A ONE-HAND WRECKING CREW
Teammates marvel about JPP’s return to dominance
HERE’S something for the Cowboys and the rest of the NFL to chew on: His Giants teammates think Jason Pierre-Paul can be the best player in football.
So it would be a good idea for the Cowboys to obsess about JPP and the Giants as much as JPP and the Giants have been obsessing about the Cowboys.
“We’ve been thinking about them for a long time,” Jonathan Casillas said. “Everything’s been building towards September 10th. Whatever we’ve been doing come April, we’ve been building for September 10th.”
The Giants, with only this nuisance of a fourth preseason game against the Patriots standing between them and the regularseason opener in Arlington, Texas, aren’t certain whether Odell Beckham Jr. will be ready or limited for the archrival Cowboys.
But JPP? Who has been a game-wrecking thorn in the Cowboys’ side? Did you watch him against the Jets on Saturday night?
“I just had a conversation with somebody today about JPP. If he can do all the things, and really put forth the mental effort into becoming a complete football player — he could be the best player in the league,” Casillas told The Post.
He chuckled and added: “Did you see last game what he did against the Jet starters? This dude’s an unbelievable athlete. He’s been doing it for a long time. He has one-and-a-half hands. I mean, he’s fully overcome that.
“He’s better than I’ve seen him ever. And I played against him when he was wrecking us when I played for the Saints, and I’ve seen him several times throughout my career. This is the best I’ve seen him.”
Giants right tackle Bobby Hart knows exactly what Cowboys right tackle La’el Collins has in store for him.
“That guy, he’s so special, man,” Hart said. “The sky’s the limit. It’s how high he wants to set the bar. However high he sets it, I feel like he can reach it.
“I can’t even put it into words, he’s a special player, once-in-ageneration type player.”
I told Hart what Casillas said about JPP having a chance to be the best player in football.
“Yeah ... easily,” Hart said. “The things that he can do, his understanding of the game, his mentality, where he comes from — all those things put together he def initely can be the best in the game easily.”
JPP’s ragdolling of Jets RT Brandon Shell?
“That’s nothing for him,” Hart said. “That’s ordinary.”
Or as defensive tackle Jay Bromley said: “His legs move like spider legs, and he can just stop on a dime, and you see what he did to the tackle of the Jets.”
A healthy JPP, forever relentless against the pass and run, can be expected to threaten his career-high 16.5 sacks in 2011.
“At first he wanted to prove to everybody that he could do it when he messed up his hand, and he did that,” Bromley said. “Now he’s back in the space of, ‘ OK, now I want to prove to myself than I can be better than I ever was,’ and I think that’s something that he’s focusing on and I think he has capability of doing.”
Rookie defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson marvels at JPP.
“He’s a player you don’t see everyday,” Tomlinson said. “He’s one of the most dominant defensive linemen I’ve ever seen. Most defensive linemen, you’re waiting for that one moment to make that big play, but here he is, making those big plays all the time like it’s nothing. It’s crazy.”
Casillas knows what a blessing it is to have a Monster of the Meadowlands like this on his Giants defense.
“He’s not the only guy though,” Casillas said. “We got more than him. And that’s the great thing about playing for this defense. You got several guys who, just on the opposite side of him could wreck the game. And inside of him [Damon Harrison] could wreck the game. There’s a lot of guys that can wreck the game, and I’m just happy to play with these dudes.”
For real on Sept. 10.