New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was on his way out of Thursday’s postgame locker room when he stopped—a wide grin across his face—to offer some praise to one of his defense’s contributors.
“Did you see this guy play?” Spagnuolo asked. “He’s something else, isn’t he?”
That guy was 5’10”, 250-pound Nikita Whitlock, the Giants’ starting fullback and "slash" player extraordinaire, who in addition to laying down some effective lead blocks for the running backs, contributed some fourth-quarter snaps at defensive tackle in the Giants’ 32-21 win over Washington Thursday night.
Whitlock, who was all smiles as he kept reiterating his appreciation to the Giants for “allowing me to live my dream” has certainly been one of the more pleasant surprises to emerge thus far for the Giants in this young season.