Giants tackle Nate Solder is learning how to deal with losing

Nate Solder learned a lot about playing football in his seven seasons with the Patriots. During that time, though, they never got around to the lesson on how to deal with being 1-5.

That’s because they never had to. The worst start Solder experienced in a Patriots uniform was in 2012, his second season, when the team was 3-3. They were 5-1 three times and 6-0 once at this point in the season. In every one of his NFL seasons, the Patriots advanced at least as far as the conference championship game.

But now he’s a Giant. He’s on a team that is 1-5. The conference title game is so far out of sight right now that it might as well be on the other side of the galaxy. So the 30-year-old is having to learn new techniques for dealing with disappointment, whether it be flowing from himself, his teammates or the fans.

“I don’t think you can pay attention to any of that,” Solder said. “That’s just a life lesson. There’s going to be plenty of stuff that goes on, noise, and everybody else who doesn’t really know or isn’t involved and they’re always going to be looking to bring you down . . . The challenge is we just have to support each other and not take anything for granted. We only have a short time on this earth, we have to enjoy every single minute of it, spend time with each other and improve and have fun doing it.”

Solder said being 1-5 has taught him a few things.

“I believe I’m constantly learning about myself,” he said.

Ultimately, he concluded, the best way to deal with losing may be exactly how the Patriots always dealt with winning.

“You can’t do it as one player, you have to do it as a team,” he said. “I think we have those elements. It’s a continuing process and we have to keep working at it, we have to keep pushing. We can’t back down, we have to put our foot on the gas.”

Solder was asked if the Giants have a locker room that can turn this season around. He didn’t exactly say yes or no.

“I’m really thankful to be in this group,” he said. “I think it’s a wonderful group of guys. We’re doing the best we can, we’re working hard. You can’t look forward too far, you have to take it one week at a time.”

To that point, he said perhaps the most New England thing he could have regarding where the Giants’ collective mind is.

“We’re on to Atlanta right now,” he said. “That’s the focus of everything.”

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.