By this point in his career, its no mystery that Justin Tuck is one of the top defenders in The NFL.

It isn't a matter of how good of a player he is, but rather, how good he is going to become.

In the 2007 playoffs, and particularly Superbowl XLII, Justin Tuck burst onto the scene and became arguably the most important player in New York's pursuit of a Lombardi Trophy.

What most fail to realize is that over the course of the 2007 season, Tuck recorded 70 tackles and ten sacks while only playing a single down. The fact that this production came from the defensive tackle position should not be overlooked, either.

With Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora attacking off the edge, Tuck was able to wreak utter havoc on opposing offenses—slicing through their offensive lines and causing almost instantaneous pressure on quarterbacks.

In 2008, Strahan gone and Umenyiora out for the season with a meniscus injury; Tuck was left to fend for himself, and in the process, he saw double and triple teams. With no real defensive end depth to speak of behind Tuck, he was forced to stay on the edge, and the entire defense suffered as a result.

2009 will be a different story, though.

With Osi back, and the likes of Matthias Kiwanuka, Chris Canty, and Clint Sintim available as edge rushers, Tuck will be free to complete his quest to revoloutionize the rush defensive tackle position.

The prognosticators are right to believe that the return of Osi Umenyiora will help The Giants, but I'm not so sure they realize the magnitude to which it really will help New York.

The Superbowl was just the beginning.

By the conclusion of The 2009 season, Justin Tuck very well may have established himself as the NFL's most versatile and skilled defender.

Good luck, NFC East—you will need it.

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