How Long Will Justin Tuck Stay on Fire?

Madden Football, Sports Illustrated, Campbell’s Chunky Soup, Nike, Rebook, Expedia, cars, clothes, colognes, and the rest have taken dedicated sports stars and put out NFL advertising goldmine athletes with lackluster production.

Inevitably, the glory of stardom has disrupted and sometimes faded such pro football stars as Eddie George, Daunte Culpepper, Marshall Faulk, Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, Donovan McNabb, Shaun Alexander, Vince Young, David Akers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Matt Hasselbeck, and Tony Romo.

Although your buddy next door might claim it’s a curse to be on the Madden cover and all those commercials, these sports stars are falling into the NFL greed and glory trap. They fail to condition and prepare for the NFL, working less at what got them to their stardom earning sub-average to awful career seasons.

A pro athlete’s full career is in no doubt better off when it’s spent conditioning and with the team. Hard work founded the long, better careers of Howie Long, Michael Strahan, Rod Woodson, Bruce Smith, or even Marvin Harrison. A modern day superstar athlete must keep discipline and continue to put in hard work at practice and keep conditioned to have a full career.

On the other hand, Washington Redskins DE Jason Taylor failed to prepare for the 2008 NFL season, and the Dolphins traded him to the Redskins. Taylor didn’t prepare for the 2008 football season over the offseason while playing nancy on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.

If he was working in Parcells and Sparano’s offseason programs and in football condition, and not in dancing condition, then he might have been ready to lead an all around better Dolphin team to the playoffs.

Rather, in dancing shape, he danced his way into the hearts of millions of Americans, didn’t get any contact from the Tuna, and accomplished his worst career season in 12 years.

Taylor’s one of many stars to allow their own greed to fade them out of the glory of NFL stardom. Excellent play always brings young NFL talent media attention. Some players are natural repellents, even under success. But players, like Pro Bowl NY Giants DE Justin Tuck catch fire for the chance for NFL stardom.

The $30 million man, with a $16 million signing bonus, has been taking on a load of interviews throughout this season. He’s frequently on the NFL Network and ESPN, he’s done Rome, and his fame in New York is stretches to tops.

He’s a commoner to SNY Daily News Live, and his recent New York Times’ Conversations with Padma Lakshmi hints at this sports’ stars future in the NFL world. Tuck’s NFL stardom is right around the corner, and his choice to keep his mind in the game is essential to his success for the future. Can he stay out of the NFL media frenzy?

Some may say that Tuck has yet to reach the popularity of a Madden Football cover or a Chunky Soup player, so he can’t have the chance to slow down just yet. However, Tuck has caught fire for over an NFL Championship and more, and now he’s got to keep his mind on the game and off the benefits of a NY Giants NFL superstar.

At this point in the season, the injured Tuck is still going hard. In 14 games, Tuck has 60 total tackles, 12 sacks, a pass deflection, an interception, and a touchdown. Last year’s effort led to a Giants NFL Championship, and this year’s effort will take the Giants to the playoffs and Tuck to a Pro Bowl.

Nobody knows what’s next for Justin Tuck, but if he can keep his mind in the game, then NFL fans can enjoy him and the Giants sixth ranked NFL defensive unit take out opposing teams’ offenses.