New York Giants: Jason Pierre-Paul will be non-factor in 2015

The New York Giants were kept in the dark during the entire Fourth of July incident involving their star defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. Not only did he not even bother to let the Giants know about what exactly happened during a fireworks accident that resulted in his amputated index finger, he was in an ongoing contract dispute with the team over his future long-term contract before it even happened.

While many believe Pierre-Paul is a premier defensive end, truth of the matter is for the past few years his work ethic and ability to stay healthy on the field often questioned what his true worth was.

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In an article written by ESPN New York’s Dan Graziano, Pierre-Paul is planning a return to team facilities to speak to coaches and trainers about what the next step is in his rehab process and eventual return to the team. He should be meeting with the Giants as early as next week.

Taking out the foolish mistake he did regarding using fireworks, the Giants were far apart in contract negotiations for Pierre-Paul. He wanted top money even though his numbers haven’t been consistent at all. He’ll have one strong season followed by a mediocre one.

Don’t let last season fool you, even though he totaled 53 tackles and 12.5 sacks, he achieved most of his results against mediocre teams towards the end of the season. When it came to playing against top teams, especially the division leading Dallas Cowboys, Pierre-Paul was noticeably a non-factor when it came to key games against his NFC East neighbors.

Back in March, the Giants ended up franchise tagging him since both sides couldn’t come to terms with a new contract that will see him earn $14.8 million but interestingly enough, he refuses to actually sign it until he gets a full understanding on what the upcoming season will hold for him. He wants to see how the Giants handle his standing on the team based on the severity of his hand injury.

The Giants could very well, based on what they see once he visits team doctors, place him on the non-football injury list until Week 6 of the regular season. The Giants totally have the ball in their court when it comes to future contract talks due to how he not only hurt his overall stock to the organization but the fact that there is no guarantee he’ll come back and play effectively again on defense.

Disregarding the fact that he will now have to play his position missing a finger, the mental part of everything might be the hardest thing for Pierre-Paul to overcome. Regardless that he thinks he might come back and not miss a beat, the reality of the situation says that he will have a difficult road ahead. Everything is essentially new again for him as he’ll have to revamp all the defensive swim moves, jukes and completely redo his skill-set to deal with his injury.

Dec 28, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (90) reacts against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

According to that same article written by Graziano, a source close to Pierre-Paul said that he thinks he can play just fine with perhaps a special cast placed on his injured hand. Judging by the fact that he’ll have to re-learn everything again, it could be quite the rude awakening when he notices he will more than likely not be the same player that made him a cornerstone on the Giants’ defensive line.

Overall, whether Pierre-Paul plays or not this upcoming season for the Giants, he won’t ever be the same again. He’ll have a constant reminder that his immaturity led to not only the loss of his finger but the possibility that his time of being an effective starting defensive end in the NFL could be coming to an end. The odds are against him from bouncing back from the kind of severe injury he suffered and the Giants will also be very reluctant to throwing big money his way due to that always being a liability against him for the rest of his career.

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