JPP says right hand ‘feels great’
Jason Pierre-Paul’s left hand will never be confused with his right hand again, but the Giants defensive end sees no difference in what he’ll be able to do with each one on the football field.
“My [right] hand feels great,” Pierre-Paul said Thursday. “It feels like my left hand. … No complaining, no nothing. I’ve been training hard, getting after it, and I’m just ready to play some football.”
Reporting for training camp for the first time in two years — he was absent last year following his infamous July 4 fireworks incident — Pierre-Paul said he underwent one procedure in the offseason for his damaged hand, but said no further operations will be necessary. He would not specify why the procedure was performed, just noting it was done to “help [him] play better.” Pierre-Paul recorded one sack in eight games last season, while playing with a giant wrap on his mangled hand that prevented him from gripping opponents. This year, he’ll replace the club with a custommade four-finger glove.
Signed to a one-year, $10 million deal in the offseason, the 27-yearold believes he will prove to be a bargain, worthy of the longer and more lucrative contract he expected before the fireworks went off.
“I know what I can do,” PierrePaul said. “I was effective last year with a club.”
Joined on the defensive line by high-priced free-agent signings Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison, Pierre-Paul believes the improved front could help bring the Giants back to the playoffs for the first time in four years.
And as the longest-tenured defensive player on the Giants, PierrePaul knows he must help lead the team there.
“I lead by example. Everybody sees it. I’m probably one of the hardest workers on the football team,” Pierre-Paul said. “I’m just out here trying to get right, trying to get to the playoffs, trying to help my team out. … All the guys follow me. I’m not a vocal person. I’m a vet now. I can look in the locker room and see that the younger guys are looking up to me. They won’t say it, but you know. You can feel it. I’ll do whatever it takes.”