Jason Pierre-Paul's goal: Shut critics up
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul looks on from the practice field during the second day of NFL minicamp in East Rutherford, N.J., on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Jason Pierre-Paul's surgically repaired back may be doing some barking, but that's not the noise that's bothering him.
The Giants defensive end wants to silence his doubters and critics who gang-tackled him as he played through pain last season.
"I got something to prove this year, and I'm going to shut a whole bunch of people up," he said. "I want to shut them up, you know what I'm saying? It's not even going to be new to me ? I'm confident in the way I play my game, you know what I'm saying? When I'm at the top of my game, it's ridiculous. Everyone has seen me there before."
Not last year they didn't.
Pierre-Paul had back surgery last June and was never fully recovered from the procedure during the 2013 season. In 2011, he had 16.5 sacks and he followed that with a steadier but somewhat less statistically spectacular 6.5 sacks in 2012. Last year he had only two sacks, and while he made one of the year's highlight plays when he intercepted a pass for a touchdown, he was hardly the dominant player he was early in his career.
"Back surgery, you couldn't expect me to come in and do what I did in [2011]," he said, adding that when his back finally did start to feel better, he suffered a shoulder injury that ended his season.
Pierre-Paul said his back is still not 100 percent.
"I still feel a little something," he said, "but at the end of the day, it's nothing that is going to bother me while I'm playing. Now, I'm flying to the ball."
