On Wednesday, Giants coach Tom Coughlin said what everyone who has watched his offense play this season has been thinking when he said that wide receiver Hakeem Nicks’ play hasn’t been good enough.
Thursday brought another admission about an underperforming player that the team was counting on for much more. This one didn’t come from Coughlin, but from defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul himself. Pierre-Paul had back surgery four months ago and missed all of the preseason before returning to the field for the start of the regular season, but it’s been clear that he’s not the same player he’s been in past seasons. Pierre-Paul said Thursday that no one should hold their breath for a return to form.
“It’s really going to take the whole offseason next year to get back to my old, old ways -- the old JPP,” Pierre-Paul said, via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
With seven games of evidence proving he’s not the same guy, it’s fair to wonder if the Giants erred by not taking a more conservative approach with Pierre-Paul after his surgery this summer. He’s one of several players -- Nicks and guard Chris Snee are a couple of others -- who have struggled considerably this season after dealing with health issues this offseason that kept them from participating in much of the team’s work this offseason. The result is a 1-6 record and, perhaps, a different view on how to handle things in the future.