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Jackson, an Eagles receiver, lost an apparent touchdown because he flicked the ball away in celebration before he crossed the goal line.

"I was thinking I hope I never do something like that," Tuck, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive end for the Giants, said Tuesday at the Sports Museum of America, where he was promoting his R.U.S.H. for Literacy program. "That's one of the plays that really could've changed the momentum of that game. But luckily they were still able to get the ball back and go in and score. But you've got to be careful.

"Everybody wants to celebrate and do touchdown dances and things of that nature, but obviously you've got to get in the end zone first."

Tuck got into the end zone for the first time since 2004, his junior year at Notre Dame, during the Giants' 41-13 victory Sunday over the St. Louis Rams on a 41-yard interception return.

As he raced toward the goal line, two things crossed his mind: "Act like you've been here before," and, "don't pull a Leon Lett."

Lett, the Dallas Cowboys lineman who made a similar play in Super Bowl XXVII, got stripped by Buffalo's Don Beebe and missed a certain touchdown.

"After I got an opportunity to see how close [Rams running back] Steven Jackson was to me at the end of the run, [Leon Lett] was the first thing that really came to my mind," Tuck said with a smile.

Speaking of unique plays, Tuck, who attended Notre Dame from 2001-2004, watched the highlights of Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis getting run over on the sideline by Irish defensive end John Ryan on Saturday during Notre Dame's victory over Michigan, causing Weis to suffer a torn ACL and MCL that will require surgery.

"My thoughts were it's just unfortunate," Tuck said. "There's nothing he could have done on that play. He was in the area that he was supposed to be in. But as soon as it happened, I knew it wasn't good, just how it happened."

As for his own team, the Super Bowl champion Giants (2-0) host Cincinnati (0-2) on Sunday. After allowing 80 points through two games in 2007, the Giants defense has given up just 20 points at this same juncture this year.

"Last year at this time, we had a lot of new faces," Tuck said. "Michael [Strahan] was just getting back. He wasn't in training camp. That was another face. Everyone had to get used to playing with him and how he plays. Right now I think this defense really has jelled together and we really just continue to build on what we did all last year in that Super Bowl and playoff run."

Tuck had two sacks and the touchdown on Sunday and is more and more becoming one of the primary faces of the Giants. He said he notices more holding and double-teams now that Strahan has retired and Osi Umenyiora is out for the season with a knee injury.

"We're very blessed as a team to have so many guys that can move around," Tuck said. "Mathias Kiwanuka is outside. It gives me the opportunity to move inside where I can have some one-on-one blocks and give the offense a different look on where I'm coming from.

"We have things in place to take a lot of the pressure away from me and the other guys."

As part of the R.U.S.H. for Literacy program, Tuck donated over 4,000 new books and introduced his Book Club, in which kids will read four books throughout the fall semester and write essays for a chance to be Tuck's guest at a Giants home game. The program benefits communities in New York and Tuck's native Alabama. For every sack he records this year, he has pledged $1,000 to help the school systems in those states.

Tuck said he didn't really get into reading books until he discovered Shakespeare in high school.

"I would say 'Hamlet' is probably my favorite of the whole, but I like parts of all of them," he said.