Based purely on playing time, Justin Tuck stands the most to lose with the impending arrival of Michael Strahan, yet it is Tuck who is exuberantly trumpeting Strahan’s return.
Without Strahan, Tuck starts at left defensive end. With a healthy Strahan, Tuck goes to the bench. Yet after Tuck and the entire Giants first-unit defense overwhelmed the Jets in a 20-12 preseason loss, he all but pleaded for Strahan to end his holdout and get to work.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Tuck said. “He is, by far, in the last 10 years, the best defensive end to play this game. He’s an amazing teammate, so I have no mixed feelings about seeing [No.] 92 in this locker room. As a matter of fact, if you’re looking at me 92, please come.”
When it was suggested that Strahan likely wasn’t tuned in to hear any post-game comments, Tuck laughed. “I bet he’s not either.”
No, as a new southern California resident, Strahan was not on the scene, but he’s expected to resume his career sometime this week, perhaps as early as today. Less than two weeks stand between the Giants and their season opener against the Cowboys at Texas Stadium, and even if he devotes every conceivable minute to regaining his football shape, Strahan faces an uphill battle if he’s serious about suiting up for the first game.
There is a new defensive system in place, imported by first-year coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Strahan was at Giants Stadium for part of the off-season and participated in the veteran mini-camp, meaning he at least began the indoctrination process.
“He has to learn the defense, that’s pretty much the only adjustment,” said Osi Umenyiora, Strahan’s buddy. “He knows how to play football, that’s never going to change, this is a good scheme that will be good for him.”
Asked if Strahan could get it all down in two weeks, Umenyiora said, “Absolutely, it’s not going to take that long to learn. He can only make us better. His presence on the field is going to make offenses have to focus on him, period, that’s just one more player they have to worry about. He’s an outstanding player, he’s going to elevate our play, I would think.”
Tuck, 24, elevated his own play starting in Strahan’s spot. A legitimate prospect out of Notre Dame, Tuck’s progress was halted last year when he suffered a painful Lisfranc foot sprain that limited him to six games and required season-ending surgery. The road to recovery was winding – surgery in November, screws removed from his foot in April, the ability to run in early July – and difficult, but Tuck, given a reduced workload, made it through training camp and has come on strong in the preseason games.
“You got to run on that thing, there’s nothing in football, there’s not a play that you won’t be using this part of your body, it’s constantly getting pounded,” Tuck said of his foot. “I would definitely say I was worried there for a little while.”
Strahan, 35, is coming off a similar injury, although his Lisfranc sprain did not require surgery. When he last spoke about his fitness, Strahan back in June said he was feeling fantastic and was primed for a huge comeback season.
Playing the first half and one series in the third quarter, Tuck was part of a Giants wrecking crew that laid waste to a Jets offense that went seven straight possessions without a first down. Tuck on the Jets second series made back-to-back tackles on Leon Washington and then, lined up inside at tackle in the nickel package, completely overwhelmed rookie left guard Jacob Bender for a 12-yard sack of Chad Pennington. Tuck finished with four tackles. “Very, very good game, very strong,” Tom Coughlin gushed.
“I expect him to play like that,” Umenyiora said. “Tuck is an outstanding football player, I’ve known that for a while, I’ve been saying it for a while. We’ll just see what happens whenever Michael comes back.”