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UPDATE: 5:48 p.m. ET: ESPN is reporting that the Giants and Pierre-Paul "differences of opinion on his readiness." All I can say to that is, gee, ya think?
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UPDATE: 5:31 p.m. ET: Sounds like Jason Pierre-Paul tried to show up, convince the Giants he was healthy enough to get hsi $14.8 million and they disagreed. This isn't going to end for a while.
So where things stand with Giants, JPP at this point is that he goes back to Florida, works out on his own, comes back when fully healthy.
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) September 8, 2015
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UPDATE 4:40 p.m. ET: Even more evidence that JPP won't be playing any time soon.
All of that chatter about Jason Pierre-Paul's readiness has now vanished in a hurry now that NYG docs/trainers have had their look at him.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 8, 2015
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UPDATE 4:31 p.m. ET:
Nobody giving up yet, but I'm hearing #Giants and JPP having difficulty reaching agreement and probably not going to happen in near future.
— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) September 8, 2015
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UPDATE 4:03 p.m. ET: It now appears that Pierre-Paul could be "more than a month" from being ready to play.
From @AKinkhabwala & me: Jason Pierre-Paul won’t sign his $14.8M tag today or soon. His hand isn’t quite ready. Could be more than a month
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 8, 2015
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ORIGINAL STORY
Asked about Jason Pierre-Paul on Monday, New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin refused to rule out the possibility that the still-unsigned defensive end could play Sunday night in the season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys. Media reports on Tuesday, though, make that idea seem unlikely.
Newsday Tuesday quoted a league source as saying "I would doubt it" when asked if Pierre-Paul, who had a finger amputated following a Fourth of July fireworks mishap, would return to the field soon. Giants' doctors and team officials saw Pierre-Paul for the first time on Monday. ESPN reported that the Giants "came away encouraged" from that meeting.
Both Newsday and ESPN are reporting that Pierre-Paul and his representatives believe the defensive end would be able to play Sunday -- which would enable him to collect all of the $14.8 million franchise tag that remains unsigned. The Giants, however, may not agree.
Newsday writes:
The Giants, though, are still in the process of evaluating the medical reports and have not yet made it clear what their plan is regarding Pierre-Paul's return. It's expected that if Pierre-Paul misses any games due to the injuries to his hand his salary will be adjusted accordingly, but that has to be negotiated by both sides. The Giants' other option is to put Pierre-Paul on the non-football injury list for six unpaid weeks. As of now he remains on the reserve/franchise tag list and does not count against the team's 53-man roster.
ESPN also reported Monday that Pierre-Paul has been working on pass-rush technique under the tutelage of former NFL defensive line coach John Blake.
Valentine's View
In my mind, Pierre-Paul playing Week 1 against the Cowboys has been little more than a remote possibility ever since he mangled his hand in that fireworks accident. It's been a goal, a target, something to talk about. In my mind, it has also been a near-certainty that JPP wouldn't show his face, or his hand, to the Giants until right before the regular season began. For Pierre-Paul the situation has always been about cashing in on as much of the $14.8 million franchise tag as possible -- all of it if he could.
The condition of his hand, his physical conditioning otherwise, his lack of knowledge of Steve Spagnuolo's defense are all factors here. As is the fact that he remains unsigned.
My guess is the fight, which is only partially over the condition of Pierre-Paul's hand and largely about money, has just begun. How it gets resolved is anyone's guess.