The fact that Jason Pierre-Paul is even playing football is a small miracle.
His return from a fireworks injury that cost him his ring finger and parts of his thumb and middle finger is a study in perseverance (and the need to collect a massive franchise tag bounty), but this tale will have a happier ending if JPP can actually return to form.
Pierre-Paul will play in his fifth game on Sunday against the Jets, and he'll still be looking for his first sack of the season. Pierre-Paul made an alteration in Wednesday's practice he believes will make a difference going forward.
"Today I put my right hand down and it made a big difference," Pierre-Paul said, via the New York Post. "It's coming along. I'm excited to see what I'm going to do Sunday, and I'm pretty sure my teammates are excited, too."
Pierre-Paul has been using his left hand in the dirt, an unorthodox method for a defensive end on the right side of the line. He's playing with his permanently injured right hand in heavy bandages, which initially prompted the switch. Pierre-Paul showed up on the injury report this week with a sore right hand, but insists he's fine and ready to show up in the stats.
"I'm super excited to see what I'm going to do Sunday against the New York Jets," he said. "It's not a big change, I can put my left hand down, but I'm going back to my old ways and try to get to the quarterback faster."
Pierre-Paul is at a career crossroads. If he can't finish strong and prove he's still an asset, it's hard to imagine the Giants or any team giving him a substantial contract -- a big payday that was all but guaranteed before he made the mistake of a lifetime last summer.