Loading ...If you were to say that a Division II player, who was the third to last pick in the 2006 draft, is still playing in the league and making positive contributions, they probably would call you crazy. Well that’s what defensive end Dave Tollefson is doing for this New York Giants team.
It has not been an easy road either. He has gone through the ups and downs of a late round draft pick trying to hold onto their dreams. He was an original selection of the Green Bay Packers. The Packers then waived him just to sign him to the practice squad two days later. His stay in cheese town was short lived as he was then signed by the Oakland Raiders in January of 2007. Tollefson then went through the all familiar story of being waived in September just to be signed to the Raiders practice squad two days later. The Giants came calling a month later in October and Tollefson has been here ever since.
Entering his fifth season with the G-men, Tollefson’s numbers don’t jump off the page but they mean something and have significance. For his career he has 56 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Yes, that would be a good season for a regular rotation defensive tackle today, but that is not Tollefson’s role with the team. You will rarely see him line up opposite of Osi Umenyiora or Justin Tuck or, Mathias Kiwanuka or Jason Pierre-Paul for that matter, but his presence is felt elsewhere.
Tollefson is a special-teams ace which is a vital cog that every great team needs. Guys like him are a necessity in today’s game. They are expected to go out and play hard every play, though it may be in limited duty with little acclaim. He amassed 20 tackles and 2 forced fumbles in 2010, 13 of the tackles and one of the forced fumbles came on special teams in his 13 appearances last season. His job is to run down the field and knock the snot out of someone every chance he can get. Whenever he is called upon to line up on defense he goes out and works just as hard. He may be overlooked, but when he is on the field he is making positive contributions for the team.
For all his efforts, Tollefson was offered a free agent second round tender on March 3.This gives him the chance to have another impactful season wherever he is needed for the Giants once football resumes.
Barshay Graves is a student at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and an acting intern at Giants 101.
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