The Giants open up on the road today against the Washington Redskins,and so we begin the first regular season installment of "Travel Week." For each game played away from MetLife Stadium, we will take a look at the states of origin of current and former Giants personnel as
dictated by that week's opponent. Today we look at the D.C. Metro Area.
Washington, D.C.
*Marvin Austin attended two high schools while growing up in D.C. He
played at Coolidge High before transferring to Ballou during his
senior year, where he led the school to its first D.C. Interscholastic
Athletic Association title in 2006. He earned All-Metro honors from
the Washington Post and was chosen to play in the U.S. Army
All-American Bowl. During his senior season at Ballou High, he
recorded 85 tackles with 17 sacks. Regarded as one of the best
defensive tackles coming out of college, Austin went on to play at the
University of North Carolina and was drafted in the second round by
the Giants this past April. He currently sits on the injured reserve
list with a torn pectoral muscle.
Virginia
*Born in Fort Belvoir, assistant special teams coach Larry Izzo was
one of the most acclaimed special teams players in NFL history. In a
14-year NFL career (1996-2009), Izzo played for three teams and was
both a three-time Super Bowl champion with New England and a
three-time Pro Bowler. He was credited with 275 special teams tackles
in 200 regular season games and 23 more in 21 postseason games. Izzo
never played on a team with a losing record and his teams participated
in the playoffs nine times, reached five AFC Championship Games and
four Super Bowls. His teammates selected him as a special teams
captain nine times, including eight with the Patriots. Undrafted out
of Rice University in 1996, Izzo first landed with the Miami Dolphins,
where head coach Jimmy Johnson famously said that only two players
were guaranteed to make the team – Dan Marino and Larry Izzo.
Next Travel Week: at Philadelphia, Week 3
Previously on Travel Week:
The Carolinas, Preseason Week 1
New England, Preseason Week 4
