Pierre-Paul says he's more than a pass-rusher.
Sunday, 2 a.m.
By trade, he is a pass rusher.
By his resume, he is a man who has made his living spinning around offensive tackles, pclosing to the quarterback, disrupting the offense. By definition, he is a difference maker.
"But that isn't all that Jason Pierre-Paul is.
Pierre-Paul, the former Giant, has earned his check by being more than a pass-rusher. He is a defensive end, a complete one. He can also help to nullify the run, an underrated aspect of the position in a world that concentrates on pressuring the passer.
"It’s very important." Pierre-Paul said. "I want everybody to know that I’m still capable of playing the run. They already know I can play the pass but if you can't stop the run, there is no pass rush. So, to me I take honor in that, and I’ve got to keep discipline in what I do. So, that’s what I do.”
Content beyond this point is for members only.
Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (it's at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo)!
Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.
A year ago, Pierre-Paul had the third-most tackles in the NFL among defensive ends to go with his 8 1/2 sacks.
Oh, the sacks are important. Of course they are. The Bucs were dead last in the NFL last year with 22 of them, and they play Drew Brees and Matt Ryan and Cam Newton, Eli Manning and Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz, Mitch Trubisky and Jimmy Garoppolo and Andy Dalton. Someone needs to make those guys nervous.
"His ability to work in the heat - sometimes those veteran players don’t want to come out and work as hard as we ask them to in training camp, but he’s been out front all the way," said Bucs' coach Dirk Koetter. "Real impressive so far.
“When we played them last year, just from our standpoint, we probably feared him more in the running game than we did in the pass game. That’s not a threat. That’s not a downgrade to him because we see good pass rushers every week, but a lot of those speed rushers can’t play the run. I mean, he’s 280 pounds.”
Pierre-Paul should contribute on a reconstructed Bucs' line opposite Vinny Curry. Gerald McCoy, Vita Vea and Beau Allen should play tackle.
“He anchors, he sets the edge, his length, he’s hard to get into his body," Koetter said of Pierre-Paul. "He’s got those long arms, and then he’s so powerful. I was just watching a clip today on a big play where the tight end slices back across the line, they were playing the Rams last year. He just picked the tight end up and walked him right back into the ball carrier.
“He's real smart about what he’s got to know. I don’t think he could play quarterback, but he’s doing good at what he knows.”
Pierre-Paul said he liked playing with Curry and Noah Spence at defensive end.
“It’s been great," Pierre-Paul said. "We just keep creating chemistry out there. Everybody pass rushes differently; everybody plays the run different. As veterans on the team, we’re teaching the young guys how to come up and how to do things correctly. We were all once in their position, so we are having great chemistry together. That’s a great start for us.”
There is also a benefit to playing under new coach Brentson Buckner.
“He knows what it’s like to be on that D-line and you’ve got to stay consistent," Pierre-Paul said. "Playing D-line is tough. Every day you are constantly hitting each other, you’re hitting the offensive line, playing the run. It’s tough to play D-line and Coach Buck does a very great job at teaching the fundamentals and what to do at what point.”
{ 0 comments… read it below or Subscriptions }