Justin Pugh will likely start at left tackle for the Giants this weekend, and they have Jerry Seinfeld to thank for that.
Pugh told reporters Wednesday that he had other options as he recovered from a torn ACL this offseason, but was having dinner in Manhattan when he saw Seinfeld sitting at a nearby table. Pugh called it “the most important New York moment of all time” and said he called his agent to tell him he wanted to return to the Giants.
Things worked out as the Giants needed help on offense and Pugh signed on to the practice squad just days before his start at guard against the Bills last Sunday night. In the end, Pugh stepped out and controlled himself well enough to earn a spot on the 53-man roster, allowing him to finish his career the way he had hoped.
“Look, there was never anything I wanted to do other than sign here,” Pugh said in a team transcript. “My whole goal was to come here and prove that I was healthy. I told everyone that it was a trial training session for me to come back and join the training group. I went to the practice squad, proved I was healthy, did everything they asked, and here we are. So now I can complete this thing as a giant.”
During the Sunday Night Football introduction, Pugh said he was “straight off the couch,” referring to his quick addition to the Giants lineup. That won’t be the case in the coming weeks, but the Giants will welcome anything Pugh can do to bolster a line that has been a problem all season.