NY Giants Twitter Mailbag: The (Mostly) JPP Edition

I’m five days back from vacation as I write this, and I still can’t decide if I should have stayed out another week or if it was good to come back when I did.

Seriously, this rather odd and tragic story about New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul’s Independence Day accident with fireworks has been exhausting—exhausting to write about, exhausting to chase down rumors and just exhausting to even imagine what is still to come when the team reports to training camp on July 30.

With that all said, when the readers have questions, it’s my job to offer up as solid a response as possible. If it’s answers about Pierre-Paul you want—and based on this week's mailbag questions, that seems to be what people want—then I aim to please. 

Thanks for the question, Jaron. Obviously, the first order of business for Jason Pierre-Paul is to become healthy enough to return to action.

Right now, no one seems to know when that will be—per Sam Cooper of Yahoo Sports, it could take up to six weeks for Pierre-Paul's broken thumb, which ESPN’s Ed Werder reported to be fractured in multiple places, to heal.

Let’s assume the best-case scenario, that Pierre-Paul is fine and ready to go in six weeks and resolves his contract situation by then.

I believe he could be moved to the left side—defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, in his first press briefing with reporters back in May, said that was a possibility.

However, here is the problem: The more time Pierre-Paul misses, the less likely he’s going to be able to make a true impact this year. And that has nothing to do with the injury.

Remember, this is a brand new system that’s being installed—new languages, new checks, new everything.

You establish a comfort level through on-field reps and in the classroom. Pierre-Paul actually popped into the team’s facility a handful of times during the spring, but it is unknown just how much of a grasp he has on understanding the new defense.

What I’m trying to tell you here is to not expect much from Pierre-Paul when he does eventually show up to play—assuming he does—regardless of which side he’s asked to play. 

Thanks for the question, John. Any time a team is missing a key starter, be it through injury, absence or whatever, there is going to be an opportunity for the guys behind him on the depth chart to step up.

In the case of the defensive-end position, the Giants already had an opening for a starting job thanks to the release of Mathias Kiwanuka, the starter last year, who was sent packing in February.

I believe Owa Odighizuwa, Damontre Moore, Kerry Wynn, Jordan Stanton and the rest of the defensive ends all have had a chance to step up to prove to the coaches that they are starting material.

As for the upcoming training camp, I don’t think anything has changed in that regard other than the fact there appears to be two starting defensive-end jobs up for grabs.

Thanks for the question, Coeur. The NFL's supplemental draft is conducted a little differently to the annual spring draft—James Brady of SB Nation posted a detailed breakdown of how it actually works.

With that said, we don’t know if the Giants put in a claim for Isaiah Battle—that’s certainly a possibility. If they didn’t, then the only conclusion we can draw is they didn’t think that Battle could step in and help them right now.

My best guess is that the Giants might be anticipating a veteran offensive tackle will shake free during training-camp cuts. I fully expect that they will be actively scanning the waiver wire this summer, and I would not be shocked if another offensive lineman is added to the mix.

"

@Patricia_Traina predictions for giants offensive production given the addition of vereen, return of cruz and drafting of flowers?

— lucas kay (@Lkay398Lucas) July 10, 2015"

Thanks for your question, Lucas. I do think this offense will be much improved from a year ago. I love the duo of Weston Richburg at center and Justin Pugh at left guard, and I hope that combination stays as it is. I could see the running game having a lot of success behind that tandem.

I think the addition of Shane Vereen will give them that missing link—a receiving threat out of the backfield. We really didn’t see many successful screens last year, which is something offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo said in his early press briefings he wanted to run.

The upgraded offensive line and the addition of Vereen will allow them to add that dimension to the picture.

I also believe that if Victor Cruz is able to return and has his speed and burst, and if Corey Washington indeed finally gets it and if Rueben Randle is done being the knucklehead who earns partial game benchings, then the receiving corps is going to be sick.

Defenses won’t be able to double every single one of those threats—and let’s not forget about Odell Beckham Jr., either. I could even see a reduction in passes thrown to the tight ends if that receiving group is healthy. 

I do think this offense is going to be very productive if it stays healthy the rest of the way out.

Thanks for the question, Mike. First things first: Matt LaCosse has to make the 53-man roster. If he doesn’t, then I think your question is a moot point.

Let’s assume that LaCosse does make the roster. Would the Giants eschew having a pure fullback on the roster?

My guess is no. Henry Hynoski is a solid blocking fullback—per Pro Football Focus, he was the second-best run-blocking fullback in the NFL last year, behind Anthony Sherman of Kansas City.

However, it does need to be noted that only three fullbacks received more than 400 snaps with their teams last season—Bruce Miller of San Francisco (473), Kyle Juszczyk of Baltimore (465) and Ryan Hewitt of Cincinnati (427). That means for the most part, the fullback position is not what it once was.

With that said, Hynoski played two very important roles last year, ones I think he will continue to play as long as he is on this team.

The first is in the short-yardage package, where his bulk and size can help to push a pile forward. The second and perhaps more high-profile role is in the goal-line package. Go back and watch Andre Williams' touchdown rushes—the majority came behind a Hynoski lead block.  

What about the tight end? Again, based on how the position as used last year, I think you might continue to see the tight end used from the fullback spot outside of the red zone. 

Therefore, I don’t see the Giants eliminating Hynoski from the roster as long as he continues to show he can get the job done in short-yardage and goal-line situations.

That’s a great question John. We haven’t had access to the coaching staff since Pierre-Paul’s accident to know what modifications, if any, are in the works. At this point, my guess is it will be more of a next-man-up situation.

Remember, teams were not able to wear pads and thus participate in contact drills during the OTAs and minicamp, so the coaching staff couldn’t get a full picture of what they have versus what they might need in terms of personnel.

I would think, though, that once pads go on, they’ll find that out very quickly, which is something you can be sure I’ll be watching since it’s a huge part of the defense’s foundation.

Thanks for the question, Joseph. I always like to think that everyone who gets on the field in a starting role for the Giants is capable of having an All-Pro season. However, that’s not a realistic expectation.

With that said, I don’t know exactly what kind of schemes Spagnuolo is going to run—what we saw in the spring may or many not make the final cut.

I also don’t know how the injury situation is going to shake out—will Jon Beason and Devon Kennard make it through 16 games? Will the issues on the defensive line or the inexperience at safety have a bearing on what the linebackers are asked to do?

These are all questions that will be answered over the coming weeks. With that said, if everything works out and progresses, I would say Kennard first and Beason second probably have the best chances of being All-Pros if the chips fall into place. 

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes, observations and information were obtained firsthand. Follow me on Twitter.