Keidel: JPP Is Quite A Football Player, But Does He Have Any Character?
By Jason Keidel
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Making a mockery of Jasons everywhere, Jason Pierre-Paul has put himself in a most precarious place.
In case you've been comatose the last few days, the Giants stalwart defensive lineman bought a truckload (literally) of fireworks, and nearly blew his hand off. In fact, he's so hurt or humbled -- or both -- he hasn't let the Giants' brass visit his hospital room.
In the annals of bonehead moves by millionaires, JPP getting his Grucci on has to rank rather high. To make it worse, he posted a picture of himself and his son in front of a U-Haul truck, packed with a powder keg, like a twisted mission statement, "I'm about to blow my limbs off right before I sign a contract that will make me flush for life."
Yes, he's lost the $60 million offer the Giants had on the table, leaving him the $14.8 million, franchise tag tender for this season, something that up to this point he's refused to sign. Frankly, he's lucky he has a hand with which to sign.
And this felt pretty portentous.
Wasn't there always something about Pierre-Paul that bugged you? Doesn't this foul-up fit a more nuanced narrative? After his stellar rookie season, Pierre-Paul has slowly erected a rep as someone whose head wasn't entirely into the game, gig or the sport. He's so singularly gifted at rushing the passer, and there's such a premium placed on such talent, that he's so seductive to teams, even ones with the corporate equanimity of the Giants.
Ever since Chris Doleman wrecked Joe Montana and the 49ers back in the 1980s, an edge rusher, particularly from the QB's blind side, has become an essential piece on the NFL chessboard. Now, with the rules forming a symbolic bubble around the quarterback, allowing wideouts to romp downfield with impunity, rushing the passer might be the second-most coveted skill in the sport, behind playing quarterback.
Enter Pierre-Paul, who stunned us with his alacrity, his size and speed and quickness. At times he looked like Daredevil while spinning and sweeping past monstrous linemen, often at the QB's ankles before he could find his hot read.
But Pierre-Paul never repeated his epic, maiden campaign -- until his contract year, of course. Last year was a revelation. Or was it revealing? It's quite a coincidence that his sack totals spike right as he's about to enter limited free agency. He's not alone in this regard, of course. But more than once you've heard Mike Francesa or another WFAN pundit lament JPP's production vis-a-vis his wide palate of abilities.
Maybe JPP did Big Blue a solid. What if he'd signed two weeks ago? He'd have figuratively blown up, then literally blown up. Or would the reverse have occurred? Would the contract suddenly have imbued him with the requisite wisdom that keeps you from buying a bunch of gunpowder and matches and thinking you're a walking Bicentennial celebration?
Scouting is an inexact job. You can measure a man's height and weight and speed. But there's no metaphysical metric. You can't take a ruler to a man's character, see his spunk or his soul. You never know how much frontal lobe material you're working with, if his impulse is to leave the bar at midnight or linger until the fatal hours, when the demons dance.
Big Blue's patron saint, Bill Parcells, always said you are what your record says you are. It turns out Pierre-Paul's record is tanking just before he signs his record deal. As Harvey Keitel said in Pulp Fiction, just because you are a character doesn't mean you have character. You can decide which JPP has.
It seems the Giants already have.
Follow Jason on Twitter at @JasonKeidel
