Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said New York’s 5-0 start last season was the beginning of the end because the team grew overconfident.
“We started 5-0 and we kind of looked at ourselves like, ‘Here we go again. We’re going to make the playoffs and blah, blah, blah.’ And then we got hit in our face and we couldn’t respond,” Tuck told Mike Garafolo of the Newark Star-Ledger. “So it’s a good thing. I’m actually happy all of that happened last year because now we have to start from square one.”
We’d argue that a ridiculously easy early schedule contributed to a poor evaluation of the Giants by the media and the team. Tuck thinks the team plays better after a kick in the butt. That’s what his defensive end teammates got on draft day.
“You have two Pro Bowl defensive ends and you draft a guy 15, that’s a good thing. Sometimes a fire needs to be lit,” Tuck said. “Sometimes you can get complacent in being the No. 1 guy and knowing you’re going to be the No. 1 guy. That’s cool with me. I like friendly competition.”
Tuck is taking the signing of Jason Pierre-Paul well, even if we suspect the first-round pick was brought in to ultimately displace Osi Umenyiora, not Tuck.
