Sunday was a huge day for the Giants defense as a whole, but it was a coming out party of sorts for Azeez Ojulari, who notched 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, four quarterback hits and eight quarterback pressures, putting himself into some rarefied air in the process.
Thanks to that performance, Ojulari is one of just nine rookies since 2000 to have 5.5 sacks (he actually has 6.5) and five tackles for loss through seven games, with some of those other names including Bosa, Urlacher, Chubb, Miller, Suh, and Peppers.
That kind of game put Ojulari’s name in the running for not just Defensive Rookie of the Year, but perhaps Defensive Player of the Year, and he’s not taking that lightly.
“Definitely (enjoyed it); I'm blessed to be able to go out there and compete and make those big plays out there, but at the end of the day, it was a great day because we got back in the win column,” Ojulari said Monday.
Head coach Joe Judge praised Ojulari’s efforts but also the team’s, noting that defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and defensive line coach Sean Spencer helped make the adjustments to the rookie get back on the board after a strong start followed by two unspectacular games and the Giants’ secondary had a strong game that allowed him to shine.
“It was encouraging to see him play well, but this guy has been playing hard the entire time. When the coverage is playing well, the front gets to eat, and I thought we saw great complementary football on the defensive side of the ball yesterday,” Judge said. “A lot of times, for the edge players as rookies, it's a real big transition because it's very different from college and the talent level is extremely different from college. He's been productive early in his career really just by playing within his own strengths and skillset, and I think Pat and Spence and those guys are doing a really good job using this guy to what he does well, letting him go out there and just play fast.”
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Judge also praised Ojulari’s instincts, something the Giants saw on film when they decided to make him their second-round pick last spring.
“I saw some things yesterday in terms of instinctually showing up, rushing up the field, countering back, getting to the quarterback, and putting pressure on him,” Judge said. “He didn't do anything that really got him outside the realm of the defense yesterday and allowed him to play fast and controlled. I was very, very proud of how he worked last week to put himself in position.”
“I'll say every week I'm just trying to get better. As I continue to play these games, I'm getting used to it and adjusting to the game speed and everything,” Ojulari added. “It's just kind of slowing down for me and getting better by the week, so I would agree with him.”
Ojulari had a lot of congratulatory messages awaiting him after the game, but in his eyes, days like Sunday should be his norm, not the previous two weeks were he was basically invisible.
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“I think you're trying to get to the quarterback every week. You try to do whatever you've got to do to get there within the scheme. Whatever it is, you've just got to play your best, give it your all when you're out there,” he said. “That's what I'm just continuing to try to do every single time I step on the field. Just play my role and do whatever I've got to do to help the team succeed.”
He had plenty of help on that front from Leonard Williams, who had two sacks of his own on Sunday.
“I feel like we feed off each other in our defense big time. We work with each other. The secondary covers, the rush gets there – so it's just feeding off each other and playing off each other's energy,” Ojulari said. “It's just great having these guys that want to get to the quarterback and get after people. It's just great competing out there.”
And perhaps, credit that uptick in defensive strength to what Judge always talks about: practicing hard, and making sure the process eventually leads to execution.
“We're just trying to make sure we're fundamentally sound and just good with our techniques, because at the end of the day, it's really about us – what we have to do out there, how we do it, and getting better every week,” Ojulari said. “We knew we needed this game, and the defensive leaders come in and let us know what we have to do, and we know we need to do it at a high level. No more talking, just go out there and do it with our actions.”
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Actions that are being noticed, in Ojulari’s case, on the other side of the ball, too.
“Azeez got off to a great start, but I think kind of the fine line is allowing yourself to let your confidence build and belief build that you've made plays, taking advantage of opportunities to make plays when you can, and then still maintaining that humility and knowing that you still have a lot to learn,” said receiver Darius Slayton. “This was kind of the first game where we were up, and the opposing team was in an obvious passing scenario, and I told all of our edge rushers ‘this is when you get to work, this is when it’s time to turn it on.’ Obviously, he's done a great job of doing that for us so far.”
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