Will Justin Tuck make it into the Hall of Fame?
By: Jake Rajala
The New York Giants pass rusher Justin Tuck and his creative facemask was a freakish pass rusher and an instrumental piece in the Giants route to winning two Super Bowl rings. The Giants mythical defender hung up his cleats after an 11-year career in 2016. With that said, there is a fascinating, ultimate question revolving around the Giants DE: Is Tuck a future Hall of Famer? Well, I’m going to untwine the magic from his career and compare him to a few edge rushers that are HOF locks.
Tuck hit the ground running in his third season w/ 10 sacks, 21 QB hits, and 16 TFLs. He didn’t make the Pro Bowl as a junior, but he did win a Super Bowl. Impressively, Tuck unveiled 2 sacks, 1 FF, and 6 tackles in Super Bowl XLII. He proceeded to climb the ladder in his fourth season, to say the least (12 sacks, First-Team All-Pro). Tuck had another Pro Bowl berth and a high sack tally (11.5 sacks) in 2010.
The next grand moment of Tuck’s career arrived in the 2011-2012 playoffs. Tuck didn’t have a strong 2011 season but was a force to be reckoned with in his second SB – by unleashing two sacks against TB12. It was Tuck’s second Lombardi trophy – which is quite the feat.
Tuck has two SB rings, one first-team All-Pro nod, but he doesn’t have sexy career production: 66.5 sacks, 140 QB hits, 102 TFLs. His career production doesn’t positively (which is a nice way to phrase it) mirror the likes of Dwight Freeney (125 sacks), Terrell Suggs (139 sacks, 202 TFLs, 200 QB hits), or Robert Mathias (123 sacks, 108 TFLs, 141 QB hits). Furthermore, he has five fewer Pro Bowl berths than a questionable future HOF candidate Cameron Jordan. Even with two SB rings, should Tuck and his entire production that doesn’t come close to fellow HOF profiles actually garner HOF consideration? I believe that Tuck should actually be a future HOFer. The former NYG hasn’t only won two SB rings, but he has dominated in each Super Bowl content. I really believe Tuck is a HOF lock by a hair and it would be a shame if he didn’t eventually get into Canton.
