EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It’s Day 19 here at New York Giants training camp, and there’s still no sign of Jason Pierre-Paul.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo spoke to the media for the first time in camp on Monday, and said he can't factor JPP into his plans right now.
"Keep our fingers crossed, our prayers are with him for health, and until we can get him back here we just focus on the guys we’ve got," Spagnuolo said.
The guys he's got at defensive end right now are seven players with a combined total of 37 NFL sacks. In other words, they're relatively unproven commodities.
Seven-year veteran Robert Ayers, who owns 17 of those 37 sacks, is currently a first-stringer on the depth chart, along with second-year man Kerry Wynn, who has played in only five regular season games.
Damontre Moore and rookie Owa Odighizuwa are listed as the backups, ahead of George Selvie, rookie Brad Bars and Jordan Stanton.
When asked if any of the defensive ends have stood out so far, Spagnuolo said the opposite was the case.
"I think they’re all kind of clumped together," Spagnuolo said. "When I say that, I think we have some guys that will play relentless football -- I was kind of impressed with some of the things the guys did up front [in the first preseason game].
"Now there are some tweaks and some mental errors that we have to get ironed out, and I think they’ll do that. A lot of those guys are ready, set go -- that’s not a bad quality in a defensive end."
Yes, the coordinator included some positive things there. But the fact no one in particular has impressed is a little worrisome.
Ayers had five sacks last season, but started in only one game, and has started in only 28 of his 84 career. Wynn was active for only the final five games of last season, but he did make a good impression, with 1.5 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
"He’s a solid football player," Spagnuolo said of Wynn. "He made a couple of uncharacteristic mental errors in the [preseason] game and even in practice yesterday. But I trust Kerry because I know he knows what he’s doing, and I think he’s getting better as a football player as we start talking about technique and things he needs to do out there."
Moore had 5.5 sacks last season and shows occasional flashes of brilliance. But the former third-round pick has failed to convince the Giants' coaching staff to give him a bigger role in his first two seasons.
"I love Damontre. I love guys that like to have fun," Spanguolo said. "He’s trying -- he just pulled me aside in the walkthrough because we had put one or two little wrinkles in, and he wanted to make sure he had it exactly right.
"He’s passionate and he wants to do well. We’re looking for him to do good things. We’ll fit him in there where we can."
Reading between the lines -- "we'll fit him in there where we can" -- it sounds like Moore's playing time may not increase all that much in 2015. But it'll ultimately depend on what happens on the field.
It'll also depend on Pierre-Paul -- whether he returns and how effective a player he can be post-injury.
The Giants were fourth in the NFL in sacks last season with 47, and JPP had 12.5 of them. We all know how important a team's pass rush is these days, and the Giants' pass rush -- at least at defensive end -- is very much a question mark.
