Justin Tuck: “I Feel More Alive In A Football Sense Than I Have In A Long Time”
By Mike Dyce
Justin Tuck of the New York Giants is ready for the 2013 NFL Season. With Jason Pierre Paul uncertain for the start of the season and Osi Umenyiora gone to Atlanta, the defensive line will rely heavily on Justin Tuck.
“For whatever reason it is, I feel more alive in a football sense than I have in a long time,” Tuck said at a celebrity golf event on Monday, according to ESPNNewYork.com. “And that is a huge motivation for me this year.
“I don’t know if it is last year, or people saying a lot of things around this team and myself,” Tuck added. “I don’t know what it is. But I am in a good state right now.”
He paints a kind of “don’t poke the bear” picture. And the things he hears about himself and the media is fueling his motivation to prove everyone wrong this season.
But why does he have to prove others wrong? Because they question his commitment to the game.
“Football is a draining sport sometimes,” Tuck said. “And being in New York City and trying to do as much as I do off the football field, it kind of drains you a little bit and you start to (take) things for granted. Maybe I did. Not on purpose. You just don’t even know it until somebody taps you on your shoulder and is like, ‘What are you doing?’
“So, my focus is football,” Tuck went on. “Family and football. That’s it. You won’t see me out as much (doing appearances) as I have been in previous years. I have kind of dedicated myself to doing a lot of that this offseason so when football comes in, that is where I am at.”
It could be because the 30-year-old Tuck is in the final year of his contract and could be looking for another deal.