Dan Graziano, senior NFL national reporter 10y

Rejuvenated Will Beatty of Giants: Bring on Osi Umenyiora

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- After a rough first game of the season, New York Giants left tackle Will Beatty has performed quite well in his last three games -- much more like the 2012 Will Beatty who earned a five-year free-agent contract than the 2013 version who admitted in December that the contract had proven too much for him to handle psychologically in its first season.

"Last year," Beatty said Monday, "was just an anomaly."

If that's the case, then Beatty's recovery from a broken leg and the rebound in his performance have come at a good time. The Atlanta Falcons come to town Sunday, and one of their pass-rushers is former Giant Osi Umenyiora, who meant a great deal to Beatty when Beatty and Umenyiora was at the top of his game.

"When I came in the league, Osi was the guy I was practicing against," Beatty said. "If you could pass-block him, you knew there was nobody that could beat you on the outside, because of his speed. So having worked with him and now having the chance to go against him, I want to make sure he sees how far I've come and thank him for all he's taught me."

Beatty said that with a smile, because his hope is to "thank" Umenyiora by keeping him and his fellow Falcons pass-rushers far away from Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Umenyiora does not have a sack this season after recording 7.5 in 2013 in his first season with the Falcons. He's not a starter for Atlanta. He plays on about 35 percent of the Falcons' defensive snaps, usually as a pass-rush specialist. He'll no doubt he eager to perform well Sunday, but the Giants' offensive line has stepped up its pass protection significantly since the preseason and the messy Week 1 loss in Detroit.

Beatty's performance at the key left tackle position is a huge part of that. He struggled last year with his technique -- everything from first step to hand position -- and it snowballed as the season went along. This year, coming off the injury and an offseason of rehab, his technique is sound, he's using his quickness to his advantage better, and Pro Football Focus has him rated as its top offensive tackle in the league overall -- second in pass blocking and sixth in run blocking.

"I know I still have a lot of work to do," Beatty said. "The coaches are still on me. I'm showing a lot of good things, but I'm not there yet."

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