone he’s never met before, and here I am. It’s all because of him.”

Moat wondered what the Giants’ plans are with Mbaeteka and now that is becoming clearer. They will further develop him and likely keep him as member of their practice squad.

The Giants are in the midst of redesigning their offensive line and no stone is being left unturned. They have added five veterans via free agency — Mark Glowinski, Jon Feliciano, Matt Gono, Max Garcia and Jamil Douglas — to help fill the many gaps and are likely to add to that mix in the upcoming NFL draft.

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Odell Beckham Jr. on Giants exit: ‘I got booted’

Los Angeles Rams WR Odell Beckham Jr. says he didn’t leave the New York Giants, but was “booted” from East Rutherford.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. took part in a 45-minute Super Bowl LVI interview on Monday night and nearly escaped without saying anything controversial.

“Nearly escaped” would be the key words there.

Just as the marathon interview was nearing its end, a Zoom moderator called on NFL UK reporter Osi Umenyiora. Beckham’s reaction was a foreshadowing of what was to come.

“Uh oh,” Beckham said.

Umenyiora promptly reminded Beckham of an hour-long heart-to-heart they once had in which Osi pressed OBJ not to leave New York. But Beckham rejected that phrasing and told Umenyiora that’s now how his departure from the New York Giants played out.

“First, I didn’t leave, I got booted,” Beckham said. “Second, it is a great feeling to be here at this moment.”

Although Beckham maintains he was essentially kicked out of East Rutherford, he also admits he conducted himself in a way that didn’t accurately represent who he was.

“When I was younger, I definitely did things that could have helped [me] not be seen for who I truly am,” Beckham said, via the New York Post. “But I also feel like there was a lot more just trying to create a story because it’s easier to sell drama than it is to write up good things about somebody.”

The relationship between Beckham and the Giants began deteriorating early on. He was unable to keep his composure on the field and that eventually began spilling over onto the sideline, where his antics were a weekly attraction. Then came the Miami boat trip, the bizarre ESPN interview with Lil Wayne and the attacks on quarterback Eli Manning.

Despite it all, Beckham insists he’s now a more mature version of himself. And the satisfaction he’s currently experiencing stems from the hard work it takes to succeed, and not necessarily in the fact that he’s proven so many people — including the Giants — wrong.

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Joe Judge on Giants legends: ‘I want them involved with our team’

Following a visit from Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka, Joe Judge says he wants more legends to be involved with the Giants.

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.

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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Osi Umenyiora: NFL’s structure makes Tom Brady’s success even more impressive

Retired New York Giants DE Osi Umenyiora explains why the NFL’s structure makes Tom Brady’s success that much more impressive.

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Former New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora knows a thing or two about how great Tom Brady is. He also knows what it’s like to beat Brady, a feeling he’s experienced twice in the Super Bowl.

That aside, Umenyiora realizes how special Brady’s feat of seven Super Bowl wins is. On his Twitter feed, he elaborated.

“The NFL is the most fair professional sports league in the world. Every team has the same access to all the players because of the draft and salary cap,” Umenyiora said. “No super teams, actually teams that try and build super teams usually lose. It’s not an individual sport, and all these factors make it almost impossible to win consistently in the NFL.

“So I stand firm in believing that what Tom Brady has done is almost inconceivable, and he is the best professional athlete we have seen.”

Osi then clarified his assessment, stating he is only using a recent sample of history.

“I only went back to 2010, but since then, the team with the most pro bowl players has not won the Super Bowl. You can’t buy an NFL championship, or assemble a bunch of star players to win one. Just doesn’t work like that in the NFL,” he said.

No, it doesn’t. Football isn’t like the other team sports. Sure, amassing good players is helpful but it is not the be-all, end-all. Not in football which is the ultimate team game. The Buccaneers may have seemed like an all-star team to may but in reality they were a perfect bunch of young players and veterans — and many of those veterans were picked up off the scrap heap.

Brady was considered done by many teams after last season. His phone did not ring off the hook like it probably should have. Rob Gronkowski was lured out of retirement. Leonard Fournette was cut by the Jaguars and no team wanted anything to do with Antonio Brown. Tampa general manager Jason Licht took a chance on all of them — and won.

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Osi Umenyiora likens Giants to America: ‘What the hell happened?’

Osi Umenyiora says the New York Giants are a lot like America, and no, that’s not a good thing.

Retired New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora isn’t a fan of modern day America. He’s not a fan of the modern day Giants, either.

