giants sign former jet and an arena football 2 player

The players added to the roster are running back Decori Birmingham and guard Kevin McAlmont. The team waived offensive lineman Tony Tella.

Birmingham, 5-10 and 210 pounds, was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by New England on April 29, 2005 and waived by the Patriots on July 22. He was signed by the Jets on Aug. 9 and waived on Aug. 27. Birmingham was signed by the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 5, 2006 and waived on March 24.

At Arkansas, he played in 49 games with 14 starts. Birmingham rushed for 1,151 yards and seven touchdowns on 233 attempts and caught 57 passes for 592 yards and six scores. He also set a school record with 1,321 career kickoff return yards. Birmingham?s 3,610 all-purpose yards ranked fifth in Arkansas history.

Birmingham played in every game as a senior in 2004, starting five at flanker and three at tailback. He finished the season with 111 carries for 456 yards and three touchdowns and caught 17 passes for 175 yards and a score. Birmingham started his junior season at flanker before moving to tailback and rushed for 549 yards and three touchdowns and caught 17 passes for 186 yards and two scores. As a sophomore in 2002, he played in 14 games with four starts and caught 17 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns and was 3rd in the SEC with a 12.2-yard punt return average on 28 returns.

Birmingham was an all-state selection as a junior after rushing for 2,000 yards at Atlanta (Tex.) High School. As a senior, he rushed for 1,063 yards and 13 touchdowns in only five games. He missed four games with an injury. Birmingham was born on Nov. 22, 1982.

McAlmont, 6-1 and 320, played in 37 games with 29 starts at Western Carolina. He started his career as a defensive tackle before moving to the offensive line two games into his sophomore year. McAlmont started 29 of his last 30 games at left guard. As a senior in 2005, he started all eight games in which he played and was named second team All-Southern Conference by the league?s coaches. McAlmont started all 11 games as a junior and nine of 12 as a sophomore.

In addition to being an outstanding football player, McAlmont excelled in track & field. In 2005, he finished fourth in the weight throw in the SoCon Indoor Championships with a toss of 51?11?. He helped WCU win the 2004 SoCon Indoor Championship by finishing seventh in the weight throw. During the outdoor season, he participated in the hammer, shot put and discus.

McAlmont starred at Creekside High School in Union City, Ga., where he was an All-South Metro Atlanta selection and a member of the National Honor Society. He was born on July 24, 1984.

The Macon Knights Front Office announced today that OL/DL Kevin McAlmont was signed by the New York Giants just two days after his first game with the team.



"We are very happy for Kevin; he is a great talent and proved that you can make the jump from arenafootball2 to the NFL. The Knights Organization wish him the best of luck in his career," said Assistant Head Coach and Line Coach Randy Leindecker.



McAlmont played with the Knights during their 55-42 victory over the South Georgia Wildcats Saturday night and then flew to New York Sunday morning for a tryout. He impressed the Giants enough that they offered him a contract the very next day.



The Knights (3-6) return home this week to face the Arkansas Twisters (6-3). The Knights will be looking to win two games in a row and their second game at home this season. The Knights will also be giving away a race weekend package, including hotel and race passes, for the Pepsi 400 in Daytona. You may register at the game and two contestants will be drawn to compete at halftime for the prize.