Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Giants are playing it safe with Jason Pierre-Paul after the star defensive end underwent surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back last week.
Head coach Tom Coughlin said that he isn’t sure if Pierre-Paul will be ready for the team’s season opener against the Dallas Cowboys in September.
“I don’t know. I am hoping but I wouldn’t say that,” Coughlin said when asked about Pierre-Paul’s Week 1 status, according to ESPN New York. “That’s an aggressive position to take. If anybody can do it, it’s him. But I would like to wait and see and listen to what the professionals are telling us. That is the key right now.”
The expected timetable of recovery for the surgery is 12 weeks and doctors have said that they expect Pierre-Paul to be 100 percent and ready for game action for the coming season.
Last season, Pierre-Paul recorded just 6.5 sacks while dealing with a back injury that eventually led to him to receive an epidural injection to deal with the pain. In 2011, Pierre-Paul recorded a career-high 16.5 sacks during New York’s Super Bowl run.
For now, Mathias Kiwanuka is practicing as the team’s starter at right defensive end with Justin Tuck on the left side. Rookie Damontre Moore and Adrian Tracy are also competing with Kiwanuka for first-team snaps.
Jon Krouner is the New York Giants writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @jkrouner ”Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+
