Jayce Tuck Hangs Them Up

[HalfEatenOnionBagel]

As a former offensive lineman, and a professional keynote speaker, the question I'm most often asked is "How fast was Jayce Tuck?" I can be assured of hearing that question several times at any event I attend. It's an interesting question, given the man's proclivity for speed, but there really isn't one number to give, as he could always give you a little more effort if you wanted him to. It wasn’t uncommon to see him clock in at 20 miles an hour after getting around the edge. Because we knew how fast he could go most games, and never wanted him to harm the QB in any way, we never underestimated how hard and fast he would come at us. Thus, you could ask each offensive lineman in the league and they had their own individual “high” speed that he saw at some point. I saw mine in season 2 as a rookie when Tuck fired past me like a torpedo, and his max power was on display. Let’s just say that he truly loved speed and effortlessly got to numbers we hadn’t previously seen or probably will ever see again. So it was with great surprise, when at the end of one of my presentations, someone asked, “what was the slowest you ever saw Tuck?” This was a first. After giving it some thought, I was reminded of a story that I had never shared before, and relayed the following. I was nearing the end of my career, now a linebacker with the Wraiths; we were on our way to winning an Ultimus. Tuck had been through a lot, his body slowed by old age, his mind plagued by the demons of unrepented sins. But the man could still play and he could still hit you like a mack truck. In the playoffs against the Hawks, the weather was absolutely freezing. Tuck having played for the Outlaws for so long, still wasn’t exactly used to the Yellowknife weather and neither was I to be honest. You could tell old Tuck wasn’t moving as fast as he used to in that weather, he was basically riding the bike anytime he wasn’t on the field, cussing up a storm the whole time. It was late in the third quarter when Tuck came up to me at the start of a Hawks drive and said to me, “Hey run a cross-check 32 Pinocchio Stout”. We really needed a stop at that point, the Baltimore offense was sharp with Blocksdale at the helm, but I didn’t think this would work. I trusted him though and when the ball was snapped, I charged right for the left guard and proceeded to get knocked on my ass. A split second later, Tuck was leaping through the air right over me. Time seemed to pass so slowly as I saw Tuck hunting down Blocksdale for a sack. As I simply watched in amazement from the ground, Tuck turned around and gave me that fucking sly grin he’s always got. Two plays later, a visibly shaken Blocksdale was picked off and the rest is history. I couldn’t tell you how fast Tuck was going on that play, it wasn’t the blazing speed I was used to seeing but his fighting spirit was on display. One thing is for certain, no matter how slow Tuck got physically, his mental aptitude for the game was as quick and razor sharp as ever. Impressive indeed. Little did I realize after relaying this experience to my audience that day that it would become one of the most popular and most requested stories. It’s ironic that people are interested in how slow the world’s fastest defensive lineman can play. Regardless of your speed, however, it’s always a good idea to keep that cross-check 32 Pinocchio stout in your back pocket…and always keep a grin on, too.

Heck of a career

@ErMurazor