Giants Q&A: Pierre-Paul gets first two sacks
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul strip-sacks Jacksonville's David Garrard late in the fourth quarter. (Nov. 28, 2010) Credit: Joe Rogate
What took Jason Pierre-Paul so long?
That's what he was starting to wonder. The first-round pick got his first sack of the season Sunday, cleaning up David Garrard after the quarterback wiggled out of a foothold by Barry Cofield. "It felt good," Pierre-Paul said. "Everybody is off my back now. Hopefully, there's more to come."
Was there more to come?
Actually, yes. Pierre-Paul was credited with his second sack of the game late in the fourth quarter when he swiped the ball out of the hand of Garrard. The Jacksonville quarterback picked up the ball and eventually was covered by Dave Tollefson. "We needed that, JPP," Tollefson shouted to Pierre-Paul in the locker room. "Hey, we'll take care of it. Two little scout-team dudes, we'll take care of it."
Big blitz and sack by Terrell Thomas to seal the win. Did he practice that?
No. That was a play designed for Aaron Ross, but with Ross on the sideline with an injury, Thomas stepped inside and became the cornerback covering the slot. That also meant he was the one who had to come on the blitz. Thomas said it "broke my heart" that Ross didn't get to run the play. Crushing the quarterback and seeing the ball squirt loose probably mended some of that heartache.
How did Will Beatty do in his first start at left tackle?
He went largely unnoticed, which is exactly what you want from your left tackle. He had one standout block sealing a wall on a 17-yard run by Brandon Jacobs on the final snap of the third quarter. And more importantly, he didn't allow a sack while protecting Eli Manning's blind side.
Did the Giants really play a whole game without turning the ball over?
They nearly didn't. Their first drive almost ended when Derek Hagan caught a quick slant from Manning but fumbled it away inside the Jaguars' 5. Tom Coughlin challenged the ruling, though, and while referee Terry McAulay initially (and accidentally) said into his microphone that he did not see enough to overturn it, he eventually declared it an incompletion.
What does Darius Reynaud need to do to draw a penalty?
He shouldn't need to do anything. When he called for a fair catch in the third quarter and was bumped into by Jacksonville's Tyron Brackenridge, it should have been a penalty. Coughlin suggested that Reynaud might want to take a dive next time that happens - pretend that he was drilled rather than tapped on the leg.
