Bears vs. Giants Preseason: Justin Tuck Shows Again He's the Defensive Anchor

So much talk this preseason has been of Osi Umenyiora and his dispute with the Giants front office.

Then the talk was about Eli Manning and his bold assertion that he’s an “elite” quarterback.

For all of that, almost none of the discussion has been on the man who might be the single most important player on the Giants.

Like any Giants team past or present, he doesn’t play offense. Yet as with so many great Giants of the past, Justin Tuck can change a game regardless of whether he has the ball or not.

He’s had more than 10 sacks in three of his last four seasons.

Forget Osi Umenyiora for a second. Justin Tuck is the focal point of the defense.

And especially without Osi around, Tuck’s importance becomes even more enhanced.

Disrupting the quarterback has become such an important task for modern defenses, because with all of the rules against contact downfield, it makes it that much harder to cover if a quarterback has time.

Tuck exploded onto the national stage with his performance in Super Bowl XLII, where he had two sacks and a forced fumble.

But really, that was only capping off what had already been a tremendous 2007 season for Tuck.

Though he only started two games, he compiled 10 sacks. It was quite an accomplishment for a player who didn’t see action on every down.

Yet he’s subsequently put Giants fans at ease over Michael Strahan’s retirement. Tuck fit seamlessly into the position which Strahan, a vaunted Giant legend, had occupied for more than a decade.

People forget that, but replacing Strahan came all too easily for Tuck.

And now, he’s going to have to emulate Strahan’s leadership.

Potentially, this season could go awry for the Giants, with the Cowboys possibly re-surging and the Eagles living up to their vast potential.

An erosion of the defense would surely spell doom for the Giants. And Tuck, leading the defensive line, would be squarely to blame if that did happen.

The logic seems to be that if the Giants defense plays well, then the Giants will at least be in the hunt.

They might not be able to make the playoffs without Eli Manning, but they won’t be over .500 without Tuck.

If the former Notre Dame man isn’t drawing double-teams (and beating double-teams), the Giants are in trouble.