Former St. John's Prep standout Jonathan Goff makes no bones about it. He has seen some of his New York Giants teammates flashing their 2007 Super Bowl rings, and he wants one of his own.
Goff has been playing for the Giants for three years now after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. This season he started all 16 games at linebacker, but what he wants most has eluded him — playoff action, with a chance to go to the Super Bowl.
"I want a ring," said Goff, whose Giants went 10-6 this past year but missed the playoffs for the second straight year. "That's why we play the games. There were high points and low points this season, but overall we did have a decent year."
The 6-foot-2 Goff, who starred at middle linebacker for Vanderbilt University, saw spot duty in his rookie year (2008) with New York before an injury put him on injured reserve. He was inactive when the Giants went to the playoffs as the top seed before getting upset by the Philadelphia Eagles, 23-11, in the conference semifinals.
"I have never been in a playoff game; that's definitely what I want to do," said Goff, who turned 26 last month. "Having the opportunity to get a ring is why everybody competes in this league."
Goff, who captained the both the St. John's Prep Eagles and Vandy Commodores, was one of the Giants leaders in tackles. His 80 total tackles was good for sixth best on the team; he also had 54 solo, good for fifth, and also had one sack.
Disappointing ending
The Giants were sitting pretty as far as the playoff picture was concerned until Week 15, when they suffered a devastating last-second loss to Philadelphia on the final play of the game when a punt was returned 65 yards by DeSean Jackson for a touchdown. The Eagles trailed New York, 31-10, before scoring the game's final 28 points to pull out a stunning win — leading them to the NFC East championship.
The next week, the Giants were knocked off by the Green Bay Packers the day after Christmas and saw their playoff hopes dashed.
"That was very disappointing," said Goff. "If we won that game, we would have definitely been in the playoffs.
"A 16-game season is not short by any means and it takes a toll on your body. Fortunately, I was healthy all the way through, which is a blessing. Now during my offseason time I plan to rest, relax and recoup. You really need that time to get ready for the next year."
Goff said he'll start working out shortly to get ready for the 2011 season, starting slowly and then building up from there. He'll split time between his home in Peabody and working out at the Giants' facility in New Jersey.
"I'm not going to do anything intense yet because there's a long way to go before the next season," said Goff, who wants to report to camp weighing between 240-250 pounds.
Despite the uncertainty concerning that 2011 season and a potential work stoppage, with the NFL players and owners far apart in their negotiations, Goff — who earned a degree in engineering and does a lot of volunteer work with youngsters — plans to stay on his regular schedule.
In 2009 he started four games and felt he could step into a regular starting spot if he worked hard during the offseason. "I knew a big opportunity was in front of me, and I tried to do everything I could to put myself in the best position to perform," he said. "In any given season I want to report in as good shape as possible and be ready to go. You really have to do that if you want to play."
Hoping for some Super defense
Goff said he doesn't care whether the Green Bay Packers or Pittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl XLV Sunday, but is hoping it'll be a low scoring defensive gem.
The Giants faced both teams, losing to the Steelers by a field goal in preseason and falling to the Packers, 45-17 in the second-to-last week of the season.
"I have no favorite, but I'll concentrate on watching the defensive play," he said. "I watched some of the playoffs, but I haven't been paying close attention — although I did follow the Bears. I have former college teammates on that team (wide receiver Earl Bennett, tackle Chris Williams, cornerback D. J. Moore and QB Jay Cutler), and I wanted to see them do well."
The Bears were knocked by sixth-seeded Green Bay, 21-14, in the NFC championship game after Cutler had to leave the game before halftime because of a knee injury.
Goff expects the Giants to be in a strong position to make the playoffs next season.
"I can't imagine a whole lot of things different from this year," said Goff. "(The organization will ) do everything they can to improve where they need to in order to get a better shot at making the playoffs."
