Jason Pierre-Paul– © USA TODAY Sports Images
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GIANTS REACT TO THE RETURN OF JASON PIERRE-PAUL…
As was to be expected, Head Coach Tom Coughlin was repeatedly asked about the return of defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to the team during his press conference on Wednesday.
“(Pierre-Paul) will start with the medical team,” said Coughlin. “He can do all the jog-thru’s, he can be out there for whatever we’re doing pre-practice, then he’s going to slide off to the side with the medical people, be under their supervision. How long that lasts is really according to how well they feel he’s able to proceed. He’s told me that he’s worked against bags, he’s delivered blows on a board and done all of those things. When he came in, he looked good. I asked him what he weighed, he said 268, and he was right on the money. So he’s worked, he’s been working. We’ll just see how fast this comes along.
“(His teammates) looked forward to seeing Jason. He’s excited about being here and he’s anxious to get started. I think that’s a good thing and the rest of the guys picked up on that right away…We’re all rooting for him, to be honest with you. He had a very traumatic experience and he’s done really what appears to be an outstanding job of preparing himself. He is mentally very upbeat, his attitude is outstanding. He’s anxious to go and play right now, to be honest with you. But they’re going to go relatively slow on that. Yeah, it will be a wonderful thing to have him come back, get ready to play, and play and contribute, which is his plan.”
Coughlin was asked how the injuries might now affect his game. “I’m hoping he’s as good as (he was),” replied Coughlin. “If you’ve studied him and you watched how he maneuvers when he does rush the passer, then he’ll use that hand basically as he always has, not necessarily as a grabber, but as a club.”
Pierre-Paul now weighs 268 pounds, down 10 pounds from his previous playing weight. “It’s a good weight,” said Coughlin.
Coughlin was also asked about how much Pierre-Paul will have to catch up with Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive system. “He’s got quite a bit to catch up on,” said Coughlin. “The terminology, sure. But he’s already started on that.”
“There’s no intention right now of him playing Sunday,” said a smiling Coughlin. “He would like to play.”
JPP stretched with team, then did some running, then pushed a sled.
— Tom Rock (@TomRock_Newsday) October 28, 2015
#Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul can earn up to $8.7M on his 1-year deal, source said. Prorated tag number. Low guarantee, reachable incentives
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 28, 2015
Pierre-Paul was heartily welcomed back by his teammates at a team meeting on Wednesday morning.
“It was like a standing (ovation),” said cornerback Prince Amukamara. “Everyone just cheered and was excited he’s back.”
“It’s a good day to be a Giant,” said defensive end Robert Ayers when asked about Pierre-Paul. “I think he is going to shock a lot of people…He’s a guy who’s very humbled, hungry, and motivated.”
“We know what we are up front, we know what we’ve been, we know what our strengths and weaknesses have been and he can definitely come and help out and help us improve with some of our weaknesses as a D-line,” said defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins. “He’s still fast as ever, quick as ever…He looked really good out there.”
“It’s no secret that we haven’t rushed the passer as well as we’d like to and I feel like that’s something that he definitely brings to the table, will definitely instantly help us with,” said Jenkins.
“He’s very serious, a lot more quiet, focused on what he has to do because he still has a journey ahead of him,” said Jenkins. “Just because he’s back here, his road getting back hasn’t stopped. He’s still focused on getting through that road.”
NFL.com analyst Pat Kirwan has his doubts about Pierre-Paul’s future as a football player (audio from SiriusXM NFL Radio interview).
NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
WR Victor Cruz (calf), RG Geoff Schwartz (ankle), DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa (hamstring), LB Jon Beason (ankle), LB J.T. Thomas (ankle), and CB Prince Amukamara (pectoral) did not practice on Wednesday.
Head Coach Tom Coughlin already ruled out Cruz and Amukamara for this weekend’s game against the New Orleans Saints. Coughlin said Schwartz should return to practice on Thursday. Thomas was wearing a protective walking boot in the locker room, which is not a good sign for his availability on Sunday.
MRI for Amukamara Monday. Said he still has some soreness and restricted movement in chest. Has not benched. Did do wall push-ups today
— Ebenezer Samuel (@ebenezersamuel) October 28, 2015
Victor Cruz was doing agility drills on the side with training staff, an increase in his work from last week. #Giants
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) October 28, 2015
Because he is still on the Reserve/Physically-Unable-to-Perform (PUP) List, the Giants are not required to provide a formal update on OT Will Beatty (pectoral). Beatty returned to practice on a very limited basis last week. The Giants can only keep him on the PUP for two more weeks.
“Beatty is going to get a little bit more, little bit more, little bit more, scout team work,” said Coughlin. “I wouldn’t say (there is a possibility he might play this weekend). He’s got to start (fully practicing), he hasn’t even had shoulder pads on yet.”
LB Uani ‘Unga (neck) was limited and WR Odell Beckham (hamstring) fully practiced. “I think we’re back to the normal routine,” said Beckham who has missed most practices the past two weeks. “I don’t really quite know yet, but I definitely do feel better.”
DWAYNE HARRIS NAMED “NFC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK”…
New York Giants wide receiver/returner Dwayne Harris has been named the “NFC Special Teams Players of the Week” for his performance against his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, last Sunday. In that game, Harris scored the game-winning touchdown on a 100-yard kickoff return with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of the contest. Harris is the first Giants player to win the special teams award since place kicker Josh Brown in Week 15 of the 2013 season. Harris previously won the award three times with the Dallas Cowboys against the Giants, Eagles, and Redskins, giving him an NFC East sweep.
HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN…
The transcript of Tom Coughlin’s press conference on Wednesday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.
WATCH: Coach Tom Coughlin talks JPP and previews #Giants vs. Saints https://t.co/ZVf1twmhyk
— New York Giants (@Giants) October 28, 2015
THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
The following transcripts and video of player media sessions on Wednesday are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:
- QB Eli Manning (Video)
- WR Odell Beckham (Video)
- DE Robert Ayers (Video)
- DT Cullen Jenkins (Video)
- CB Prince Amukamara (Video)
The audio of Wednesday’s ESPN Radio interview with wide receiver Rueben Randle is available at ESPN.com.
ARTICLES…
- Forget football, Jason Pierre-Paul’s return to the Giants is a reason to smile by Jordan Raanan for NJ.com
- So much of the Jason Pierre-Paul story is yet to be told by Dan Graziano of ESPN.com
- Jason Pierre-Paul not a charity case — he needs to produce by Steve Serby of The New York Post
- Eli Manning as game manager? New normal for Giants offense by Paul Schwartz of The New York Post
- Jonathan Casillas looking forward to three weeks of reunions with former teams by Tom Rock of Newsday
- Tiki Barber picks odd time to start sucking up to Tom Coughlin by Paul Schwartz of The New York Post
WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants practice on Thursday and hold physical recovery cycles on Friday in advance of Sunday’s away game against the New Orleans Saints.
Eric Kennedy
Eric Kennedy is Editor-in-Chief of BigBlueInteractive.com, a publication of Big Blue Interactive, LLC. Follow @BigBlueInteract on Twitter.
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