Justin Tuck is still searching for an explanation to the Giants’ uncharacteristic inability to pressure opposing quarterbacks this season.
The winless Giants, having allowed a league-worst 77 points while recording only two sacks, next face the Panthers and quarterback Cam Newton, which makes finding the answer no easier. Tuck described Newton as a “headache” who makes you “pick your poison” and can be “almost unstoppable.”
To stop Newton, or any other upcoming quarterback, from carving up the Giants defense, Tuck thinks the dormant defensive line may have to roll the dice if they want to dictate play.
“It’s getting to the point where we might have to take a few more chances because we have to find a way to get to [Newton] and get to every quarterback we play, and not necessarily play it on the safe side,” Tuck said on Tuesday after launching the sixth season of his charity initiative — Tuck’s R.U.S.H. for Literacy — with an auditorium full of middle school students in Manhattan.
“I just think we need to be on the same page up front. We have four guys that are capable of getting there. We’re just not getting there right now. That has to be addressed and looked upon as far as why. We have the talent, but we just ain’t capitalizing right now.”
Tuck said it was “shocking and frustrating” how the Cowboys and Broncos contained the Giants’ defensive line and limited their running game.
But Tuck has seen quiet periods from the defensive line in more than eight seasons with the Giants and says it’s just a matter of time before the pass rush is causing chaos.
“If you look at the past, there has been that game where we get seven, eight sacks,” Tuck said. “Carolina was a game for us kind of last year where we went down there and kind of dominated that game. Hopefully, it’ll be some deja vu.”
One of the team’s biggest problems, Tuck said, stems from a lack of enthusiasm during games, echoing comments from safety Antrel Rolle on WFAN that Tuck called “dead on.”
Tuck said it feels as if the Giants keep waiting for something to happen. At 0-2, they need to make something happen.
“We’re kind of waiting for that spark play. I think we’re kind of waiting on somebody else to make a play,” Tuck said. “We’re out there hustling, we’re out playing our butts off, but I don’t think we’re out there having fun and I think you have fun when you win. When we’ve won, we’ve been excited on the sideline. Now, we’re kind of sitting back on somebody to make that big hit or that interception returned for a touchdown or whatever it is to get us sparked up. The excitement hasn’t been there the first two games for whatever reason.”