LEADING MAN
Revitalized JPP looks to make big mark on Giants’ defense
THE FOOTBALL was on t he ground, batted out of quarterback Eli Manning’s hands by defensive end Olivier Vernon. So defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul did what he would do in a real game if given the chance. He picked it up and ran it back some 50 yards into the end zone.
“I was t i red as hell,” Pierre-Paul said later.
It was just one play during what head coach Ben McAdoo termed “an important” practice session in full pads at the Giants’ practice facility Saturday in East Rutherford, N.J. But it spoke volumes about Pierre-Paul’s commitment to developing a defense that can produce turnovers and big plays during the regular season.
“I saw the ball, and coach [Steve Spagnuolo] teaches always get the ball, no matter what. So I picked it up,” Pierre-Paul said. “Anytime I see it or catch I’m gone. I’ve got it stored what you do in practice is what you’re going to do in the game.”
Players were in full pads, but there was no full-contact tackling, just an assertive thump here or there from a defense trying to keep up with the Giants’ high-octane offense. It’s not really a fair fight when you can’t actually sack Manning, stonewall a running back or knock a receiver into oblivion, which is why Pierre-Paul is eager for Friday’s preseason opener against the Dolphins at MetLife Stadium.
“That’s the first time you can get to go live and you can go out there and play ball,” Pierre- Paul said. “There’s nothing like a real game. I’m anxious to see the young guys play.”
The first week of camp has to be considered a success for the Giants. There were no major injuries, and newcomers who figure to play key roles have done nothing to discourage those prospects. Firstround pick Eli Apple, the cornerback from Ohio State, held his own in oneon-one drills against Victor Cruz. Second-round pick Sterling Shepard, the wide receiver from Oklahoma, connected with Manning on a timing pattern for an 8-yard gain, and defensive acquisitions defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison and Vernon look comfortable in their new colors.
“We still have to develop that chemi stry,” Pierre- Paul said. “You have to learn how the guy next to you plays. I think that’s what I do a great job at, learning how [Johnathan Hankins] rushes or how Snacks rushes or Kerry Wynn. Once I learn my guys, I’m OK.”
Pierre-Paul needs to be better than OK for the Giants’ defense to rebound from the 2015 season, when it ranked last in the NFL, allowing 420 yards per game. The veteran defensive end, entering his seventh season, missed eight games last year after blowing off a portion of his right hand during a Fourth of July fireworks accident. He had just one sack, playing basically one-handed as a soft cast protected his injured hand. The defense has been bolstered by the free-agent signings of Harrison and Vernon, and the return of Hankins, who tore a pectoral muscle in early November. Even with better talent around him, Pierre-Paul needs to be the force he was when he collected 16 1/2 sacks during the 2011 Super Bowl season and 12 1/2 sacks in 2014.
His injured hand underwent more corrective surgery and shouldn’t be as much of a liability this season.
“My right hand feels like my left hand,” he said. “I’m just missing a couple of fingers.”
He had enough fingers to scoop up the football and run for a touchdown Saturday. Is it an omen of things to come?
“We’re still at the beginning,” Pierre-Paul said. “We still have to get that chemistry with the guys. Putting on the pads and giving a little thump to the offense feels good. But I’m still trying to rush the passer, play the run and read my plays right.”
So far so good.