7 Takeaways from New York Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul's Press Conference

New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul’s first public comments since his July 4 fireworks accident that severely mangled his right hand (warning: the photo is somewhat graphic) were a mixed bag featuring moments of contriteness, gratuity and hope.

Over the course of the 12-plus minute interview, Pierre-Paul declined to go into specifics about that life-altering decision, saying that eventually he’d give his story to someone “sooner than later.”

For the time being, Pierre-Paul, who made no attempt to hide his right hand as he had in past social media postings, tried to express a mix of optimism and perspective while demonstrating growth from his mistakes and hope for the future.

Here are some impressions to come from Pierre-Paul’s press conference.

It Wasn't His Decision to Shut out the Giants After His Accident...

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

In the days following the accident, there were numerous reports about Pierre-Paul rebuking the Giants’ attempts to offer their assistance. 

Apparently, that was not completely true. Pierre-Paul said that it was not his decision to block Giants' vice president of medical services Ronnie Barnes and team assistant Jessie Armstead from visiting him when he was first hospitalized following the accident.

“You can’t do nothing when you’re under anesthesia,” Pierre-Paul said. “Waking in and out, going in and out of consciousness. I had no reason not to let them in; I just didn’t know (they were there).”

Yet when asked if others were making his decisions for him, Pierre-Paul said, “I wouldn’t say that because I don’t know who is making my decisions. It could have been the doctors or whoever.”

What isn’t clear is whether the two sides didn’t do a better job of communicating once Pierre-Paul was out of the hospital.

Considering that team co-owner John Mara stood before a crowd of reporters at training camp and admitted that the team was getting second-hand information on Pierre-Paul’s condition,  one has to wonder whose decision it was to keep the Giants in the dark long after the last drop of anesthesia wore off.

…But He’s Appreciative of the Unwavering Support from the Organization

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Because Pierre-Paul was not technically under contract with the Giants prior to this week; as such he really didn’t owe them a thing, even though the team made sure to restrict his movement as a free agent.

In time, Pierre-Paul said he’ll share the details of his story. But one of the details he did agree to discuss was the continued support he received from the organization as a whole while he went through his ordeal.

“It meant a lot because I knew I couldn’t help my team win some games that they lost,” he said. “Unfortunately, mistakes happen, but they’ve been very supportive to me and it meant a lot, you know what I’m saying? Thank God that they supported me through the whole situation and I’m here now.”

Whatever his reasons for not agreeing to get into the building sooner so he could be under the team’s care, Pierre-Paul acknowledged that the Giants only had his best interests at heart, and is grateful that the organization didn’t turn its back on him.

“The Giants have always been a very caring organization. I think they did a great job,” he said. “Through all the [distractions] I had here, the [distractions] I had for the team that I caused, I’ll say that they did a great job of handling it. I thank them for giving me a second chance.

“Fortunately, I was able to come back from this injury and now I’m ready to play football.”

He Believes He’s Going to Be an Even Better Player…

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Name one player attempting a comeback from a major injury who is going to admit that he won’t be just as good, if not better than he was before modern medicine got ahold of his body.

The truth is, thoughts of regaining one’s previous athletic abilities is what drives players who are injured to push through long, grueling hours of rehab, Pierre-Paul included.

While Pierre-Paul refused to go into detail regarding his rehab, he had this to say when asked how the injury might affect him as a player.

“I don’t know yet, you what I mean? Hopefully it doesn’t. I’m still the same Jason Pierre-Paul. Skillset hasn’t changed—probably got even better. So I’m ready to play some football and help my team win.”

Pierre-Paul was later asked if he was worried about his career.  

“I wasn’t worried at all. I wasn’t in shock or nothing. I looked at my hand and my fiance was going crazy, but I kept calm through the whole situation.”

When asked the same question again, his tone changed from being passive to more assertive.

“I’m the same JPP that I was last year. It’s not going to be a major adjustment,” he said. “As far as like my hand goes, I’ll get used to it. I’m just fortunate enough to play football again.”

While he seems to have a good frame of mind as far as his priorities are concerned and is set up with a generous contract that Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports reported is loaded with incentives, here’s the bottom line.

The Giants don’t need Pierre-Paul to be the same player he was last year when per Pro Football Focus, eight of his 12.5 sacks came against four offensive lines that, per Football Outsiders, were ranked worse than the Giants in pass protection.

They need him to be better, such as what he was in 2011 before he had his back surgery and certainly before his latest medical issue.

Can Pierre-Paul be the same player he was back then? Only time will tell, but it at times it sounded almost like he was trying to convince himself of that more so than the reporters.

…but He Doesn’t Sound Like He’s Ready for That Step Just Yet

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

For as upbeat as Pierre-Paul was during his press briefing, when it came time to answer questions regarding when he might be ready to play, he left that up for debate.

“I don’t know; only time will tell,” he said. “I know everybody is excited that I’m here. But as far as going out there, I’m not going to put myself in jeopardy."

“When I’m ready, I’m going to be ready and I’m going to be able to fully go. Right now, I’m just taking it day-by-day. The trainers and people are just telling me to take it day-by-day.

