William Joseph primer: 10 things you need to know

Mar/19/08 08:25 AM Filed in: William Joseph
Without further ado, then, to welcome Mr. Joseph aboard, here are 10 things you need to know about the big guy.

• A former Miami Hurricane, Joseph was a No. 25 pick in the 2003 draft, taken by the New York Giants in the opening round. Drafted just after Dallas Clark, Joseph got the first-round call before current Raider Kwame Harris, Nick Barnett and Nnamdi Asomuga.

• His very first game in that 2003 season may have been Joseph's greatest in his entire career with one sack and one forced fumble recovered by his team for a TD.

• Though Joseph remained a member of the Giants through Super Bowl XLII, he was actually only active for one game last season - opening day - and didn't see action. Shortly after Week 1, Joseph was placed on injured reserve. Injuries have been the bane of Joseph's NFL existence these past few seasons, with 25 of 51 possible games missed.

• Thanks to the injuries, Joseph is habitually called a "disappointment" by the media (while playing in New York; imagine that). And check out this writer, who labels Joseph "one of the least popular players in Giants history," before incidentally going on to take a random swipe: "For some strange reason, the Raiders decided Joseph would be an asset to their defense. Oh, well (sic)...guess that's why they're the Raiders." (Now, Raider Nation, don't get too upset: As a Bills fan, this guy clearly has a lot of repressed hostility and frustration.)

• Ironically, the man taking Joseph's starting spot and earning his Super Bowl ring when he went down was ... Raider castoff Dave Tollefson. Click here to continue reading...