1987. 1991. 2008. 2012?
Those are the years after all the confetti, parades, accolades, rings and trophies. Those are the Super Bowl encores.
The first two ended rather quickly as the Giants failed to make the playoffs after both XXI and XXV. The follow-up to XLII got off to a near-perfect start as the team began 11-1, but ultimately careened into a first-round exit in the postseason.
As for defending XLVI, we're now another week of OTAs closer to beginning to answer that question. Meanwhile, Justin Tuck is trying to find the same formula that led to the success following 2007.
"If I had that answer it would be easy every year," Tuck said. "But I think the biggest thing is just staying healthy. We've had some injuries and you want to go into the season, you want to play the entire season with a full deck of cards. When somebody goes down, it takes away some of that potency that you have as a football team.
"But this team understands what we're up against this year. We know the history of where we've been after Super Bowl wins and things of that nature, but we’re just going to take it one day at a time and try our best to be consistent."
With that said, the players and coaches are staring at an injury to wide receiver Hakeem Nicks. While the timetable of Nicks' return pans out, it's nothing Tuck and the Giants haven't experienced in recent memory.
"You try your best not to let that sink in your mind," Tuck said. "Because at the end of the day it's football, it's a dangerous sport, guys get hurt. But if any team knows how to win football games when they're not at full strength, I think we do. The experience from last year is going to help us this year, and hopefully we can get Hakeem back. And hopefully it is just a three-month injury and he's there opening day. But if not, just like last year, guys are going to have to step up."
