At last month's NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix, New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin mentioned to reporters that he thought defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul was "big" last season when he reported to camp.
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On Tuesday night, the star defensive end was a bit defensive when asked by reporters about Coughlin's previous comments.
Pierre-Paul said he felt he was a "major factor" last season and "was putting pressure on the quarterbacks 24/7," via the New York Daily News.
"My numbers didn't show for it, but whenever I stepped on that field everybody knew that Jason Pierre-Paul was dominating that tackle or that tight end or playing the running game," he said.
The fourth-year pro saw his 16.5 sack total from 2011 fall to just 6.5 in 2012. However, JPP said he wasn't perturbed by Coughlin blaming the dropoff on his weight.
"It never bothered me," Pierre-Paul said. "People I know, they got mad and upset, but there's nothing to get upset about. He's my head coach. He saw in his eyes that I was overweight. But today, standing here today, I'm the same size I was last year."
Pierre-Paul said he was 273 pounds last year and now is 274, adding, "If they want me to lose weight, I can do it that fast."
Sacks are a flimsy stat that often overstate or understate a player's performance. While JPP didn't create as much havoc last season, it had more to do with offensive blocking schemes designed to slow him down.
Enhancing his ability to take on and shed double-teams will be more influential to Pierre-Paul's impact during the 2013 NFL season than losing a pound or four.
Follow Kevin Patra on Twitter @kpatra.
