Training camp is drawing near and the worst time of the year for football fans is slowly coming to an end. With the New York Giants ready to embark on another hopeful run toward the Lombardi Trophy, I will analyze the team and present my top 10 players on the Giants’ roster. Rookies have been excluded as they have no body of work yet in the NFL.
No. 10: Justin Tuck
Position: DE
Age: 30
Number of Seasons with the Giants: Nine (drafted in 2005)
2012 in Review: Tuck had another down year for the Giants despite high hopes for improvement from his dismal 2011 campaign. He recorded just four sacks, his lowest total since 2006 — a year in which he played in only six games — and was more a detriment than a helping hand on defense.
According to Pro Football Focus, Tuck ranked among the worst 4-3 defensive ends in terms of pass rushing productivity. His efforts against the run were not that impressive either. More often than not, he was an invisible presence whose team benefited most when he was on the bench.
Outlook for 2013: Heading into a contract year on a rapid decline at the age of 30, the Giants’ defensive captain could be facing his final season in blue. Tuck has vowed he’ll revitalize his career but his numbers don’t indicate very promising days ahead.
The Giants will certainly need the Tuck-of-Old, what with teammate and top defensive end, Jason Pierre-Paul out for an unknown amount of time. Tuck is the only experienced defensive end on the depth chart at the moment (although Mathias Kiwanuka is moving back to defensive end, he has spent most of his career at outside linebacker). If the former First-All-Team-Pro under-performs, it could be a long season for the G-Men.
The former third-round pick will always be a beloved figure in New York, but the chances of a turnaround season appear slim. Unless something drastic happens, Tuck will be seeing a lot of time on the field. For a player with a long history of injuries, this has bad news written all over it.
The Giants’ defensive line has performed at its best when able to rotate talent in and out. Unfortunately, there may not be a ton of quality players on the roster available to relieve Tuck as often as in years past. Even if he comes into this season rejuvenated, the descending star faces a difficult task as a key member of a defensive unit that ranked as the second-worst in the NFL a year ago.
Louis Musto is a reporter and sports talk host for the Sports Journey Broadcast Network. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.