GIANTS BACK TO WORK

With no more positive COVID-19 tests, Big Blue returns to practice:

The always engaging Jason Pierre-Paul called out the Giants on Friday, saying he and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming to “destroy” his former team on Monday night. “Eli [Manning]’s not there no more, so I won’t have to pick him up and say, ‘Eli, man, you good?’” Pierre-Paul told reporters in Tampa on Friday. “I’m coming for their necks, man. They know that … I’m going to

Monday Night

Football and going to destroy the Giants.

That’s what I want to do as an individual.”

JPP was a

Giants 2010 first-round pick who made firstteam All-Pro and won a Super Bowl in his second NFL season. He blew off parts of his right hand in an infamous July 4, 2015 fireworks accident, but rehabbed and powered through to resume his career.

He signed a four-year, $62 million contract extension in the spring of 2017, but underperformed while battling injuries that season and didn’t help a deteriorating locker room, either.

Giants GM Dave Gettleman then traded Pierre-Paul and a fourth-round pick to Tampa Bay on March 22, 2018, for the Buccaneers’ third- and fourth-round picks, eating $15 million in dead money for that season to make the deal.

Gettleman turned those picks into rotational defensive tackle B.J. Hill and since-released quarterback Kyle Lauletta, respectively.

Pierre-Paul said in 2018 when he returned to face the Giants that it was “shocking” he had “never heard from” any Giants owners after his trade — although a source said at the time that co-owner John Mara had texted Pierre-Paul the day of the trade and never heard back.

The Giants beat JPP’s Bucs, 38-35, on Nov. 18, 2018, in his first return to MetLife Stadium. But JPP had 1.5 sacks of Manning and seven tackles that day.

He fractured a vertebra in May 2019 in a car accident, which sidelined him for Daniel Jones’ debut NFL start victory over the Bucs in Tampa, 32-31, on Sept. 22, 2019.

So he’s eager to get even on Monday with the Giants, whose defensive coordinator, Pat Graham, coached JPP here as the Giants’ defensive line coach (2016-17) under Ben McAdoo.

“He’s different,” Graham said of PierrePaul’s freakish talents. “You talk about all those guys that are different? He’s different. He’s a different human being walking among us. Whether it’s his movement skills, his skill level that’s improved as he’s gotten older.”

INJURY REPORT

Running back Devonta Freeman (ankle) again didn’t practice. He continued to work on the side. Veteran back Alfred Morris likely will be called up from the practice squad for Monday night’s game and his Giants debut … Free safety Adrian Colbert (shoulder), corner Darnay Holmes (neck) and wideout Sterling Shepard (shoulder/toe) remained limited. Wide receiver C.J. Board (concussion) was upgraded to a full participant, as were all the offensive linemen who returned after missing Thursday’s practice due to contact tracing protocols.

For the Buccaneers, wide receiver Chris Godwin (finger) didn’t practice. He will miss Monday’s game. Tight end Rob Gronkowski (shoulder), wideout Scotty Miller (hip/groin), PierrePaul (knee) and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (shoulder/groin) were limited.