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Aaron Curry, one of the newest members of the New York Giants, is looking for an opportunity to start over. Coach Tom Coughlin is ready to give Curry that chance.
"There are plenty of opportunities," Coughlin said during the week. "Everybody has got a great opportunity. There is nothing in concrete there. Matter of fact, I speak about that all of the time. I think it is a great opportunity."
Most players that are looking for a comeback have a burning desire to prove their critics wrong. Curry, however, is the opposite.
"Proving people wrong is not a motivation because people change. People's opinions change. One day they like you and then they don't like you," said Curry. "So for me to come out every day to think that my job is to prove people wrong or prove people right, I wouldn't be of any use to my teammates. My job and my only motivation is to go out there, play hard, play fast, be physical and get my teammates to just be fired up with me and just bring a positive energy every day."
Curry was drafted in 2009 fourth overall by the Seattle Seahawks, but things just never seemed to click for Curry with the Seahawks. Curry only had 5.5 sacks in 28 games with Seattle which prompted them to trade him to the Oakland Raiders. He spent 2011 and 2012 recording no sacks and battling a knee injury which landed him on the physically-unable-to-perform list last season.
"My knee just wasn't right," said Curry. "I showed up at the offseason programs last year and my knee just wasn't right. I couldn't do anything that I was used to being able to do."
When he was in Seattle Curry didn't have the mindset he does now. There is one difference between the Curry who was the fourth overall pick by the Seahawks in 2009 and the Curry who is now with the Giants -- his level of maturity.
"It was like I know I could do it and I knew I would do it. I just don't think at the time I was interested in doing it," said Curry. "I think I was interested in other things at the time. Football just wasn't my top priority, just to be honest. I had so much going on that I tried to make a balance out of everything instead of doing it the right way.
"I think my perspective on football and life and being able to really focus on the details of football and have a selfless mentality. I see details now. Football is important now. It has a priority in my life that I'm willing to do whatever it takes that's going to help the Giants be successful and I'm not so selfish where if a call comes up that I don't like that I kind of get into a little tank. Now I'm more about finding a way to just put out a lot of effort and a lot of energy and just cause havoc."
Coughlin is interested in finding out if Curry is indeed different than he was early in his career.
"The feeling is that maybe this time around the player has figured it out," said Coughlin. "Maybe he didn't have it all in the proper perspective the first time around. Maybe we can cut right to the chase. He feels a little bit differently about having an opportunity to have a job."
At the end of the day, Curry's main focus is showing his best skills and keeping his teammates motivated.
"The only thing I can think about is the defense being called and my teammates and giving them everything I've got," said Curry.
You can follow Kelsey O'Donnell on Twitter @KelsODonnell