JPP: FOURTH AND GONE
WON’T BE IN U.S. ON ANNIVERSARY OF FIREWORKS INJURY
It is coming up to the oneyear anniversary of Jason Pierre-Paul’s infamous fireworks accident in South Florida that left him with a permanently damaged right hand. This July 4, though, JPP says he will not be anywhere close to the scene of that incident. He won’t even be in the country.
“Where I’m going, they don’t celebrate the Fourth of July,’’ Pierre-Paul said Monday after Organized Team Activity practice No. 7 for the Giants.
This, JPP insists, was not a planned vacation to ensure he was far away from the place where his life and career took a drastic turn 13 months ago.
“I’m just leaving, man,’’ he said. “I’m just living my life. What am I going to do, pop some more fireworks?’’
Pierre-Paul was kidding when he said that. He has plenty to smile about, considering the Giants did not give up on him and he has shed the bulky and constricting heavy wrap he used in the final eight games of the 2015 season to protect his mangled right hand. This spring, he is wearing a specially designed glove — one with four fingers — that he believes will make a world of difference in games and allow him to get a grip.
“Last year was just up and down for me,’’ Pierre-Paul said. “I overcame it, had to play with a club last year, knew I wasn’t going to play with it this year. I’m gonna be making more tackles. What I came back and did, that was awesome, that was amazing, but to be honest I really didn’t have to play last year. Just to help the team out, I think I did a great job and I wanted to be here, so that’s why I came back early.’’
Asked why he is sure he will make more tackles this season, he said: “I’m not playing with a club. You’re playing with a closed fist, wrapped. You’re not gonna be able to do nothing with that.’’
There are no shoulder pads and thus no hitting in the spring, but despite the lack of contact, coach Ben McAdoo said he is certain Pierre-Paul looks better now than he did at any point last season.
Lest anyone forget, JPP had no offseason with the team and was coming off several grueling, painful surgeries on his hand before he played in a game.
“You can tell,’’ McAdoo said. “He has definitely improved his fundamentals. He looks a lot more comfortable. He has always been a very disruptive player and we expect that to continue.’’
In his eight games, PierrePaul last season had 26 tackles, one sack and six passes defensed. He was increasingly active, but repeatedly unable to grab hold of ball-carriers or quarterbacks while wearing the club.
“He has bulked back up and you can see he is getting more accustomed to using the hand in the state that it is in,’’ said right tackle Marshall Newhouse, who goes against JPP every day in practice. “He is still quick, still long-limbed, just still a really instinctive defensive end and he is making me better. I hope I am making him better.’’
Pierre-Paul returns on a one-year, $10 million contract and, at 27, resumes his career with a rebuilt defense that needs him to return to the menacing form he once displayed.
“I will never be completely back to normal,’’ Pierre-Paul said. “But I’m doing everything they asked me to do. I find ways around it. That’s how I’m out here today. I’m lifting weights, I’m out here with the guys. I won’t say it’s normal, but it’s normal for me. And I can deal with it.
“It will be a year. I overcame a lot of things in my life. That will be something I overcame. It hasn’t been a year, to be honest. Seems longer, for what I had to do.’’