Justin Pugh: I did everything they asked and now get to wrap things up as a Giant
Justin Pugh will likely be starting at left tackle for the Giants this weekend and they have Jerry Seinfeld to thank for that.
Pugh told reporters on Wednesday that he had other options as he recovered from a torn ACL this offseason, but was at dinner in Manhattan when he saw Seinfeld sitting at a nearby table. Pugh called it "the most quintessential New York moment of all time" and said he called his agent to say that he wanted to return to the Giants.
Things worked out as the Giants found themselves in need of offensive line help and Pugh signed to the practice squad days before starting at guard against the Bills last Sunday night. Pugh wound up kicking outside and handled himself well enough to earn a spot on the 53-man roster that enables him to close out his career the way he hoped.
"Look, there was never anything that I wanted to do than sign here," Pugh said, via a transcript from the team. "My whole goal was to come here, prove I'm healthy. I told everyone it was a tryout for me to come back and go on the practice squad. I went on the practice squad, I proved I was healthy, I did everything they asked and here we are. So now, I get to wrap this thing up as a Giant."
During introductions for Sunday Night Football, Pugh said he was from "straight off the couch" in reference to his quick addition to the Giants lineup. That won't be the case in the weeks to come, but the Giants will welcome anything Pugh can do to help shore up a line that's been a problem all season.
