Osi Umenyiora Thrives After Benching

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- There will be friction in an NFL season between coaches and players, coaches and management, players and management, fans and their teams. On the players' side, you will have a Jamal Lewis questioning his coach's practice plan, a Roy Williams complaining that he is not getting the ball enough in the offensive design, a Hines Ward questioning his coach's communication on injuries and whether the star quarterback can really go.

You will see players benched.

It happened to New York's Osi Umenyiora on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.

It has been a lengthy, tricky get-to-know-you between the Giants defensive players and their first-year defensive coordinator, Bill Sheridan.

I remember asking one of the Giants star defensive players about Sheridan in training camp, asking the player to fill me in on what the coach was about. And the player answered: "We're still trying to figure that one out. You know as much as I know.''

Not good. Not after an off-season of minicamps and meetings and through most of training camp together. It was clear -- there were issues there.

Sheridan was in a tough spot. A first-time coordinator taking over for a popular Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator (Steve Spagnuolo, now the St. Louis Rams head coach). A coach with a more cerebral approach than Spagnuolo's more communicative, intense approach.

But Sheridan has weaved his way through this season, one where the Giants defense has, at times, looked soft and disinterested. He has had to build minus maybe the Giants best defensive player, injured safety Kenny Phillips. He had to build with Umenyiora walking out on him three games into the preseason, leaving the Giants complex in a huff over Sheridan's critical comments only later to return and apologize.

And Umenyiora is not the only Giant to have his ego ruffled by Sheridan.

What some call a rift, others would call, simply, coaching. And when push comes to shove, the coach has to pull his biggest card: a benching.

Umenyiora became the example of what was wrong with the Giants defense, especially after the way he was mauled by the Denver Broncos offensive tackle Ryan Clady on Thanksgiving night. All around, the Giants run defense was sinking and Umenyiora -- a lighter defensive end whose strength is not run stuffing but, nonetheless, was underachieving in that exercise -- was benched against Dallas in favor of Mathias Kiwanuka.

Umenyiora was as humbled as he was hurt over the benching.

Good football teams, good players, rise in such occasions.

Umenyiora did. He entered Sunday's game to team with Kiwanuka on a play just before halftime that helped the Giants move from a 10-7 deficit to a 14-10 halftime advantage. Kiwanuka forced a fumble on Cowboys running back Marion Barber. Umenyiora picked up the ball and sped 24 yards to the Dallas 28, leading to a Brandon Jacobs 1-yard scoring run.


The Giants benched three defensive starters for their Week 13 game.

The way the Giants rotate defensive players -- especially linemen -- does it really matter who starts? Of course it does for players with great pride like Umenyiora.

But what are you going to do about it? Umenyiora had an answer.

He said he was hurt and called his benching "emotional," but found a way to renew his spirit, fire and focus.

Kiwanuka noticed.

"We had the week to talk about it, kind of work through it, and I feel for him as my teammate and friend; he's helped me a lot as a player to get better," Kiwanuka said. "And then for us to combine for that big play? That was special. It reinforces that if you stay together, regardless of the circumstances, great things can happen."

Great things like sweeping Dallas and improving in rush defense from 251 yards allowed in the first game to 45 yards allowed the second time around.


A player keeping his head together in this league is not always easy.

But the Giants had another guy show everyone how to do it against Dallas. Domenik Hixon got his shot as a starting receiver when Plaxico Burress was lost last season. Hixon entered this season as a starter. But as the young Giants receivers, especially Hakeem Nicks, have grown, Hixon has been moved back to kick returns and special-teams play.

Rather than mope over not starting at wide receiver or complain about not catching a single pass against Dallas, Hixon created a way to make a difference. He scored the winning points on his reverse field, spinning 79-yard punt return late in the game.

"You're dead right about that one, because I could have felt sorry for myself or blamed the coaches for not playing me more at receiver, but I knew I can could contribute in the return game and still help us win," Hixon said. "It's a matter of attitude and will. Somewhere along the way you have to decide if you are going to be a hero or a goat in whatever you are asked to do."

This is the Giants' formula for victories: Win the physical battles, do not defeat yourself with penalties and mistakes and play as a team. Accept your role, do your job.

The victory over Dallas reinforced to the Giants who they are, what they believe.

This renewed understanding of tasks defined and roles accepted comes to the Giants at a critical time. They are in the belly of the NFC East race now and have the Philadelphia Eagles arriving on Sunday night at Giants Stadium. The Eagles have solved the Giants rather handily in recent meetings, booting them from the playoffs a year ago in Giants Stadium and routing them earlier this season, 40-17 in Philadelphia.


You play NFC East foes Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington in consecutive weeks toward the end of the season -- like the Giants are doing -- and you learn plenty about your team. About yourself. These are the games that force a team to unite or crumble.

Umenyiora understands.

"We aren't talking playoffs right now, we are talking beating Philadelphia," he said. "We have a veteran team. We knew after the Denver game that things were probably going to be shaken up if not blown up. There are a lot of ways to get people's attention and I think I was used to do that not only for the team but also for me. It is a time to show what we can do together as a team."

Sheridan and his defense continue to seek a perfect union.

The Umenyiora benching, and the Umenyiora reaction helped them get one step closer.