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| Giants Sign Whitfield | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 4 2005, 03:25 PM (41 Views) | |
| InsightToRiot | May 4 2005, 03:25 PM Post #1 |
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Keeper of Real
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Giants Sign T Bob Whitfield 14-year NFL vet will provide much-needed depth at left tackle. By Michael Eisen, Giants.com May 4, 2005 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – He has played in 188 games over 13 NFL seasons and the Giants’ signing of Bob Whitfield today gives the team much-needed depth at offensive tackle. Whitfield excited about playing in 2005 as he was as a rookie in 1992. “You ever heard the phrase, `He’s still got it?’” Whitfield said in a phone conversation today. “I still got it. And it was a great, honorable opportunity to play for one of the greatest teams in the NFL. I was just honored with the phone call. They said, ‘We consider you one of the premier offensive linemen and you’re bringing something to our team.’ I jumped at the opportunity. I’ve been working out and I did definitely want to play another year – probably two or three years. I’m looking forward to playing a little football.” Whitfield has long been one of the NFL’s premier left tackles. He has played in 188 games with 167 starts, including a club-record 123 in a row for the Atlanta Falcons, for whom he played his first 12 seasons. Whitfield was a Pro Bowler in 1998. Last year, he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 5 and appeared in 10 games as a reserve at left tackle (he split time with Ephraim Salaam) and on special teams. Whitfield, 33, is 6-5 and 310 pounds. He is expected to back up Luke Petitgout, the Giants’ starting left tackle. “He’s a guy who has played left tackle in this league for a long time,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “He’s very smart, very athletic. He’s a guy that will give us absolute veteran experience in a backup role. I think he’ll be a big help to our offensive linemen because of his vast experience. He has outstanding size. “Last year in Jacksonville, (Dave) Pearson went down (with a knee injury in Week Four) and Whitfield played pretty well. He’s still a powerful, massive athlete with great wingspan. Even the speed rushers have to go a long way around him. He thinks the game, he talks the game – he likes that aspect of the strategy. He’ll be an excellent addition to our football team.” Whitfield understands he will fill a reserve role with the Giants. While he intends to help Petitgout as much as possible, he won’t make life easy for him. “I’m going to come in and be part of the supporting cast,” he said. “I look forward to helping young and old guys. I can watch Luke on tape and say, ‘Luke, try this step.’ “I welcome the competition. I’m an old-school guy. Luke is the starter. I can’t just come in and say I’m replacing the starter. I’m just coming in to support. And then if there’s an opportunity to replace the starter, you have to earn that job. It’s definitely not given to you.” Whitfield joined the NFL as the Falcons’ first-round draft choice in 1992, the eighth overall selection. As a rookie he played in 11 games, primarily on special teams. In 1993, Whitfield stepped into the lineup at left tackle and began a streak of eight consecutive years in which he started every game. In a 10-year span, he missed only one game. On Nov. 19, 2000 he sat out a game at San Francisco with a neck injury. Whitfield was a fixture on the Falcons’ line for 11 years. That included the 1998 season, when the Falcons finished 14-2 in the regular season and upset Minnesota in the NFC Championship Game to advance to Super Bowl XXXIII. With Whitfield opening holes on the left side of the line, running back Jamal Anderson rushed for an Atlanta-record 1,846 yards that season. In 2003, Whitfield started the first eight games of the season before breaking his right fibula in a game against Philadelphia on Nov. 2. That forced him to go on injured reserve for the first time in his career. He was in Atlanta’s training camp last year, but was released on Sept. 5. He signed with Jacksonville a month later. “I honestly thought I’d never leave Atlanta,” he said. “But I saw Jessie Tuggle and Jamal Anderson leave and I knew it was going to happen to me. It’s the life cycle in the NFL. After that first couple of weeks I was adjusted (to a new uniform). It was an opportunity to see how it’s done elsewhere. “(Jacksonville) offered me a job to come back. But I didn’t think it was adequate enough.” Now Whitfield is looking forward to joining a new team in a new city. “New York is the big city of dreams,” he said. “It’s the media capital of the world. It’s a chance to be part of the one of the league’s oldest franchises. The only thing that can beat playing football in New York is playing football in Los Angeles, because I’m from L.A. But they don’t have a team in Los Angeles. New York is the best.” Whitfield was a three-year starter at Stanford, where he played for Dennis Green. He was consensus All-America as a junior, his final season at the school. In 1989, he was a freshman All-America at age 17. Whitfield was born on Oct. 18, 1971. |
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| Wence22 | May 4 2005, 03:42 PM Post #2 |
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Player
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very good signing, in case Luke's back is worst than we think. We WILL have a very good offense :clap: :worthy: |
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| Eli_Manning_10 | May 4 2005, 03:55 PM Post #3 |
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If your not a New York Giants fan then... what the hell are you?
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sweet. |
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| Halfmoon | May 4 2005, 03:57 PM Post #4 |
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Crazy, but in a good way. Honest!
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o boy, i havent done this in awhile... *clears throat* *again* *drinks some water* *clears throat once more* [size=23]NOICE!!!!!!!!!!!![/size] |
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| Eli_Manning_10 | May 4 2005, 03:58 PM Post #5 |
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If your not a New York Giants fan then... what the hell are you?
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*gives hafmoon some beer.* |
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| Halfmoon | May 4 2005, 04:01 PM Post #6 |
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Crazy, but in a good way. Honest!
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*throws it back and pops open a pepsi* |
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| 10Giants | May 4 2005, 08:05 PM Post #7 |
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Hall of Famer
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Another excellent signing. Wouldn't surprise me if Coughlin has a quick hook with Luke if Whitfield still "has it". |
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3:07 AM Jul 11