"It was evident where Keith Bulluck was going with the interview when he assessed his play this season by saying, "When given the opportunity I think I did everything that was asked of me on the field."

The key words being, of course, "when given the opportunity."

A 10-year veteran coming off ACL surgery, Bulluck signed with the Giants in July as a leading candidate to be the starting middle linebacker. But the plan changed when Jonathan Goff in the middle proved to be a better option than Clint Sintim on the outside, so Bulluck slid into Sintim's spot as the traditional strong-side linebacker.

Four months later, Bulluck is reflecting on a successful season – but one with less action than he hoped he'd get. And if the former Titan's only option next season is to play a similar role in run situations only, he'll opt for retirement.

"(A full-time role is) the only way I'm playing football next year," said Bulluck, who turns 34 in April. "This is the first time I've ever, since my rookie year and my second year in the league, come on and off the field. I'm someone that needs to be on the field all the time. That's just how I feel. So yeah, that's the only way I'd play football next year."

Asked what he'd do instead, Bulluck replied, "I'll go buy a boat. Look, I played for 11 years. I'm good financially and I'm very happy with the career I've had. I'm not one of those people that I feel I need football. Football doesn't make me the person I am. It never has."

Bulluck indicated he'd think about a limited role if it was the opposite of what he played this year. That means playing in passing situations instead of against the run. Though he played in the base defense when the Giants expected teams to run, he still managed to grab two interceptions."