Post by prossman on Jun 16, 2009 12:06:01 GMT -7
Osi Umenyiora Q&A: 'I don't feel like I should be stopped one-on-one'
.Bill Eichenberger
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Login or register to post commentsPrinter-friendly versionMonday, Jun. 15, 2009 - 1:08 p.m. ET
This story first appeared in the Monday, June 15, edition of Sporting News Today. If you are not receiving Sporting News Today, the only daily digital sports newspaper, sign up today for free.
None of the Giants' personnel moves in the offseason will mean more this fall than the return of defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who missed last season after damaging cartilage in his left knee in an exhibition game. In 2007, Umenyiora had 13 sacks for a Giants defense that led the NFL in that department with 53. Umenyiora recently told Sporting News' Bill Eichenberger his knee is fully recovered and that he's ready to contribute at his previous level.
Q: Given the addition of Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard to an already strong defensive line, how intense will competition for playing time be in training camp?
A: You're going to feel like if you miss one day, somebody is going to get a leg up on you. So everybody is out there fighting their butts off for their position.
Q: Is that good for this team?
A: It's necessary. You never want to get to comfortable or lackadaisical. It's a job. To be a good professional football player, you should be working most of the time. You can't take days off.
Q: As far as last year and the way the season ended, do you and the rest of the team still think about wanting to have a different ending this year?
A: They should and I do, and I wasn't on the football field. I was there, but I wasn't playing and I saw the way it ended. It was a team (the Eagles) we should have beat. And a team that should the opportunity arise again, I think we will beat.
Q: What is this team's mentality heading into 2009?
A: I think this team in general has the mentality that we should have gone further than we did last year and been in the Super Bowl. We beat the two teams that were in the Super Bowl. So I think we have the mentality that we need to go further.
Q: How important is it that just about everyone showed up for voluntary workouts?
A: It's important. You get to know your teammates. You get to know the people you will be playing with. We have a bunch of new guys on our team -- the rookies, Chris Canty, Michael Boley, Rocky Bernard. You get a chance to really build some camaraderie with them.
Q: Other than continuing to work, is there anything else you need to do for your surgically repaired knee to get ready for training camp?
A: No, I don't think so. I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing. I'm going to rehab continuously. I'm doing everything that everybody else is doing as far as the weight room and running and cutting and stuff like that. I think the knee will be fine.
Q: Once you get to training camp, will you be 100 percent ready to play?
A: I'm not 100 percent once training camp starts. I'm 100 percent now.
Q: When the season starts, do you plan to pick right up where you left off?
A: I would hope so. You never can tell what is going to happen, but I still feel like I am one of the best, if not the best, defensive end in football. I feel quick. I feel explosive, and I don't feel like I should be stopped one-on-one. As long as everybody else is doing what they are supposed to do, which I anticipate them doing, I am going to get a couple of opportunities (to get sacks) and I am going to win those opportunities. I feel I am right where I need to be.
Q: You have been away from football, but you have been working out. How does your body feel as you reacclimatize it to playing the game?
A: It feels good right now. But football shape is different than regular shape. You have that wrestling, and you can't simulate that by just running straight gassers. But I feel like I will be OK.
Q: Until you face full contact in training camp, how can you know how ready you are to return?
A: On the defensive line, it is different for us. The way we are taught, it's all hands and feet anyway. It's not like there is a whole bunch of banging. So what is going on now is going to be pretty much what is going on in camp.
Bill Eichenberger is a staff writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at beichenberger@sportingnews.com.
.Bill Eichenberger
Profile|Archive|Email Bill EichenbergerComments (0)More
Login or register to post commentsPrinter-friendly versionMonday, Jun. 15, 2009 - 1:08 p.m. ET
This story first appeared in the Monday, June 15, edition of Sporting News Today. If you are not receiving Sporting News Today, the only daily digital sports newspaper, sign up today for free.
None of the Giants' personnel moves in the offseason will mean more this fall than the return of defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who missed last season after damaging cartilage in his left knee in an exhibition game. In 2007, Umenyiora had 13 sacks for a Giants defense that led the NFL in that department with 53. Umenyiora recently told Sporting News' Bill Eichenberger his knee is fully recovered and that he's ready to contribute at his previous level.
Q: Given the addition of Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard to an already strong defensive line, how intense will competition for playing time be in training camp?
A: You're going to feel like if you miss one day, somebody is going to get a leg up on you. So everybody is out there fighting their butts off for their position.
Q: Is that good for this team?
A: It's necessary. You never want to get to comfortable or lackadaisical. It's a job. To be a good professional football player, you should be working most of the time. You can't take days off.
Q: As far as last year and the way the season ended, do you and the rest of the team still think about wanting to have a different ending this year?
A: They should and I do, and I wasn't on the football field. I was there, but I wasn't playing and I saw the way it ended. It was a team (the Eagles) we should have beat. And a team that should the opportunity arise again, I think we will beat.
Q: What is this team's mentality heading into 2009?
A: I think this team in general has the mentality that we should have gone further than we did last year and been in the Super Bowl. We beat the two teams that were in the Super Bowl. So I think we have the mentality that we need to go further.
Q: How important is it that just about everyone showed up for voluntary workouts?
A: It's important. You get to know your teammates. You get to know the people you will be playing with. We have a bunch of new guys on our team -- the rookies, Chris Canty, Michael Boley, Rocky Bernard. You get a chance to really build some camaraderie with them.
Q: Other than continuing to work, is there anything else you need to do for your surgically repaired knee to get ready for training camp?
A: No, I don't think so. I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing. I'm going to rehab continuously. I'm doing everything that everybody else is doing as far as the weight room and running and cutting and stuff like that. I think the knee will be fine.
Q: Once you get to training camp, will you be 100 percent ready to play?
A: I'm not 100 percent once training camp starts. I'm 100 percent now.
Q: When the season starts, do you plan to pick right up where you left off?
A: I would hope so. You never can tell what is going to happen, but I still feel like I am one of the best, if not the best, defensive end in football. I feel quick. I feel explosive, and I don't feel like I should be stopped one-on-one. As long as everybody else is doing what they are supposed to do, which I anticipate them doing, I am going to get a couple of opportunities (to get sacks) and I am going to win those opportunities. I feel I am right where I need to be.
Q: You have been away from football, but you have been working out. How does your body feel as you reacclimatize it to playing the game?
A: It feels good right now. But football shape is different than regular shape. You have that wrestling, and you can't simulate that by just running straight gassers. But I feel like I will be OK.
Q: Until you face full contact in training camp, how can you know how ready you are to return?
A: On the defensive line, it is different for us. The way we are taught, it's all hands and feet anyway. It's not like there is a whole bunch of banging. So what is going on now is going to be pretty much what is going on in camp.
Bill Eichenberger is a staff writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at beichenberger@sportingnews.com.