NFL

Osi Umenyiora Concedes: OK, He’s Not Bob Griffin Anymore

The RG3 love fest rolls on this week, with a little bit of admiration for the rookie quarterback now coming from an unexpected place. Osi Umenyiora, a man whose life he now realizes Griffin might make a living, breathing hell very soon, has come forward and decided Robert has done enough to shed the Osi-appointed moniker “Bob” and earn the more colloquial “RG3″. If you say so, Osi.

If you can jog your memory back a month and a half (don’t be lazy, just do it), you’ll remember the Giants’ all-pro defensive end had some fighting words for the rookie rival:

“Who is this RG3 guy you guys keep talking about?’’ Umenyiora said. “You talking about Bob Griffin? You guys are giving him a cool nickname already and everything. When he does anything in the NFL we’re gonna call him RG3. Right now he’s Bob Griffin.’’

And so Bob Griffin went about his business in training camp and in the preseason, but it eventually came time for him to prove something to Umenyiora. Was becoming the first rookie to win Week 1 Player of the Week honors enough for Osi to stop the name-calling?

“Oh, um, RGIII?” the two-time Pro Bowl selection told USATODAY Sports. “What is he? What does he like to be called? What does he want me to call him?”

He had it right the first time: RGIII.

“Yes,” Umenyiora said. “I will call him RGIII.”

Seems like the young man has earned his racing stripes from the vet. But was his performance enough to garner respect from Osi’s batterymate Justin Tuck? Tuck himself never said anything incriminating about Griffin, but he has confessed to losing sleep over Big Blue’s loss to the Cowboys and Tony Romo’s ability to scramble with ease on the Giants D. If Tony Romo gave him the spooks, I can only imagine what the prospect of going up against Bob Robert must be doing to his psyche.

Anyway, “Bobbing” was already taken anyway. “Griffining” it shall remain.

[h/t Pro Football Talk, photo via Getty]

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