Justin Tuck recently discussed a wide range of issues with the NY Post – his full interview can be read here. But the most interesting point for me was Tuck expressing his perspective on what it was really like playing for Bill Sheridan last year, from scheme right down to intangibles.
"When Tom Coughlin moved swiftly to replace rookie defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan with Perry Fewell, it sent a jolt of electricity through Big Blue.“It’s hard to keep your attitude high all year long, especially when you’re losing,” Tuck said. “Call it what it is — Coach Sheridan is not a rah-rah guy. He’s not going to bring energy to the game. . . . Sometimes it’s hard to get behind a guy like that.”Fewell is much more like Steve Spagnuolo, the Giants’ beloved Super Bowl defensive coordina tor who left to coach the Rams.“You can tell he loves what he’s doing,” Tuck said. “He has that fire about him, like he really loves defense. I think that is contagious. I’ve seen him lead a safety or corner into the end zone after a pick in practice. . . . Bill would hi-five us, but it sometimes didn’t feel like he wanted to be there.”Fewell also brings a flexibility that was missing last season.“Bill got stagnant in his playcalling,” Tuck said. “We didn’t do a lot of adjustments last year. . . . We kinda played individual ball a lot, me included. It made it easy for teams to single us out and block us.”When the Giants began the defense of their Super Bowl XLII championship two summers ago, Tuck talked of a dynasty.“We started feeling like we were entitled,” Tuck said.With Antonio Pierce retired, Tuck vows to step into the leadership vacuum.“I’ve talked to a lot of guys about it — present players and past players about it,” Tuck said. “I think it’s time to come into my own in that field.”"
You know, it was so obvious at the time that Spagnuolo’s mixing up coverages and pressure packages was clearly lacking in Bill Sheridan’s scheme. Cover-2, that’s all Sheridan could visualize. And stagnant play calling is exactly what it looked like on the field.
But it seems like the Giants are having a much easier time letting go of Bill Sheridan’s misques from last year now that Fewell is at the helm of this defense. I think it’s an indicator of a major shift, and that is a good thing – moving on from last season’s 3-8 finish, yet keeping the intensity and the desire to prove something to everyone all over again is exactly the kind of mentality I’m looking for heading into training camp. The intensity was there at the beginning of last season’s camp, it looks like it’s going to be there this season. Perhaps this year Fewell will succeed though, where Sheridan failed. It looks like the players look to draw not only from Fewells experience and knowledge, but also his passion for the game.