DE Jason Pierre-Paul
June 6, 2016
Q: How is the glove working out for you?
A: Everything is good.
Q: Can you feel a big difference?
A: I’m just playing football. It is cool with me.
Q: Can you talk about your progress? Are you completely back to normal now?
A: I will never be completely back to normal, but I am doing everything that they ask me to do. I find ways around it. That is why I am out there today. I am lifting weights, I’m out here with the guys. I won’t say it is normal, but it is normal for me. I can deal with it.
Q: Will this July 4th….
A: I will be gone. I won’t even be in the United States.
Q: Where will you be?
A: I won’t tell you. Where I’m going, they don’t celebrate the 4th of July.
Q: But will that day mean something to you?
A: It will be a year. I have overcome a lot of things in my life. That will be something that I overcame and I’ll put it behind me. That will be it. You guys won’t be able to reach me.
Q: Does it seem like longer than a year?
A: It hasn’t been a year, to be honest. It seems longer, for what I had to do, but I am okay. I am good.
Q: Do you think that being here this time of year will have an impact on your play?
A: Yeah, I missed training camp and I was working out in OTAs, best shape of my life, but yeah, just being here will make a big difference. Minicamp, then training camp coming along, so it is going to make a big difference.
Q: When you got back last year did you feel like you had a lot to learn with the new defense and everything?
A: I was basically just dealing with my hand, man. I’m still learning the system. Every guy in here is still learning the system. We’re just doing what needs to be done, getting things done on the defensive side of the ball. Coach Spags is doing a great job. There are certain things I just don’t get. I’m not saying that [Coach Spags] isn’t doing a great job, but I have to better myself at what I don’t get, you know.
Q: Did you make a conscious decision to be out of the country on the 4th of July?
A: I’m just leaving, man. I’m just living my life. … I just wanted to get out of the country.
Q: Jerry Reese said that it was a miracle that you were on the field last year. How do you look at last year?
A: Last year was just up and down for me. Like I said, I overcame it, I had to play with a club last year, but I knew I wasn’t going to play with it this year. That is basically it. I am going to be making more tackles. For what I came back and did, that was awesome, that was amazing, but to be honest, I didn’t really have to play last season, it was just to help the team out. I think I did a great job and I wanted to be here, so that is why I came back early.
Q: What will help you making more tackles this year?
A: I’m not playing with a club. When you are playing with a closed fist in a wrap, you aren’t going to be able to do anything with that.
Q: How difficult is it for you to lift weights?
A: It isn’t difficult at all. I’m back fully lifting weights.
Q: How about before?
A: It hasn’t been a year yet, man. I’ll sit here and answer these questions but put yourselves in my situation, you would be going through the same process. Some of you all would be down. With me, I overcame that situation, I’m lifting weights, I’m back to what I’m doing and I’m loving, I’m living, I’m happy.
Q: How much do you think it is going to help your situation that you seem to have a lot more help on the defensive line this season?
A: Any help is good. We made big moves. We added a couple guys to the defense. I am pretty sure we are still going to add a couple of guys. You have other teams, free agents that are going to be picked up. We have a lot to show for it, but we still have to put in that work and be consistent. That is what I am doing now, the other guys are doing that, and we aren’t too much worried about what other people are saying, we just have to do our job and do it right.
Q: How are you and Olivier Vernon?
A: We are cool. We are cool. All the guys are creating that chemistry. So we are good.
Q: I mean, you are one of the last…
A: I’m one of the last standing.
Q: Do you think about being one of the last standing?
A: Nope. I’m just out here playing football, doing what I do best, man.
Q: Was it nice to see the defense get a few stops in the two-minute drill?
A: I want to see what people do when we’ve got pads on. It is a big difference, but it is a great stop. Anytime it is a two-minute drill, you want to get the ball out of the offense’s hands and we did a great job.
