The biggest news of the offseason for the New York Giants, Jason Pierre-Paul blowing up his hand, has been taking a back seat in recent weeks as the team starts winning games, but it’s not like the saga is over.
Pierre-Paul wants to be back on the field as soon as possible. After finally seeing how bad his hand is right now, the Giants are hesitant to get him back on the field, maybe more for economic reason, knowing they don’t have to pay him at all if he doesn’t play this season after the injury stopped the negotiations between the two sides and Pierre-Paul never signed the franchise tender.
According to Newsday’s Bob Glauber, there’s cautious optimism within the organization that Pierre-Paul might be able to play the final four games of the regular season and maybe more. The option of keeping him on the shelf for the entire 2015 campaign is still out there and very much relevant, not to mention more economically sound, but it probably depends on just how desperate the Giants get and how their defense performs, and the focal point of it turns to other places instead of the defensive line, which has been setting the tone for years.
The two wins over the Washington Redskins and Buffalo Bills brought in a great wind of confidence to the team, especially with no one in the NFC East doing too well. The Redskins are 2-2 as well, but the team is inferior to the Giants in more than just their quarterback. The Philadelphia Eagles are a mess at the moment (although they tend to beat the Giants, especially when heading into the game with negative momentum) and while the Dallas Cowboys are 2-2 and probably sinking, they just might leave enough of a cushion for Dez Bryant and Tony Romo when they come back.
The defense looked good in the wins over Washington and Buffalo, but the best news for the Giants is their upcoming 5-game schedule: 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Saints and Buccaneers. Obviously things change quickly in the NFL and teams looking bad right now can improve and become a lot more dangerous and difficult to handle, but as of now, considering how Eli Manning is running this offense and the defense is standing firm, there’s a very good chance of going into the New England Patriots showdown with at least six wins.