Giants Q&A: Why didn't Tuck play?

Why didn't Justin Tuck play?

The defensive end and defensive captain said he wanted to play in the season opener but after some tests before the game, team doctors recommended he sit this one out. Tuck is still experiencing the lingering effects of a stinger that he suffered two weeks ago in a preseason game against the Jets.

"I'm still not 100 percent but I wanted to give it a go," Tuck said. "The doctors said we'd rather have you out one week than have you reaggravate it and have you go through this whole process again and be out for the month."

So Tuck will play in the Giants' home opener Monday night against the Rams?

"That's the plan," he said. "[The recovery] is slower than what I want but it is getting better."

Tom Coughlin said he was considering moving Mathias Kiwanuka from linebacker to defensive end if Tuck couldn't play. Why didn't he?

Because Kiwanuka told him not to.

"They approached me about it and there was some consideration given to it," Kiwanuka said, "but what I was saying was that a guy like Dave Tollefson who hasn't gotten a lot of attention and hasn't been in the spotlight a lot, you watch his play and there isn't any drop-off from our first to our second when JPP [Jason Pierre-Paul] and Dave Tollefson are on the field. I believe that 100 percent."

Pierre-Paul was already starting for the injured Osi Umenyiora (knee).

And how did Tollefson do?

He was credited with two tackles, had two quarterback hits and a sack for 16 yards.

"It feels good that they have confidence in me that I can get the job done, but I think that's always been there," he said.

He even had a cool sack dance after he brought down Rex Grossman.

"It's worthless when you lose."

What happened on the blocked field goal?

It was the second straight attempt by Tynes that was blocked, the first coming in the preseason opener against the Panthers.

"I felt like I hit it like I hit all of my kicks," Tynes said. "They are not always going to be real high."

Coughlin said the trajectory of the kick plus the push up the middle by the Redskins caused the block. "That can't be an issue now," Coughlin said.

How did rookie middle linebacker Greg Jones look in his first NFL start?

"I probably could have made more tackles," he said after getting four of them. "I have to get cleaner on my calls when I come out of the huddle. I felt like I did OK but there's definitely room for improvement."

Veteran linebacker Michael Boley said he liked what he saw -- and more importantly what he heard -- from Jones.