Pierre-Paul’s conditioning doesn’t seem to be at the core of the problem, something he admitted when he shared how two weeks after his hospital stay, he was climbing 15 flights of stairs.

“I kept my conditioning up—lost weight but gained all that back in no time. My conditioning is fine,” he said. 

So why is he taking a passive approach when asked when he might be ready to play?

A big reason could be learning defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s playbook, which, middle linebacker Jon Beason—the man who orchestrates the calls on the field—described in a June interview with SiriusXM Radio as “the most complex” he’s come across.

Pierre-Paul doesn’t have to get guys lined up like Beason, but he has to have some idea of what he is doing out there, including understanding the terminology.

“Listen, I can say this, it won’t take me long to learn it. I’ve already got the basics of it, so I’ll be ready,” Pierre-Paul said.

He later admitted that despite having the playbook to study while he was away from the team, he missed out on the benefits of the classroom sessions the coaches hold for the players.

“I had the playbook. I looked through but I got frustrated most of the time because I wasn’t [here]. So I did what I can on my own, but now I’m here so I’m appreciative they’re going to get me up to date.”

Between his grasp of the playbook and his physical status, it wouldn’t be surprising if in Pierre-Paul’s first game back, he plays maybe 10-12 vanilla snaps just to get himself up to speed.

Will his 2015 debut come in Week 10 against the Patriots, as Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports reported?

It’s too soon to tell, but you can be sure that the Giants will play it close to the vest so that they give Patriots head coach Bill Belichick something extra to think about.

He’s Focused on Football and the Team

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

At times, the pursuit of Pierre-Paul in the weeks following his accident bordered on sensationalism.  

The release of his hospital records by ESPN’s Adam Schefter—as well as the pursuit by photographers to get a picture of his right hand sans the index finger—raised some ethical questions regarding Pierre-Paul’s rights to privacy despite being a public figure.

When his teammates assembled for training camp, Pierre-Paul was constantly a topic of conversation, almost to the point where it looked like it might become a distraction.

The Giants handled it as well as they could without being uncooperative with reporters, but the fact is that Pierre-Paul was, for a time, a distraction.

Now that he’s back and has spoken, he just wants to be treated by the same rules as his teammates.

When head coach Tom Coughlin—whose long-time policy is to leave guys who have been declared out for a road game at home—told reporters that he was contemplating making an exception for Pierre-Paul, the 26-year-old defensive end had his say. 

“He asked me, but I told him that I don’t want to be a distraction to my teammates,” Pierre-Paul said. “So therefore, I’m staying up here and [sic] be ready for next week.”

Whether that plan changes remains to be seen, but credit Pierre-Paul for showing some humility in wanting to blend into the fabric and having his priorities straight. 

He’s Not Worried About the Critics

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

When one is in the spotlight, it’s vital to have thick skin, especially in the face of criticism.

Pierre-Paul apparently knows that he’s going to be criticized by people who chastise his decision to handle fireworks, or who have all kinds of unflattering names for him.

Say what you want about him, because Pierre-Paul is a firm believer of the timeless idiom, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

“At the end of the day, the media is going to say whatever they’ve got to say. People are going to have their own opinions. But I didn’t care about none of that because I knew one way or another, I was going to return back to football,” he said.

When asked if proving those who opined that he might never be the same player or might never play the game again to be wrong, Pierre-Paul shook his head.  

“I have the desire to prove nobody wrong. The day I walked in, I already won, you know?” he said.

“People said I was going to be out for the whole season and I knew what kind of effort I put in in the offseason way before this happened. Just coming back, I already won.”

Still, he was asked, why not put an end to all the rumors and misinformation?

"I’m out here to play football, and I know what I’m going to do," he said.

His Days of Handling Fireworks Are over

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Pierre-Paul initially declined to offer any thoughts about his accident, what he learned and what his feelings were. As the questions kept coming in, he eventually did provide a little insight into his frame of mind.

“Things happen, mistakes happen, incidents happen,” he said. “I lived and learned from it and moved on.”

Pierre-Paul revealed that he put on a fireworks display for the children in his neighborhood for about six or seven years “because when I was growing up I was less fortunate to have fireworks.”

He also said he realized just how lucky he was to just lose a finger when he was initially hospitalized.

“I was in the hospital—like I said, I don’t want to get into full details—I saw a kid die at the age of 12-years-old,” he said.

“One they had to cut off his whole finger. I’m just very fortunate that I’m alive. I’ve got wounds to see and I look up every day and say, ‘Thank you, Lord.’ But as far as that, I’ve seen worse. There were probably 12 people in that hospital and my hand is the best one. I’m just fortunate to have a hand.”

Having learned his lesson, he was asked if he had a message for young children who look up to him as a role model.

“They’re very dangerous. If I can sit here and take all day to explain how everything happened, I will, but I’m not getting into all that. I’ll say as far as fireworks—they’re very dangerous. You shouldn’t play with them.”

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.

Follow me on Twitter, @Patricia_Traina.