Oakland Raiders: Tuck is the first splash on the Black and Silver side of the Bay

by Parker Ainsworth

In an off-season full of pass rushers, Oakland just landed a big one.

Justin Tuck, formerly of the New York Giants, is reportedly signing with the Raiders for $11 million over 2 years. Tuck brings experience and Super Bowl rings to Oakland, something the Black and Silver could desperately use. As a young, rotational player in 2007, Tuck spent time on the field with Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan and accumulated 10 sacks in his first full season in the league. Tuck’s bigger performance though may have been that year’s Super Bowl, in which he was an integral part of the defense that shut down New England’s Tom Brady/Randy Moss connection (statistically, the most prolific offense ever to that point). Holding that Patriot team to 14 points has consistently been overlooked, with many eyes focused on the historic David Tyree catch. However, Tuck and the defense made that catch and comeback possible. Further, Tuck had multiple sacks and a forced fumble in that game. Many people thought Tuck, who had the best individual defensive day, should have won the MVP of the Super Bowl over Eli Manning.

Since that Super Bowl, Tuck has accumulated 48.5 sacks and has been a regular starter for the Giants. Only missing a few games with minor injuries, Tuck managed to lead the team in sacks even while facing double teams more often than not. As they approached the 2011 playoffs, Tuck was now the veteran, with Umenyiora and a young Jason Pierre-Paul as his cohorts. Tuck and the Giants again beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, in which Tuck had 2 sacks. Post game, Tuck joked that Eli stole his MVP again, but was clearly laughing and happy to have gotten another ring.

Tuck doesn’t appear to be slowing down, either. Last season, though the Giants’ offense struggled, Tuck accumulated 11 sacks and 63 total tackles in the 15 games he played in, and even had an interception (not something you see every day from a guy wearing number 91). He’s been a first team all-pro 3 times, and Oakland hopes he can continue this success in the Bay Area.

As the Raiders continue into the off-season, they should continue to be a top player n the market. Oakland has a ton of money to spend and still be in good shape with the cap. Coming into this season, the Raiders were well under the cap. Now that we’ve seen where the holes lie, the organization should move forward and plug those gaps.

Thus far, Oakland has attempted to help out their offensive line. Unfortunately, Saffold failed his physical and was sent to St. Louis. Today is a much better day for the Raiders. Moving forward, Oakland needs to get some offensive line help, coverage help in the secondary, and of course the Quarterback.

They need to address 1 of those 3 needs outside the draft. While many want to see Oakland go with a Manziel pick at the #5 overall pick, it may be more beneficial to fill an offensive line need and take a game managing quarterback later. Or if they can get an Alex Mack from Cleveland or a Michael Oher from Baltimore, maybe they do get Manziel and secondary help later in the draft. One thing is for certain, Oakland has the money and can continue to make more progress heading into next fall.