Osi Umenyiora spent nearly a decade in New York, helping the Giants win two Super Bowls and becoming one of the franchise’s most popular players. Now that he’s with the Falcons, the veteran defensive end understands he’s the enemy. He has no hard feelings.
With 5:18 remaining in the second quarter on Sunday, after Umenyiora rushed past left tackle Will Beatty and sacked Eli Manning for a 7-yard loss, the fans at MetLife Stadium booed him. He wasn’t expecting anything different.
“They’re supposed to do that,” Umenyiora said. “I’m on the opposing team. When I’m sacking their quarterback, they’re supposed to boo me. I appreciated it.”
Still, Umenyiora didn’t take any extra pleasure that his first sack of the season came against his former squad.
“I was just trying to help the team win,” he said after the Falcons’ 30-20 loss. “Anything I can do to help this team win, I’m going to do because they deserve it. It’s a good team, good coaches, good owner. They deserve better than what we’re doing right now.”
Umenyiora’s takedown of Manning was the 32-year-old’s only tackle of the afternoon and one of the few highlights for a defense that collapsed in the second half. Trailing 20-10 in the third quarter, the Giants scored on their final four possessions, getting touchdowns from rookie running back Andre Williams and rookie receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and two field goals from Josh Brown.
After recording 7.5 sacks last year, his first with the Falcons, Umenyiora has been a situational pass rusher this season. He averaged 25 snaps in the first four games and played mostly in pass rushing situations on Sunday, which he’s become accustomed to since signing a two-year deal with the Falcons in March 2013. Late in his Giants’ tenure, he complained about his diminished role.
Umenyiora, who had 75 sacks in nine seasons with the Giants, was asked if he’s changed since arriving in Atlanta.
“I’m not a different player at all,” he said. “It’s just sometimes things happen, sometimes they don’t. I’m a little bit more mature. That’s pretty much all I can say.”
Is Umenyiora pleased with the way he’s being used?
“I can’t make no comments on that,” he said. “Whatever this team asks me to do is what I’m going to do. It doesn’t matter if I’m happy or not.”
Does he think he could play a bigger role?
“I always feel like I could help the team out more,” he said. “But whatever they ask me to do is what I’m going to go out there and do.”
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