Special Teams could be key for DE Adewale Ojomo

Last preseason, when an unknown Adewale Ojomo notched four sacks in three preseason games, everyone was surprised but him.

This preseason – like on Saturday night against Pittsburgh – no one was caught off-guard when he contributed 1.5 of the Giants’ five sacks.

He had already made a name for himself, albeit preseason.

“There’s no on-and-off switch,” Ojomo said before Monday’s training camp practice at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. “It’s the same thing every game. You can expect the same thing from me day in and day out. Whether that’s in the preseason or whether that’s in the regular season – whenever – it’s going to be the same thing.”

The defensive end, however, was unable to carry the success into the regular season as a rookie in 2012. Playing behind the likes of Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, the undrafted University of Miami product dressed for just one game.

Ojomo is working to expand his contribution beyond rushing the passer in 2013.

“I think the biggest thing that changed is now I’m focusing hard on special teams,” said Ojomo, who recorded an assisted tackle on punt coverage in Pittsburgh. “I’m concentrating on [it]. There are three aspects to the game – you have offense, you have special teams and defense. And I think I needed to make a big improvement on special teams and that’s what the coaching staff is asking of me. So that’s what I’m trying to do now.”

It’s not a hard sell in the meeting room when teammates like Pierre-Paul and Tuck began their careers in that phase of the game.

“I’m just going hard in practice listening to what [defensive line] coach [Robert] Nunn is coaching,” Ojomo said. “I have a great coach and great guys around me. That’s basically it – just doing what the coach asks of me and using the techniques that he teaches.”


(giants.com)