Blue and Gold Illustrated

January 2014 Issue

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/226401

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 97 of 107

irish in the pros After a monstrous performance with four sacks in the Giants' 24-17 victory at Washington Dec. 1, Tuck did not shy away from letting it be known that he still considers himself among the NFL's elite pass rushers. "Hopefully, after tonight people will believe that I can still play this game at a high level," Tuck said after the game. "[Four sacks] is a big feat, obviously. The most important thing is we got a win. I played pretty good tonight. The guys are heckling me a little bit. But it's a good feeling." Tuck hardly resembled himself in the first 10 games, when he totaled just 1.5 sacks. In the next three games — including the dominant performance against the Redskins and two in a 3714 loss at San Diego Dec. 8 — he recorded seven QB takedowns. "I didn't see that [he loss of a step]," Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said. "I thought he practiced and played well. He didn't have the numbers, but he's a guy when we referred to the number of sacks we missed where the quarterback has escaped." At 5-8, the Giants will miss the playoffs for the second straight season, but Tuck said he is in no way considering hanging up the cleats after the 2013 campaign. "Oh, I'm definitely not retiring. I definitely will continue to play," Tuck told The Newark Star-Ledger. "My body feels great. I definitely have a huge passion for the game, and we'll see where everything stacks up at the end of the year." Tuck, Notre Dame's all-time career sacks leader (24.5), will become a free agent at the end of the season when his five-year, $30 million contract expires. After posting five sacks in 2011, four in 2012 and beginning 2013 slowly, his future with the Giants is in question. "I feel like this season I have been more of a complete player," Tuck said. "I feel like I could have had a few games like the [Redskins game], if everything fell into place. I feel like I've had games where I was in the backfield a lot, disrupting plays and was a half a second away from sacks. "Like I always say, I don't worry about what critics say, just as long as my teammates support me and know how I go out and play the game. At the end of the day, you want to have a successful season, you want to lead your team to victory. That's basically what I focused on doing this offseason, and last night it finally came together a little bit." NFL Notes Through Dec. 9 • Minnesota Vikings defensive back Robert Blanton recorded a season-high seven tackles in a 29-26 loss at Baltimore Dec. 8. He had notched 37 tackles through 13 games. • Indianapolis Colts safety Sergio Brown did not record any stats in a 42-28 loss at Cincinnati Dec. 8. He had nine tackles and a blocked kick through 13 contests. • Denver Broncos safety David Bruton registered two tackles in a 51-28 win over Tennessee Dec. 8, bringing his season total to 18 stops. • Minnesota Vikings tight end John Carlson caught two passes for 19 yards in a 29-26 loss at Baltimore Dec. 8. Through 13 games, he had 32 grabs for 344 yards and one touchdown. • Cincinnati Bengals rookie tight end Tyler Eifert caught three passes for 20 yards in a 42-28 win over

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Blue and Gold Illustrated - January 2014 Issue