In fact, Umenyiora sees the two in much the same light.

“I look at the Giants I think the same way I look at America,” Umenyiora told the New York Post. “I think I look at the Giants with a lot of fond memories, but then I’m like what the hell happened? It’s some absolute craziness going on there right now.

“To think that in the past eight seasons, they have had one winning record, I think. It just doesn’t make any sense for a team with that kind of pride and with that kind of history. And with what we had done the eight years prior to that. It’s really unfortunate, man. But in some form or fashion they have almost lost their way. They have lost their identity. Like, what is the New York Giants’ identity right now? I couldn’t even tell you what it is.”

Umenyiora laments the fact that these Giants aren’t as physical and hard-nosed as the teams he played on, which is somewhat ironic given that’s really the only thing this version of the Giants has going for them.

“We were hard-nosed, we were a physical team, we would grind it out and then defensively we would bludgeon you,” said Umenyiora. “Offensively, that offensive line, they were a strong, powerful unit. And they were creating holes. We were running the ball. Eli Manning was an outstanding quarterback. We had a great kicker (Tynes).

“This was the Giants’ identity. And now it’s like I couldn’t even tell you what it is. I don’t know what they are as a football team and how that happened, how that transpired… I will never really understand. What do we need to do to get back to where we were? Now that’s a story all in itself.”

It’s easy to point fingers and throw stones, but it was the failures of the previous regime, which Umenyiora reflects on positively, that started the Giants’ downfall in the first place.

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Osi Umenyiora offers pass rushing advice to Giants’ Oshane Ximines

Osi Umenyiora and New York Giants OLB Oshane Ximines have been in recent contact with Osi offering up some solid pass rushing advice.

Former New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora sees a lot of potential in current Giants outside linebacker Oshane Ximines.

The two-time Super Bowl champ and Pro Bowler knew how to get to the quarterback in his nine years as a Giant and is now offering advice to Ximines, the Giants’ third-round pick out of Old Dominion in last year’s NFL Draft.

Osi and Ximines are very similar in size. Osi is 6-foot-3 and played at 255 pounds, while Ximines, called the “X-Man” here in New York (courtesy of Chris Bisignano from The Giant Insider), is slightly taller at 6-foot-4 and played last season at 254 pounds.

In a tweet from Alex Wilson of Empire Sports Media, it was suggested that Osi provide some advice to Ximines regarding rushing the passer. So, he did.

In a phone interview with Pat Traina of SI.com’s Giants Country, Umenyiora outlined what he believes Ximnines can accomplish in this league and even how to achieve them. The two players have reportedly been in constant contact since, which is a good thing for Ximines, who is eager to learn from one of the great Giants pass rushers of the past.

“You have to set up offensive lineman,” Osi told Traina. “Say, for instance, you are a speed rusher, and you want to change things up and power rush on a play and then bull rush on another. You want the offensive lineman to think that you’re speed rushing. And then when you’re speed rushing, you want him to think that your power rushing. You have to be able to set up your pass rush moves where everything looks the same way to the offensive linemen.”

“If you’re able to do that,” Umenyiora continued, “then the offensive lineman will be big trouble because to block speed rush, you have to set up a certain way. To block a bull rush, you have to set a certain way. If the offensive lineman doesn’t know which one is coming, he’s literally at your mercy.”

It will be difficult for Ximines to match Umenyiora’s production. Osi registered 14.5 sacks in 2005, the year he was named an All-Pro. Osi would go on to have two more double-digit sack seasons (2007, 2010) and finished his Giants career with 75 sacks, placing him fourth all-time on the Giants’ sack list behind Hall of Famers Michael Strahan and Lawrence Taylor and the very underrated Leonard Marshall.

Ximines probably won’t be able to match Osi’s production because they literally play two different positions. Umenyiora was 4-3 defensive end, whose main job was to pin his ears back and go after the quarterback. Ximines will be a 3-4 outside linebacker charged with not only rushing the passer but sealing the edge on the running game and cover running backs and tight ends in the passing game.

Umenyiora suggests Ximines study some of the more successful 3-4 outside linebackers in the league such as his former teammate at Troy, DeMarcus Ware, Denver’s Von Miller and Chandler Jones of the Arizona Cardinals.

“The only thing is as outside linebacker there asking you to drop into coverage,” Umenyiora said. “So you gotta be able to read the offense and those things, as opposed to firing off the ball in a pass rush.”

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