Considering we are about 24 hours away from kickoff between the Jets and Giants, it is possible that the trash talk has finally reached a saturation point. We expected plenty of blows to be exchanged between the two New York teams throughout the week, and neither has disappointed. Whether it be Santonio Holmes ripping the Giants secondary, Antonio Cromartie ragging on Mario Manningham, or Rex Ryan putting a bloody Eli Manning on the Jets’ playbook cover, there has been plenty of bulletin board material to go around. Maybe that’s why Justin Tuck chose to not bite when asked if the Jets or Giants are New York’s team.
“I could care less about bragging rights,” Tuck said according to ESPNNewYork.com. “Last time I checked, the Mayor of New York ran the city. New Jersey is Gov. (Chris) Christie, he has a lot to say with what goes on in New Jersey. I don’t see me making any rulings on anything. Rex Ryan either.
“We got a lot of catching up to get to, what is it … 27 rings now the Yankees got? They run New York if you want to talk about running New York. Obviously we want to win the game regardless. The only thing I care about is getting another one of those shiny things on my finger. Ask Rex Ryan if he is cool with going to the (AFC) championship game two years in a row. Guarantee he will trade one of those for playing for a Super Bowl and a win.”
Tuck’s comments are actually refreshing. The Jets and Giants have been feeding into the media hype all week, but in reality both teams need a win in general way worse than they need to beat “the other” team in New York. The game isn’t for bragging rights — it’s to keep playoff hopes alive. The rivalry might make the stakes a bit higher, but the priority for both teams is to get a win. Both the Giants and Jets should care very little about who owns New York at the moment.
Chest bump to Pro Football Talk for passing the story along.
