Justin Tuck Retires: End of an Era
After 11 seasons in the NFL, two-time Super Bowl champion Justin Tuck is retiring from professional football. The defensive end spent nine seasons as a member of the New York Giants and was a key factor in both the 2007 and 2011 Super Bowl runs. Tuck finished his career with 66.5 sacks as well as 22 forced fumbles to compliment his two championship rings.
I don’t think there is any doubt that Giants fans should appreciate Tuck now more than ever. Since letting Tuck walk after the 2013 season the Giants have been seriously lacking in leadership especially on the defensive side of the ball. While Tuck was an incredible talent and force on the defensive line for nine seasons in New York, his biggest effect on the team was that as a leader.
Whether it was when he was leading the team on to the field in a fireman’s helmet or getting the guys fired up before Super Bowl 46, it is something the Giants have been without since his departure. Having a leader like Tuck is priceless to a football team and I think Giants fans, coaches, and owners all recognize that.
Tuck will forever be remembered as a Giant and it would not shock me to see his name put up in the “Ring of Honor” within the next couple of years. In my opinion, and I think others agree with me, Tuck deserved to win Super Bowl 42 MVP just as much if not more than Eli did. That is neither here nor there because he truly exemplified what it meant to be a New York Giant and that is something that all fans that watched him play will remember.
by Tom Peticca | Contributor
(@peticca95)