Sintim adjusting to special teams role

Clint Sintim thought he’d be playing a lot more this season. Heck, just about EVERYBODY thought he'd be playing more. He was penciled in as a starting outside linebacker, but late in the preseason that changed when the team moved veteran Keith Bulluck from middle linebacker to outside.

Now Sintim is basically a special teams player for the Giants. How’s he handling that? As best as he can.

“I’ve said this before – I want to play, I want to play on defense more than anybody else does,” Sintim said today. “But as of right now that’s not what I’m doing. I have to maximize whatever opportunity I have on the field and right now that is special teams. That’s my job. It was told to me before that that’s my job, it’s your profession. Whatever you are given is what you’re dealing with so that’s what I’m dealing with right now.”

It might be a little easier to swallow if special teams units were actually performing well. They’re not. And Sintim is taking it upon himself to try to change that.

“When we don’t do well as a team, there are core guys who have to do better, who have to uplift that part of the team,” he said. “I think I’m one of those core guys. As a unit, when we don’t perform well, those core guys have to take charge of that and bring the rest of the unit up.”

That couldn’t be more true this week against the Bears and Devin Hester. Sintim said he is trying to get used to playing one play at a time as opposed to coming in for a series on defense.

“Special teams is predominantly about effort,” he said. “It’s high-effort, one-play football, which is a little different because you’re in and you’re out, you’re in and you’re out. Every time you’re in or you’re about to go in you have to prepare yourself for that one play of football and maximize your opportunity.

“Right now my jobs is to be a special teams guy so I have to put more and more into that and grasp my role and be that impact player that everybody wants me to be on special teams.”