Jason Pierre-Paul (right shoulder) says he'll 'never shut it down'
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (90) warms up before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles. (Oct. 6, 2013) Credit: AP
Jason Pierre-Paul said he will not "shut it down" this season because of the injured right shoulder that has kept him out of the last two games, but that might just be semantics because the defensive end seems unlikely to play again this season. A second opinion on the injury showed no need for surgery -- only rest is needed, he said -- and with only three games left, there might not be time for him to heal enough to get back on the field.
"Being smart, that's a good way to put it," Pierre-Paul said of his approach. "Going on IR, that's shutting it down."
Pierre-Paul missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday. He said his shoulder is getting better, but he is unable to do much more than ride a stationary bike while the team goes through its drills.
Tom Coughlin said there is a checklist to complete before Pierre-Paul returns to action: "How good does he feel? Where is his confidence level? Physically, strength, how much strength is there? Can he defend himself? Can he do the things that he has to do in order to play?"
For most of those questions, the answer is "not yet." But that doesn't stop Pierre-Paul from hanging on.
"I'm never going to shut it down," he said. "If I can go, I'm going to go. There's no point in shutting it down. If I still can be able to help my team win football games at this point, that's what I'm going to do."
Thomas back in 2014?
Terrell Thomas' comeback from a third ACL reconstruction has been a heartwarming story, but it's almost time to think about it becoming a wallet-filling one. Thomas will be a free agent this offseason and said he has not had any conversations with the Giants about returning in 2014.
He did say he'd like to be back. "But it's not my concern now," he added. "My concern now is to finish the season strong and give myself every possibility to keep playing this game."
Giant steps
Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said the starting cornerback job is still Trumaine McBride's to lose, but he was vague about whether he'd lost it to Jayron Hosley. Hosley replaced McBride in the second half of Sunday's loss to the Chargers . . . DT Cullen Jenkins (shin/quad) returned to practice after missing Wednesday's workout.
