The off-season of change for the Big Blue continues. Only this time, the Giants appear to be content with allowing a Giants legend to test the market.
Speaking to the media from the combine in Indianapolis, general-manager Jerry Reese addressed numerous topics, including Michael Sam. But of all of the sound bytes given this morning, none was more startling than the admission that Justin Tuck could very well finish his illustrious career elsewhere.
“Justin is going to go to the market and see what’s out there for him,” said Reese. “I had talks with all those [prospective free agents]. Free agency means free agency. It means you go out and get as much as you can. ..I’m all for players getting as much as they can. Justin deserves to see what the market is. We’d love to have him back. We’ll see where it goes.”
With serious salary cap issues, it really isn’t surprising that the team would elect to walk away from the pricier players who are past their prime, but Tuck embodies the Giants ideal much in the same way that the Michael Strahan or Harry Carson, of Giants lore did; defensive players who carried the Giants mantle for their entire careers with class and superb production throughout their time with the team.
Even Osi Umenyiora, who left the Giants for Atlanta, said that he hopes Tuck stays with the Giants, even if it means taking less money to do it. Perhaps an inferred admission that the grass, once again, isn’t always the greenest on the other side.
But as business trumps the emotional attachment, there’s only so much money to go around for Tuck and his teammates looking for what could be their last chance to strike big. It’s the eternal poker game between team and agent and sometimes it just doesn’t work out like everybody wishes it would.
So, what if Tuck does leave? It would appear that a pass-rusher would become more of an actual need for a change instead of the Giants putting their customary luxury spin on picking one up in the draft. So, of course, former Missouri Tiger Michael Sam came up. Unfortunately for the ravenous media scrum, Reese deflected the obvious for the traditional football platitudes.
“I’m not talking about that,” Reese said. “If you want to talk about him as a football player, that’s fine. What people do in their personal life, I’m not concerned about that. That’s not true, of course, because teams spent millions each year to perform background checks on prospects. They absolutely care about what players do off the field. I think he’s a good football player. You have to be a pretty good football player to win [co-Defensive Player of the Year in the SEC]. In our evaluation, he’s a good football player.”
Being in New York, you learn quickly in how to avoid the tabloids. Deftly dodged, Jerry. Bravo.
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