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Adding an attitude Giants DT Hamilton playing to avenge Pro Bowl snub
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- The Philadelphia Eagles made Pro Bowl defensive tackle Warren Sapp disappear in the NFC wild-card game on Sunday. Don't look for the same thing to happen to Keith Hamilton of the New York Giants in the NFC semifinal against the Eagles. The ninth-year defensive tackle is not only having a career year, he's playing with a chip on his shoulder after being overlooked for the Pro Bowl selections. Hamilton hasn't complained much, but he went off a little after the Eagles limited Sapp to three tackles in a 21-3 win against Tampa Bay on Sunday. Sapp, La'Roi Glover of New Orleans and Luther Elliss of Detroit were picked as the NFC interior linemen for the Pro Bowl. Glover (17) and Sapp (16.5) were 1-2 in the conference in sacks. Elliss had only three sacks, but he has been considered one of the top NFL tackles for a long time. "If a guy gets 17 sacks he's a terror," Hamilton said. "But if a defensive tackle can't shut down the run and get after the passer, too, you're one dimensional. "Sooner or later, and I'm not saying nothing bad about him, sooner or later that's going to come back to haunt you," Hamilton added. "You're going to come up against a team who can run and they are going to make you pay for it because they are not going to be interested in how many moves you have or how fast you can get to the quarterback." That's what the Eagles did to the Bucs on Sunday, rushing for 126 yards and passing for 151. In two losses to the Giants, Philadelphia gained 429 yards and scored 25 points. Hamilton has dominated from the middle of the Giants' defensive line this season. He led the team with 10 sacks and added 57 tackles playing on a unit that limited opponents to an average of 72.3 yards rushing, third best in the NFL. "I put a lot of hard work into this year," the 29-year-old University of Pittsburgh product said. "For so long I have been saying I got away with God-given talent, just enough to be an average guy, maybe a little more than average. But I started putting hard work into what God gave me and that's made a world of difference." One the best things that happened to Hamilton was getting Lomas Brown as a teammate. The 16-year-veteran offensive tackle joined the Giants as a free agent in the off-season. He and Hamilton not only became friends, they became early-morning gym rats. Between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., the two pound the treadmill side by side. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for Lomas," said Hamilton, who also dropped about 10 pounds eating a more balanced diet. "It's a mutual admiration society in the gym." With hard work and maturity has come consistency. "I was always able to make plays," Hamilton said. "I'd have two good games and then a bad game. It was always a roller coaster. Now I'll go home thinking I didn't do too well, and I'll come in and they say you had a good game." Expect one on Sunday.
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