As the 2016 season approaches, New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is at a pivotal moment in his career where he can rebrand himself as a superstar and a leader.
The most tenured defensive player coming into the season is the seven-fingered Jason Pierre-Paul. A little more than a year after a harrowing and evidently stupid mistake, Pierre-Paul finds himself in a position to not only redeem himself for a tumultuous time in his life, but to rise as a veteran leader on a team that has seemed desperately inept the past few seasons.
Fewer Fingers, More Motivation
2016 is a marked change for JPP. He is healthy, motivated, and engaged to a degree that has not been seen in his first six NFL seasons. He also does not have the full service of his right hand, a deficiency that was obvious the last eight games of 2015. But now, none of that matters. He has a new outlook on life, and as a result, a new outlook on the game he plays as a profession. And the Giants are the beneficiaries of a newly motivated JPP.
This off season, the Giants acquired high priced free agents and went all in with a few key defensive players. But perhaps the most vital signing was a resigning, a bode of confidence in a singular talent that can change the dynamics of any game. Pierre-Paul’s one-year contract is his chance to once again show that he is a dominant defensive force in the game, and that the Giant’s confidence in him is not misplaced. Listening to him this offseason, Pierre-Paul has not only taken it upon himself to impact the community and children in particular in regards to fireworks safety, he has also taken it upon himself to be the best football player he can be. While the incident has left an indelible mark both physically and mentally on Pierre-Paul, perhaps it was just the catalyst he needed to revamp his craft and become the next defensive leader for the Giants.
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A New Leader
This has been something the Giants have lacked since Justin Tuck left for the Oakland Raiders. Jon Beason, Antrel Rolle, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie have all been veteran presences on the defense throughout the past few years; but in JPP, the Giants have a homegrown, generational talent who has tasted Super Bowl success and learned from other great defensive lineman. Unfortunately, it took a life altering accident for him to take a step back, and realize his value to his team and more importantly to his family. He seems to have a newly found focus, an untapped drive, and a new motivation to not only qualify him as a defensive playmaker, as he already displayed that throughout his career, but to carry himself as leader both on and off the field. And now, the entire Giants community has the privilege of watching a great football player work in leading his young defense to new heights, at least for one year.