Former New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck is “pissed” that Big Blue moved on from safety Landon Collins.
The New York Giants letting All-Pro safety Landon Collins hit free agency proved something to fans. More or less, it proved that general manager Dave Gettleman wanted to rebuild, both from a roster standpoint and from a culture standpoint.
It’s the same reason they moved on from Olivier Vernon, Odell Beckham Jr. and Damon “Snacks” Harrison.
Former Giants defensive end and two-time Super Bowl champion Justin Tuck understands what Gettleman’s job is and what his motives are. However, if there’s one move he doesn’t like, it’s the non-franchise tag of Collins.
“I love Landon (Collins),” Tuck said on Monday before co-hosting the Newark Mentoring Movement’s annual charity golf outing. “That’s probably the one that I’m most pissed about.”
Yes, it’s a bad look that Gettleman is giving up all of these players. Collins, Beckham, Vernon and Harrison all have either made the Pro Bowl or the AP All-Pro team at least once in their career. That being said, they’re all very valuable assets to have on your roster.
But, at the end of the day, the culture of an organization is what stands out more than anything.
“I think culture’s more important,” Tuck said. “If you look at what the Patriots have done, outside of at the max five guys on that football team, anybody outside Boston doesn’t know 85 percent of that football team. But what they’ve done is they’ve brought in the right people that are pulling the rope the same way.”
Collins signed a six-year, $84 million deal with the NFC East-rival Washington Redskins in early March. He’ll be lining up with All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman in what should be a dominant secondary.
Collins will surely continue to be the dominant safety that he’s always been, regardless if he’s in red and not blue.
