Jason Pierre-Paul To Make 2015 Debut vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jason Pierre-Paul will be making his much anticipated return to the field in Week 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneeers, as the New York Giants cleared him to play today.
The New York Giants defense will be getting a much needed boost to their pass rush, as Jason Pierre-Paul will be making his 2015 season debut in Week 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Pierre-Paul and the Giants were able to agree to a contract last week after weeks of not talking, and now Pierre-Paul will finally be taking the field.
The original plan was for Pierre-Paul to make his debut in Week 10 against the New England Patriots, but the Giants ramped up his participation and increased his reps this week to see just how ready he is to play. They must have been happy with the results, because Pierre-Paul will be active and playing on Sunday afternoon.
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This is a big deal for the Giants, who have one of the worst pass rushes in the NFL currently. They rank last in the NFL with only nine sacks on the season, and have struggled getting any type of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. It has put a ton of pressure on the defensive backs, as Steve Spagnuolo has been forced to blitz a lot more, putting his cornerbacks on an island in one-on-one coverage. The results have been a disaster, as the Giants also rank last in passing yards allowed per game at 322.9.
While Pierre-Paul will have a lot of adjusting to do with his right hand mangled from a Fourth of July accident, he will be an upgrade for the Giants along the defensive line. They cannot get any worse, so having someone as talented as Pierre-Paul on the field will only help. His athleticism and conditioning has not waned with the injury, he will just have to adjust his fundamentals as he no longer has full use of his right hand, which was his dominant hand.
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Expectations need to be tempered though, as Pierre-Paul does have a lot of work to do. No matter how much work he does on the practice field, it is different to be in a game situation banging around with opponents. He will have to get back in shape in that regard, while also learning the Giants defensive playbook.
Pierre-Paul was not on the team yet when Spagnuolo was leading the team to their first Super Bowl over the New England Patriots. So, he has a new playbook to learn because he was not with the team in the offseason to learn the plays, audibles and nuances of the scheme they are playing. Because of that, Spagnuolo cautions people that it may not look like the Pierre-Paul they are all expecting, at least not right away.
“It’s hard. He hasn’t had a preseason game, hasn’t had any live action. To think he’s just going to go out there and be the JPP that everybody hopes and wants, I don’t know if that’s fair. But we’ll see,” said Spagnuolo.
That is the right way to go about it, as it is unfair to think that Pierre-Paul will return to form right away and turn the Giants pass rush around by himself. It will take a team effort to get the pass rush back on track, but having Pierre-Paul in the fold is definitely a step in the right direction for making that happen.