Osi and Tuck should be shown the door

Associated Press/Bill Kostroun - There will be no more free passes for this overrated group.

16.5 sacks.

That's 4 less than J.J. Watt, 3 less than Aldon Smith, and 2 less than Von Miller.

Justin Tuck (4.0 sacks), Osi Umenyiora (6.0 sacks), and Jason Pierre-Paul (6.5 sacks) are reasons 1-3 why the New York Giants are sitting at home instead of defending the Vince Lombardi trophy. They're the reason the Giants season went up in smoke after another 6-2 start. They're the reason the secondary was feasted upon by every competent QB they faced. And they're the reason that Eli Manning is no longer looked at as an "elite" QB.

Forget the nagging injuries to Hakeem Nicks. Between Rueben Randle, Domenik Hixon, and Ramses Barden, the Giants had enough talent to step in at WR and win.

What they didn't have was the talent to persevere through the premier players on the defensive line taking the year off. Umenyiora, who is 31 years old, and Tuck, who is 29, should be shown the door before they become anchors on a defensive unit that is well below average (25th overall).

Tuck has 9 sacks over the last two seasons. He has made more appearances at Knicks and Rangers games than he has in the opponents backfield. Umenyiora has 15, and yet again, the season ended with him complaining about his contract. They're on the back end of their careers. The day's of double digit sacks are over.
(Pierre-Paul is only 24, and this was the first year he had to deal with double teams and chips every play. The next two seasons will define him as a player.)

The difference between the good and the great teams is sentimentality  The Giants won 2 Super Bowls in large part because of the dominance of their defensive line. But as the league transitions to the Madden Era, where offenses are practically unstoppable and the premier defensive players are OLB's, it may be time to reconsider the structure of the team.