Giants sign T Shane Olivea

[so-cal dub]

Worth a shot I guess. He's had drug problems.

[Mr. P]

he started for 3 or 4 years on a good san diego line

 

 

hes only signed for one year and will be a good backup

[gmenroc]

Probably the 'ol, do well this year and we'll extend that year bit.

[BleedinBlue]

Who knows.....maybe he'll work out. Getting let go from a quality NFL team should be a wakeup call in a football player's life. I give him about a 50:50 chance of pulling his shit together. If he does, I think he'll be a quality lineman to work in now and then. Too bad he plays the right side as I'd like to see the left side bolstered up a bit. My overall assessment is this is a low-risk quality player who's only 26 years old that can spell Snee and McKenzie on tough days. I just hope he keeps his nose outa the candy!

[JMFP]

Who knows.....maybe he'll work out. Getting let go from a quality NFL team should be a wakeup call in a football player's life. I give him about a 50:50 chance of pulling his shit together. If he does, I think he'll be a quality lineman to work in now and then. Too bad he plays the right side as I'd like to see the left side bolstered up a bit. My overall assessment is this is a low-risk quality player who's only 26 years old that can spell Snee and McKenzie on tough days. I just hope he keeps his nose outa the candy!

 

Agreed.

[Taylorized56]

ALBANY, N.Y. - Shane Olivea's NFL career was almost over a lot sooner than many believed it would be. Last year, he lost his starting spot as the Chargers' right tackle and then, in February, he lost his job completely when San Diego cut him. Finally, news broke that Olivea had been suspended four games for failed a drug test - a ruling that was later overturned when it was determined he didn't receive notification of his failed test because he had checked himself into the Betty Ford Clinic.

 

Olivea, who signed with the Giants earlier this month, spoke with reporters today and informed them it was painkillers that resulted in his addiction. But apparently, he doesn't regret the experience.

 

"It was the best thing that's ever happened to me," Olivea said. "I have a new outlook on life, a new appreciation on life and every day is a present and a blessing."

 

Olivea said he thought he was hiding his addiction better than he actually was. He didn't realize how obvious it was until his friends and family held an intervention in April. "Just like you see on A&E," he said, referring to the network's popular show, "Intervention."

 

"I mean, the people close around me knew. I mean, I wasn't the same person," he said. "You can hide a lot of things, but your real friends and real family, they know the real you. They saw a major change and thank God they did, and by the grace of God I was able to get my life turned around."

 

Olivea said the intervention was the turning point for him.

 

"Seeing my family in my living room ... seeing how hurt they were and the pain I had caused them was pretty humbling and gut wrenching," he said. "The last thing I want to do is hurt the people around me."

 

Olivea said he doesn't drink anymore and actually never had a big problem with alcohol. But he's trying to keep his system clean of anything that might lead to an addiction. When he goes out now, he's the designated driver.

 

As for the football field, Olivea's being on the third-team offense would seem like a humbling experience for a player once considered one of the most consistent tackles in the league.

 

"The fourth unit, first unit, sixth unit, to me, all that stuff will take care of itself," he said. "I mean, I've proven what I can do in this league and like I said, I'm just happy to put on a unifom. I know I'm starting from scratch and ground zero and I'm not going to be handed anything by any means and like I said, I'm just grateful and thankful to put on a uniform again."

 

MG

 

He's saying the right things. It really does look like he's trying to turn his life around.

[TaylorBanksCarsonVanPelt]

The Giants tend to pick the right reclamation projects.....Christian Peter, Collins, Ahmad Bradshaw and now hopefully this kid.

[CrazedDogs]

Any word on how he's playing so far? I think he's been running with the 3rd team.

[jranieli]

Any word on how he's playing so far? I think he's been running with the 3rd team.

 

Pretty decent, but he has to re-learn a new system so they are putting him with the third team.