New York Giants Notes: Fewell Praises Osi Umenyiora

Here are your New York Giants news and notes for today.

Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell was effusive Thursday in his praise of Osi Umenyiora, who won NFC Defensive Player of the Month honors for October.

"It's remarkable. I think that the guy has put his hard hat on and just came to practice mentally fit, he's been physically fit and he's just showing the talent that he has as a football player and I'm loving it," Fewell said. "I remember seeing him in the Super Bowl year and saying, Wow, what a football player, so no, his physical play does not surprise me at all. I know he was hurt the next year and then he didn't get on track last year, but it doesn't surprise me that he has returned to form."

Umenyiora deflected questions about the honor.

"It's a team thing. It's a defensive team award and I don't think I did anything special," Umenyiora said. "I'm not even thinking about that anymore. That's in the past. We have a game this week that we have to concentrate on right now."

In four games last month - all Giants victories - Umenyiora had 18 tackles (10 solo), including 7.0 sacks and six forced fumbles. Umenyiora had three consecutive multiple-sack games in October: he had 3.0 sacks vs. Chicago, 2.0 at Houston and 2.0 vs. Detroit. Prior to that stretch, the two-time Pro Bowler had never had multiple sacks in back-to-back games.

He also forced two fumbles in each of those three games.

Umenyiora is tied for second in the NFL with 8.0 sacks and he leads the league with seven forced fumbles.

Those of you who have been here for a while know how much we talked about Osi in the offseason, and how I have been critical of both his tendency to disappear in certain games and some of his selfish comments. What we have seen in the last month, though, is all I have ever wanted from Umenyiora. Prove on the field that you are still what you think you are, one of the best defensive ends in the league.

• The Giants say they have studied Charlie Whitehurst, who will make his first NFL start at quarterback Sunday for Seattle in place of Matt Hasselbeck, out with a concussion.
• The Seattle Times is wondering what Whitehurst's theme song should be. Among their choices I am sort of partial to 'Secret Agent Man' by Johnny Rivers.
• Most defensive players are not happy with the NFL's increasing emphasis on safety, which means they are increasingly under the microscope for the way they hit offensive players. Justin Tuck is not one of them.
  
  

  "The number one thing is player safety, and as players you've got to have that in the back of your head," Tuck said. "A big kill shot on a quarterback or an offensive player is not more important than the fact of him being able to walk away from the game and go play with his kids at night. That's something that we all have to keep in the back of our heads, and just play the game how it's meant to be played. I know the fans and everybody's gotten so accustomed to all these big hits, but you've just got to do it within the rules of the game. The league is definitely making that an emphasis, so you've just got to abide by it."

• Madison Hedgecock is disheartened after suffering a setback in his rehab from a hamstring injury.
  
  
  "I don’t know the extent of the injury," he told a group of reporters in what were his first extensive public comments about his injury. "I caught a pass in the flat and swung my leg around. After about two steps, I felt a pop in my leg, same spot, so I knew exactly what happened."
  
  

  Hedgecock said he spoke with teammate Aaron Ross, who went through a similar ordeal last year. However, all Ross could tell his frustrated teammate was to be patient.

  "Basically he said it’s a tough one to come back from because you feel like you’ve got false security – it feels like it’s getting better, and you can go out there and run and then you get a setback, so it’s frustrating," Hedgecock said. "You don’t look like you’re hurt, but you are. Until you run full speed, you don’t know you’re hurt."

• Here is something a little different. A photographic tour of some of the favorite places in New York City of some Giants players.

• Seahawks' offense missing more than Hasselbeck
  
  Not only were the Seahawks without starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck on Thursday, their short-handed offense practiced without receivers Mike Williams and Golden Tate and tackles Russell Okung and Tyler Polumbus once again.