Jason Pierre-Paul was out of shape in 2012 -- Tom Coughlin

Why was Jason Pierre-Paul not as productive for the New York Giants in 2012 as he was in 2011? Coach Tom Coughlin said Wednesday that JPP himself was to blame for the biggest reason -- he was out of shape.

These Coughlin quotes are from the New York Post:

"He didn’t play as well as the year before ... He was big when he came to camp ... There’s not a lot of body fat [with Pierre-Paul], yes, but still ..."

Interesting that Coughlin would take his young star to task publicly.

[Related: More from Coughlin's press conference]

One year after being named All Pro for the first time, Pierre-Paul's production dropped significantly in 2012. He want from 16.5 sacks to 6.5, from 93 tackles to 66, from 72 total quarterback pressures to 55, from nine passes defensed to six.

Pierre-Paul was on the field for slightly fewer snaps in 2012 than 2011 -- 971 to 900 -- but that is not enough to explain that much of a drop in production.

We recently referenced a report that the Giants want to use less of a defensive end rotation in 2013. Perhaps word of that getting out is another way of the Giants sending a message to Pierre-Paul that they need more from him next season, including more of a commitment during the off-season.

No matter what you make of it, the revelation from Coughlin is worth noting.