Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Sometimes the numbers game doesn’t tell the whole story.
In the case of Osi Umenyiora, it’s time to move on from last year’s numbers and write a whole new game book…with the Atlanta Falcons.
Umenyiora has some big shoes to fill for the Falcons, and not just those vacated by John Abraham. Since it’s a safe bet to say he’s planning to be a starter, he better plan to put in the work to get there.
So far, so good.
On the plus side, Umenyiora has put aside his formerly antagonistic nature and is, in fact, an inspiration and help to the younger Falcons generation. He’s been there. He was in the trenches working for that first Super Bowl victory then, much like his current teammates are now…and he’s willing to share what he’s learned from that experience. The rookies—Malliciah Goodman and Stansly Maponga—are in the enviable position of benefiting from that experience and learning from one of the best.
Advantage: Umenyiora…and not just home field.
The assumption is that Umenyiora will start for the Falcons, but don’t think the road to that position will be smooth or automatic. Face it, his performance last year wasn’t really anything to write home about. However, this is a new year, a new chapter, a new season. He plans to make a fresh start to the best of his abilities…and those abilities are considerable, to say the least.
“It’s what I can do for the Atlanta Falcons, and they expect big things from me. I expect even bigger things from myself.”
Strong words, indeed.
The question here is will Umenyiora back up those words on the field, namely in the form of being a contributing factor to a Super Bowl victory?
In a word, absolutely.
Leigh Allen is an NFL Atlanta Falcons writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow her on Twitter, on Facebook, and on Google+.
