Giants prepare for dynamic RG3

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"BOB" Blocks With Henry Hynoski

Ron Jaworski talks about the success of the Giants' running game behind the blocking of Henry Hynoski.Tags: New York Giants, Henry Hynoski, Ron Jaworski

"BOB" Blocks With Henry Hynoski

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants will get their first taste of Washington Redskins rookie sensation Robert Griffin III on Sunday.

The defending Super Bowl champions are eager to face Griffin and his blazing speed in person. Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is looking forward to matching up with the quarterback and Washington's run game.

And he says he will be ready on the right side of the Giants' defense.

"We like to set the edges," Pierre-Paul said of containing the corners. "Yes, it'll be a very good matchup. Not on my side, though. Not on my side. Or the other side."

When asked about his side of the defense, Pierre-Paul responded: "Not on my side. Don't bring it on my side. Don't bring it. Go the other way."

"Don't come on my side, I told you that," he added. "Don't come to my side. Not my side."

Pierre-Paul is coming off his best game of the season, accounting for two of the team's six sacks in the 26-3 victory over San Francisco.

But the Giants will have their hands full trying to contain Griffin. The buzz around RG3 has only intensified after his sensational 76-yard touchdown run to put away the Vikings, 38-26, last weekend. Griffin rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Griffin is quickly building a reputation. Earlier this summer, Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora said he would call the Redskins rookie "Bob" until he earned the right to have a cool nickname like RG3.

Umenyiora would later tell USA Today Sports that Griffin had earned the nickname after seeing how impressive he was.

“

We like to set the edges. Yes, it'll be a very good matchup. Not on my side, though. Not on my side. ... Go the other way.

” -- Jason Pierre-Paul on
defending Robert Griffin III

"Some of the media down here in Washington started calling me 'Bob' for a few days, trying to laugh it off," Griffin said in a conference call with reporters. "Other than that, it [the Bob nickname] really hasn't stuck. I don't plan on letting it stick, either."

"Osi is a guy that has proven himself in this league," he added. "He's a sack-master, he's done a lot of great things over his career. I didn't mind it at all. I got where he was coming from. It doesn't matter, I've had people call me worse things on the field."

Umenyiora said Thursday, however, that he has given the Redskins' rookie sensation a new title -- one typically reserved for knights.

"His name is Sir," said Umenyiora, who was born in London, England. "His name is Sir Robert Griffin. That is what I refer to him now. I mean look at what he's done. Look at the way he's performed as a rookie. You don't see players come into the league and perform like that at that stage in their career so all the respect in the world goes to him and he is a phenomenal football player."

Umenyiora said he doesn't refer to any other quarterbacks by Sir. But he has been extremely impressed by Griffin, enough so to regret calling him Bob in the first place.

"I opened my mouth and said when he does anything in the league, we will call him his name," Umenyiora said. "And he has definitely earned it, whatever he wants to be called, for sure."

The Giants (4-2) need to win their first NFC East game of the season, and are seeking to beat Washington for the first time since the 2010 season.

"This is extremely crucial," safety Antrel Rolle said. "We're 0-2 in the division. You know, we need this win bad for the sake of our division and where we're trying to get to, which is the postseason. And right now the Washington Redskins are the team to beat."

They couldn't beat Rex Grossman twice last year, and now have to face the dynamic Griffin. But he also will be playing in his first divisional game, and against one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.

"You just have to realize that the edge pressure guys, that they do have are extremely talented," Griffin said. "Some have said, and I would agree, that they're one of the best D-lines, if not the best D-line, in the NFL. From that aspect, we'll try some things to alleviate some of that pressure."

The Giants believe they've already had some prep work done, having faced mobile quarterbacks Michael Vick, Cam Newton and Tony Romo.

They lost containment, though, against the Eagles, and Vick scrambled for 49 yards, while running back LeSean McCoy gained 123 yards on the ground.

Griffin, though, is the fastest quarterback the Giants will have faced. They are trying to prepare by using backup quarterback David Carr and wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan playing the role of RG3 in practice.

"He's probably the fastest guy on the field," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.

Griffin said there are other Redskins who claim to be faster.

"We have some pretty fast guys on our offense so I'm sure that's up for debate in our locker room," Griffin said. "My job is to be a quarterback and when I am called upon to do other things that aren't like most quarterbacks in the league, then I use that ability."

Pierre-Paul says the Giants may surprise some with their own speed.

"Trust me, we chase quarterbacks all the time," Pierre-Paul said. "We turn and run to the guy no matter what. He may get past us and zoom right past us, but trust me, we're right behind him."

"You've got to respect (his speed and the Washington offense)," he added. "It's not all about the speed. We've got 11 guys who can run to the ball. You'd be surprised. Very surprised."

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Ohm Youngmisuk

ESPNNewYork.com

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Ohm Youngmisuk has covered the Giants, Jets and the NFL since 2006. Prior to that, he covered the Nets, Knicks and the NBA for nearly a decade. He joined ESPNNewYork.com after working at the New York Daily News for almost 12 years and is a graduate of Michigan State University.
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