There was a time when Osi Umenyiora took a look across the line, spotted Luke Petitgout and thought to himself: “How am I ever going to beat this guy?”
It was two years ago, when Umenyiora was a raw rookie defensive end and Petitgout was an established starter at left tackle. The two would take the field for practice, Umenyiora would make what he thought was a good move and go nowhere. Outside rush, no progress. Inside rush, no chance. It was as if he was stuck in the mud, spinning his wheels.
“Luke used to literally dominate me,” Umenyiora said. “I thought Luke was the best tackle in all of pro football.”
Fast-forward two years. While the respect remains, the awe is definitely gone. Watch a Giants workout in training camp and there in living color is Umenyiora, a rising star bursting from out of his stance. Bracing for the impact is Petitgout, who now must utilize all of his technical skill as he shifts his weight as quickly as possible to impede the onrushing charge.
This is one of the many intriguing one-on-one duels that highlight a month-long camp, pitting teammates against each other, play after play, day after day. If Petitgout, 29, stonewalls his man, the offensive coaches offer encouraging shouts. If Umenyiora, 24, speeds on by, you can be sure the defense will howl in delight. No wonder players look forward to the welcome change of a preseason game. Tonight, the Giants face the Panthers at Giants Stadium, allowing Umenyiora and Petitgout to beat on someone else.
“He’s not a dirty player and I’m not a dirty player either,” Umenyiora said. “We leave that to the other people. If I beat him, I beat him. If he blocks me, I’m just blocked. I ain’t going to go to blows or nothing or try to cheap shot him or anything.”
Said Petitgout, “It’s a working relationship. We work hard against each other so we can get better. You want to give him the most you have so he can deal with the other offensive tackles around the league, and he’s doing the same thing. We go out there to work every day, there’s no extra stuff, no BS.”
Petitgout tonight goes against Carolina’s Mike Rucker, and Umenyiora gets to test himself vs. left tackle Travelle Wharton. Come Monday, the Giants return to camp in Albany and it’s more practice. During individual drills, Umenyiora and Petitgout will take turns making moves, probing for an edge, seeing what works and what doesn’t.
“I’ve been going against him so long I know Luke and he knows me,” said Umenyiora, heading into his first season as a starter. “Sometimes I can look at Luke and I can tell when it’s going to be a pass. I’m quite sure he can look at my stance and be like, ‘Osi’s going to come right here, he must think it’s a pass.’
“Luke’s a very good tackle and I don’t know why people are under the misconception that he’s average. He’s good, man, he can play.”
From a pure pass-rush standpoint, Petitgout knows he will face few, if any, defensive ends with as much pure speed as his dance partner.
“He’s got a great takeoff,” Petitgout said. “From a speed-rushing standpoint, he’s definitely one of the fastest. He’s putting a few more moves together, he’s not just all speed. He was raw talent last year. He’s breaking out of it this year. I hope he gets 20 sacks.”