New York Giants’ defensive end Osi Umenyiora thrilled to have reached the playoffs – NFL News Update
After striving hard for the last few years, New York Giants’ defensive end, Osi Umenyiora, is thrilled to have received another chance to prove his determination in the playoffs, saying on Thursday, January 5, 2012, that he feels ‘good and happy’ about his
team and their performance.
The Giants won their last Super Bowl in 2007.
The next year, in 2008, they registered a playoff appearance and were defeated by Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round.
In their last two seasons, they displayed an improved game-play strategy, but failed to reach the postseason.
Addressing a press conference, Umenyiora expressed delight over how the Giants recorded a remarkable comeback to top the National Football Conference (NFC)-East division.
Although the performance was not as good as it was in previous years, it was enough to see them through.
“It feels good. I am just happy to get back here after all the talk of us not making it and the talk this year about us not being here the fact that we came together and pulled through definitely feels good”, Umenyiora said.
Although Umenyiora remained inconsistent throughout the season owing to different injuries, he asserted that now he is fit enough to take to the field and provide much needed support to the defensive line.
At the start of the regular season, a knee injury forced him out for three games. Later, he missed four more games owing to a high ankle sprain.
However, he marked a comeback in the regular season finale against the Dallas Cowboys and recorded two sacks during the game.
This season, Umenyiora, who is an eight-year veteran, started seven games while playing nine. He has 25 tackles and nine sacks to his credit.
During practice on Thursday, he participated in a complete workout, killing the speculations that he was still bothered by the injury, saying that he was not injured in the game against the Cowboys.
Meanwhile, Giants’ defensive coordinator, Perry Fewell, has said that Umenyiora’s recovery is a good sign in terms of development for the team.
Fewell acknowledged that Umenyiora’s presence adds strength in the defensive line and said that his experience is vital for future crucial encounters.
“It puts a lot more speed on the field for us. As we look at what we call the get-offs in the pass rush, he has such good eye-hand coordination when he’s watching the ball and going on the snap of the ball that it puts a lot of pressure on those offensive
tackles”, Fewell said.
The Giants will be hosting Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, January 8, 2012, in which they are expected to gain an edge due to Falcons' current inconsistent performance.
The Falcons have registered some impressive wins during the regular season, but when it came to facing relatively tougher opponents, they could not handle pressure and gave away easy points.
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