Getty Former New York Giants DE Osi Umenyiora had to delete a tweet on Thursday.
Former New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora gave one NFL analyst a piece of his mind on Thursday, albeit only briefly.
The whole thing started with a seemingly harmless tweet from Brett Kollman, host of “The Film Room” on YouTube. In the tweet, Kollman was talking about the proper technique for performing a strip sack, and it was accompanied by a video from San Francisco 49ers training camp featuring defensive line coach Kris Kocurek.
But it wasn’t Kollman’s original tweet that elicited a harsh response from Umenyiora; it was his follow-up tweet.
Instead of trying to chop the ball out like Osi Umenyiora, you want to just extend your hand out and try to grab the ball, and the QB’s natural arm motion will provide all the force you need to dislodge it.
Reddick is a master of it. Already has three forced fumbles this year.
“Instead of trying to chop the ball out like Osi Umenyiora,” Kollman wrote on Twitter, “you want to just extend your hand out and try to grab the ball, and the QB’s natural arm motion will provide all the force you need to dislodge it. [Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason] Reddick is a master of it. Already has three forced fumbles this year.”
That’s when Umenyiora felt the urge to jump in. Here’s a screenshot of his hastily deleted quote-tweet, captured via Tweetdeck on Thursday morning:
TwitFormer New York Giants posted — then deleted — this quote-tweet on Thursday.
“Do you know who has the NFL record for most forced fumbles in a season?” Umenyiora asked in his since-deleted tweet. “The guy you’re telling people not to emulate. [crying laughing emoji]. What a time to be alive.”
Umenyiora set the record for most strip sacks in a season with 10 in 2010. The record was first tied by Chicago Bears cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman in 2012, then tied again by Indianapolis Colts pass rusher Robert Mathis in 2013. Since then, no player has forced double-digit sacks in a single season.
Osi Umenyiora Was the King of the Strip Sack in His Prime
It wasn’t just the 2010 season. Osi Umenyiora had a knack for strip-sacking the quarterback throughout his career. The video below is a textbook example of his signature move, and it came in the 2011 NFC Divisional Round playoffs against Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Via Coach Aaron Day (@dlinevids1) on Twitter:
Osi Umenyiora (85 career sacks) puts stress on the OL’s set with the hesi, then executes a counter club/swim. @OsiUmenyiora gets to Rodgers for the strip-sack! #passrush #nygiants
Umenyiora had 35 career forced fumbles over 11 seasons with the Giants and Atlanta Falcons. That mark is tied for 15th most in NFL history with Greg Lloyd (Steelers/Panthers) and Demarcus Ware (Cowboys/Broncos).
A former second-round draft pick out of Troy, Umenyiora is one of the greatest pass-rush artists in Giants history. His 75.0 sacks with the Giants rank sixth all time in franchise history, and his 85.0 career sacks rank 64th in league history.
Former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan used to tease Umenyiora for his affinity for the strip sack.
Osi Umenyiora with another strip sack without tacking the QB. Like Strahan always says, he hates to get his uniform dirty.
On top of the 35 fumbles he forced, Umenyiora also recovered 14 fumbles and returned four of them for touchdowns in his legendary career.
Giants Currently Lead the NFL in Takeaways on Fumbles
Perhaps as an honor to the great Osi Umenyiora, the Giants currently lead the NFL in takeaways generated by fumbles with six. The pass rush is also coming to life as of late. New York sacked Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields six times in Week 4, after recording just three sacks in the three previous weeks combined.