New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck saw his sack total fall from 11.5 in 2010 to just five takedowns last season. His team won the Super Bowl, but Tuck, personally, waded through an injury-plagued campaign.
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"I definitely didn't work as hard as I should've last year," Tuck said in an interview for ESPN's "E:60," via ESPN.com. "The lockout was going on. I took a trip to Africa. There were some things I did in the past that I didn't do last summer."
Tuck wasn't the only NFL player to come out of the lockout in something of a daze. Injuries to his neck, groin and shoulder forced him out of four games, but the 29-year-old has used this offseason to grind through an intense conditioning program in Southern California.
When he's healthy, Tuck has the ability to dominate a game. He's posted double-digits sacks in three of the past five seasons. The Giants have a monster defensive line, and Tuck is not being asked to do it alone. We expect a bounce-back year in 2012.
