Lowhe826 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- If Justin Tuck had concerns about Osi Umenyiora coming back from knee surgery, they ended the first day the two entered the weight room for the New York Giants' voluntary offseason program. Umenyiora promptly declared he was the stronger man. Tuck laughs telling the story, knowing that's how the defensive linemen push themselves, by challenging each other. When asked who really was stronger, Tuck admitted it was Umenyiora, at least for now. "He calls himself the king right now, and me the prince," Tuck said Tuesday after the Giants held another voluntary practice at Giants Stadium. "But he has had six months of training and I had six months of being beat up." Looking at Umenyiora, there is no doubt that he's happy to be back at work. The defensive end tore the lateral meniscus in his left knee in a preseason game against the Jets, sidelining him for the year. He said Tuesday his knee is at 99 percent and he will be ready for the start of training camp in July. Surprisingly, Umenyiora said the injury was not something new. It had been bothering him for two years and finally gave out in the exhibition game in August. "I haven't been in a situation like that my whole life," Umenyiora said. "To see the way it unfolded and the pain and rehabilitation process, how grueling and how hard it was, I think that added an extra motivation [for this season]." The 27-year-old, who earned Pro Bowl berths in 2005 and '07, said the Giants didn't take any chances with his injury. Doctors could have "burned" out the torn cartilage, giving Umenyiora the chance to play again later in the season. However, that could have shortened his career substantially. "That shows you what type of organization the Giants are," Umenyiora said. "If they would've said I should do that, I would've actually thought about it, like maybe I can go out there and help them. But it wasn't even a part of the discussion. They were like 'Fix it. Get it over with and come back next year.'" Umenyiora said his recovery went so well that his knee was at about 80 to 85 percent late in the season and he would have considered returning had the Giants not put him on injured reserve. Now, Umenyiora is focusing on the coming season. "I haven't put on pads or nothing yet, but I've been out there doing the exact same things everybody else has been doing with no problems," Umenyiora said. "As long as I'm able to do that, then I think it's where it needs to be." The only obstacle in his recovery is getting back on the field, which he said is more a mental thing. After his injury and surgery, Umenyiora stayed away from the team, saying it would have bothered him if he remained. He added that it was tough watching, noting the Giants' loss to the Eagles in the playoffs was hard to accept. "It was very frustrating for me," he said. "I wasn't able to help the team. I was able to call them and give them support, but that was the extent of my help. To see the way it ended, it was very frustrating. It was a team they should have beat and would have beaten if everything was in order, and it wasn't. We'll reload next year and go at them." With the signing of defensive end Chris Canty and tackle Rocky Bernard and the return of Umenyiora, the Giants are deep on the defensive line. They also have Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, Fred Robbins, Barry Cofield and Jay Alford. Umenyiora doesn't mind splitting time as long as he can get into a rhythm when he's on the field. "We still have to play," Umenyiora said. "Everything looks real good on paper, but we still have to go out and perform." http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4013442 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allstarjim Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Good to see that he's about ready to go. Osi doesn't need to worry about the rotation. He'll be out there the absolute most snaps that he can get and still be fresh through 4 quarters. Same with Tuck. If anyone sees there snaps diminished it will be Kiwanuka, Robbins, and most assuredly, Alford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allstarjim Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Also, I can't wait to see Osi and Tuck as starting bookends. I was really looking forward to it last year before the Osi injury. Memo to Coughlin... no more critical starters playing in the 2nd quarter of preseason games, you ass! It makes it that much more awesome that Canty will be in the middle with Cofield or Robbins, perhaps Bernard on passing downs. That front 4 is freakishly good, and Osi and Tuck are going to rack up a LOT of sacks. Another thing about it is that it's going to make blitzing a lot easier. You have to double. Even if teams go max protect, they will just be trying to stop the front 4, probably doubling the bookends and leaving a running back to chip a blitzer or DT which isn't going to really work. QB's are in trouble this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I'll believe it when I see it. These guys are always gun-ho when they are asked if they are ready, especially after coming back from an injury. Real test is the start of the season in Sept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrashTalker92 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 i can't wait for the season to start..... OSI, TUCK,, and rotate KIWI.. and ROBBINS.. some teams can only dream of that set up.... the only thing i'm worry about is our LB and secondary... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allstarjim Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 i can't wait for the season to start..... OSI, TUCK,, and rotate KIWI.. and ROBBINS.. some teams can only dream of that set up.... the only thing i'm worry about is our LB and secondary... Don't worry about the secondary, Webster is a stud, Phillips is a stud, and Ross and Johnson are both very good. Terrell Thomas proved he can play as well, and is probably going to be one of the better nickels in the NFL next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Amazing how Webster went from Bust to Stud within the span of a season and Ross is now just really good. Don't worry about the secondary, Webster is a stud, Phillips is a stud, and Ross and Johnson are both very good. Terrell Thomas proved he can play as well, and is probably going to be one of the better nickels in the NFL next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allstarjim Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Amazing how Webster went from Bust to Stud within the span of a season and Ross is now just really good. Well it's based on performance. I believe I read Webster was beat for only 1 TD all year. I'm reading sarcasm in your post, if it wasn't intended, sorry. But Webster was a shutdown corner this year. He was dominant, and QB's didn't throw to his side. Ross did not have near the success as Webster, but I still like Ross and think that he is a very good corner, and has potential for greatness even still. EDIT* Also, Webster starting coming on during the playoff run in '07, so it's really a year plus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nesta Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Amazing how Webster went from Bust to Stud within the span of a season and Ross is now just really good. It was over the span of two seasons with Web. Ross plays well when there's pressure on the qb, otherwise he's average. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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