EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -Given his way, Justin Tuck would be sitting on his porch in Alabama with a fishing line dangling in the water, looking to reel in something big.
It’s his life of leisure, and he’s pretty good at it, too.
But in his 9-to-5 mode, Tuck has become one of the best in football at reeling in something else – quarterbacks.
The New York Giants defensive end has not only replaced the retired Michael Strahan on the left side of the line for the Super Bowl champions, he has emerged as one of the top defensive players in the league – and it’s not just at end.
Tuck is seemingly everywhere in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense. He also lines up at tackle and linebacker, becoming one of those players that quarterbacks have to find before the ball is snapped.
“He is a Pro Bowl player and he is right at the top of his game right now and his position.”
Tuck has 8 1/2 sacks in eight games and has also become a force against the run, just like Strahan was in making the Pro Bowl seven times in 15 seasons. Tuck is fifth on the Giants with 34 tackles.
The production is even more impressive considering Tuck draws double teams about half the time he’s on the field.
The on-the-field stuff is only half of it. With Strahan gone and Osi Umenyiora sidelined for the season with a knee injury, Tuck has joined linebacker Antonio Pierce as a defensive leader on and off the field.
For 30 minutes on Thursday, he sat in front of his locker answering questions about the Eagles, the Giants, himself, and even Barack Obama.
“I am still lowly Justin Tuck,” he said. “Nothing has changed.”
Sure!
Tuck didn’t come out of nowhere. The fourth-year pro out of Notre Dame started emerging last season when he recorded 10 sacks while starting just two games.
It wasn’t a part-time role, though. When he wasn’t filling in for Strahan or Umenyiora at the end spots, Tuck was either spelling the tackles in passing situations or dropping back into a linebacker position.
ed the role and run with it.”
Tuck started learning that role as a rookie in 2005. Strahan and Umenyiora didn’t come off the field much that season and the team wanted Tuck to play. So he went inside.
“It really gave me the opportunity to understand complete pass rushing, how to play against the line and how to go back to end and to linebacker,” said Tuck, a third-round draft choice. “It really helped me be a lot more versatile. My slogan is: ‘The more you can do.’ I am always trying to learn new positions and new things.”
Giants starting offensive tackle David Diehl has watched Tuck on videotapes and described him as big, explosive, strong, someone who can beat you physically and mentally.
The job of going against Tuck in practice falls to third-year tackle Kevin Boothe.
“He knows a lot just off your stance and your sets, and that goes with a lot of film study,” Boothe said. “You can’t do anything against him, whether it’s run or pass. A lot of people didn’t realize how good he was last year, but we all knew he was a great player, and the league is now noticing.”
Ironically, Tuck might have been helped by an injury.
While he had a school-record 24 1/2 sacks with the Fighting Irish, he had only one as a rookie. His 2006 season lasted six games, ending with a foot injury that required surgery.
ny more and wasn’t the man, if that’s the right word,” the 25-year-old said. “It allowed me to clear my mind and refocus on my workouts and how important football was to me. I lost track of that earlier in my career.”
Defensive tackle Barry Cofield said it just seemed like the light went on for Tuck last season.
“I think it’s just growing,” Cofield said. “I think I have gotten better every year, and it’s the same thing with him. You get more used to what to expect. The speed of the game slows down. You feel more comfortable and once you have success you expect it and it grows on you.”
A perfect example might have been in the second game this season. Tuck had two of the Giants’ six sacks in a 41-13 win over the Rams in St. Louis.
The play everyone remembers, though, was his fourth-quarter interception. Tuck swatted a Marc Bulger pass out of the air, caught it off his shoulder pad and went 41 yards for a touchdown, cruising into the end zone as he watched the play on a big screen in the stadium.
It was star power from a defensive end.
“I don’t need to sprint into the end zone. I like to act like I’ve been there,” he said.
Tuck shook his head when asked about being considered one of the NFL’s elite.
“I don’t know if I am the man or not, we have 11 men,” he said. “A lot of attention has fallen my way, but we have so much talent on this team it’s hard not to be successful.”
Add A Comment