Tom Coughlin wants more from Jason Pierre-Paul, who's happy to oblige

Jason Pierre-Paul is third in tackles for the Giants with 47 and tied for second in sacks with 31/2. But coach Tom Coughlin says he needs more from the fifth-year defensive end.

"You need big plays out of your big-play guys,'' Coughlin said after practice Friday. "Maybe he slaps the ball out and creates a fumble, maybe he tips a ball in the air and we get an interception, maybe he chases the ball down from behind, maybe he recognizes the zone read and the dive doesn't have the ball and he's able to shuffle off and get us an extra guy on the quarterback."

The 6-5, 278-pound Pierre-Paul isn't running from the challenge of making big plays. As he sees it, it's his job to make them.

"Any time you play in a football game, you want to make big plays,'' he said. "That's what people watch for and that's what the game's all about. That big play to win the game.''

Pierre-Paul, 25, is healthy this season after battling injuries the previous two years. But he hasn't come close to being the impact player he was in 2011, his second season, when he made 161/2 sacks.

He can become a free agent after this season, and the Giants will have to decide whether it is worth the investment to sign him to a long-term contract. On Friday, Pierre-Paul insisted that right now, he isn't thinking about a long-term deal.

"I'm not worried about my contract,'' he said. "It's going to take care of itself. And to answer your question, being here long term, hey, it is what it is, you know? If I'm here, I'm here; if I'm not, I'm not.''

If he's making plays, no doubt the Giants will want him back. That's what Pierre-Paul says he's focused on as the Giants prepare to host the 49ers Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Coughlin said the Giants must be ready to stop the run against the 49ers, who, he says, "have every form of run known to man.'' He added that his team spent a lot of time working on defending San Francisco's read-option. The Giants allowed 350 rushing yards last week against Seattle's read-option, but Pierre-Paul is confident that they have that "figured out.''

"They can bring the read-option,'' he said. "We'll take care of it.''

Notes & quotes: Running back Rashad Jennings will play after missing the last four games with a sprained MCL, and he is ready for a full workload. "I'm always going to say that," he said. "I feel like I'm always good. I felt like that two, three weeks ago.'' Told that Coughlin joked that he'd give him the ball 50 times if it led to a win, Jennings added: "If I'm out there, I'm going. So I got no hesitation, no reservations; I feel like I'm back to myself, so obviously, I can go as many as we need.'' . . . Defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins (calf), linebacker Jacquian Williams (concussion) and running back Peyton Hillis (concussion) didn't practice and won't play.