[jwplayer 6Q40ShvH-ThvAeFxT]
New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate is used to success, having played for Notre Dame throughout his college career and later with the Seattle Seahawks at the NFL level.
Unfortunately for the veteran, that same success has not been shared in East Rutherford. In fact, after being suspended for the first four games of the regular season, Tate has yet to experience his first win in blue. . . and that has left a bad taste in his mouth.
“I think we really need a win. For me, I haven’t experienced being in a locker room for a win yet, which is unfortunate. Not how I kind of imagined this going. But I think we’re all hungry for a win each and every week. We’re going to get it,” Tate told reporters on Monday.
Not only has Tate failed to experience a single victory as a Giant thus far, he’s never before been in a situation where his team started 2-8 and faced constant criticism and pessimism.
“I’ve never been in this situation, so I don’t really know how to answer your question, but I can just imagine that at the end of the day we all have a job to do,” Tate said when asked how he’s handling the rough start. “No matter what the circumstances are, we’re supposed to show up to work and be professionals in what we do, and I can’t imagine doing it any other way beside giving it my all and just go 1-0 each week.
“Besides that, although the record isn’t what we want, there are still jobs that are on the line. I’m going to try to set myself up for next year and the year after that. Just continue to show up to work with a positive attitude. I’m excited to play football and see what happens.”
At this point in the season, it’s clear the Giants aren’t going anywhere, so perhaps it would be prudent for all players to take Tate’s approach — jobs will be lost due to the losing, so do what you can to secure yourself a future.
Yes, that may sound selfish to some, but when a losing culture takes over, players have to find something to motivate themselves, and a future paycheck will certainly do the trick.
Ideally, Tate says he would like to secure a spot on the 53-man roster going into 2020, but he’d also like to see the team go into the offseason with some momentum in hopes of starting hot next year.
“I think when you look at, I guess, when we go on a run, going into next year you’re just kind of building momentum. You can build off of that. The things that you do great, you want to maintain those and be a little bit better at them. The things that you don’t do well, going into the offseason, you want to be focused on those things and make sure those things don’t role over into next year. I think some good can come from (finishing) strong,” Tate said.
With games against the Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins still on tap, the Giants certainly have the opportunity to pick up a few wins, but based on what we’ve seen this season, the odds are not on their side.
[lawrence-related id=632959,632939,632944]