Know Your Giants: Prince Amukamara
Dec 22, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin talks to cornerback
Prince Amukamara(20) before the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
When it comes to Knowing Your Giants, no lesson would be complete without mentioning Prince Amukamara. Not only is Prince one of the best players on the New York Football Giants roster — Prince has been a great athlete his entire life.
A life that started on June 6, 1989 in Leominster, Massachusettes where Prince showed pigskin skills immediately by making the interception during his own inception… Prince was obviously born to play football. Think Prince is a weird first name? Don’t tell that to his sister, Princess. Or his four other sisters: Promise, Peace, Precious, and Passionate. While Prince and his sisters were born in the USA. Mr. Amukamara was born to his parents Romanus and Christy Amukamara, both of whom are from Nigeria.
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Believe it or not, Prince Amukamara has royal bloodlines in Nigeria… We don’t have all the details, but it’s been said that Prince is the next in line to be a Chief in Nigeria. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather, King of the Awo-omamma, a village in the Imo state of Nigeria and his father, Romanus, was the chief… Sure, we don’t know the exact details… but the “Coming to America” style story is fascinating. However, Prince isn’t here for a bride in Queens, he’s here to play football in the Meadowlands and dress the Concrete Jungle with Super Bowl confetti in February like Prince Akeem’s rose bearers…
“A life that started on June 6, 1989 in Leominster, Massachusettes where Prince showed pigskin skills immediately by making the interception during his own inception… Prince was obviously born to play football.” – William Watts
And let’s make no mistake, Prince can play football. In 2010, Prince was one of the best defenders in college football with the secondary for the Blackshirts in Nebraska, earning unanimous first team All-American honors as a senior. For the Cornhuskers, Prince was a lock down corner that allowed 18 completed passes all season. The word was out, teams wanted Prince Football. There was talk that Patrick Peterson was the best cornerback in the draft in a class loaded with talent and no doubt, Patrick is an outstanding football player. As such, Peterson went fifth overall, but the Giants felt they had an absolute steal when Prince was still on the board at 19.
At the time, some thought the pick was a reach. And in the beginning, Prince struggled a little bit. Not getting on the field until November 20 against the Eagles and starting out his NFL career with the Jints losing four out of his first five games. NFL fans were snickering. Pundits were whispering bust. Giants fans were wondering why the team wasted a pick, there were some good names on the board at 19… Picture JPP and Cameron Jordan getting after the QB. Regardless, those whispers didn’t last.
It’s true, at times the Giants and Prince were awful. Just dreadful. But they improved as the season wore on and eventually the Giants defense went on a postseason tear. Eli Manning got hot after going 9-7 and they won the Super Bowl. As a Giants fan, you should be aware that Prince Amukamara was a huge part of this run. He only had four penalties on the entire season and in the end… the Lombardi was hoisted by the New York Giants.
My colleague and your G-Men HQ Editor Adam Ganeles had this to say about the royal Giant:
"“Prince” isn’t a lockdown CB per say, but watching him game in and game out you develop an appreciation for his style. In other words, the deep stats — which aren’t pretty — don’t illustrate his true worth. Pro Football Focus graded him at -3.7 in coverage with 65% of passes thrown in his vicinity finding their desired target. However, he wraps up after short completions (five missed tackles) and doesn’t get burned by the big play (two touchdowns allowed).His winning attributes and steady style are highly regarded within the Giants organization. As a result, the team exercised it’s fifth year club option for the 25-year last month. Prince will earn $6.898 million in 2015 before hitting the open market."
Winning attributes. That’s definitely something that you need to know about Prince Amukamara, he’s a winner. And Adam is right, the Giants activated his fifth year option. Here’s a copy of his contract details from spotrac. Prince is set to make $795,200 this season, but he also hit all his bonuses, so his cap his is closer to$2.6 million. Giants Nation, know this is a player that deserves a second contract. Know that when a team drafts a player in the first round… the best case scenario is a player like Prince Amukamara.
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Think about it… the Giants picked him. Then they won the Super Bowl. It doesn’t get much better than that. Granted, it could be a coincidence. It could have little to do with Prince Amukamara. But that’s no fun… This is a Giants blog. In fact, it’s G-Men HQ… we have plenty of time for the idea that Prince brought the New York Giants a Super Bowl. For one, he did. And for two, the man has “Mara” in his name. That makes him practically part of the original Giants family, Big Blue Nation.
Know with Prince Amukamara, you’re getting royalty, you’re getting a man that bleeds Giant blood, you’re getting an athlete, born and bred to win you Super Bowls. Know with Prince Amukamara, you’re getting all royal “win.” Happy birthday, Prince!
See you next time on Know Your Giants, as we find out all about a man they call DRC.