Jason Pierre-Paul might have been trying to send a message when he threw cornerback Prince Amukamara in a cold tub. In the background, you can hear a teammate yell to Amukamara, "You better stand up for yourself."
In the culture of an NFL locker room, Pierre-Paul was apparently trying to coach Amukamara up. The Giants want last year's first-round draft pick to be more aggressive. They want him to have more "swag."
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"I think he's doing pretty good," Justin Tuck told the New York Daily News on Wednesday. "Obviously you would like to see him be a little bit more vocal, a little bit more -- as the young kids say -- 'swag.' "
"He's got to," teammate Corey Webster said. "It's a cornerback thing. We're going out there every play alone."
Amukamara doesn't come across like your average cornerback. He's studious and quiet. He's praised for his intelligence and thoughtfulness. He's heard this criticism his whole life.
"I do get told that cornerbacks are supposed to just have the most 'swag' and a lot of confidence," he said. "I think that just develops through your play. If you make plays, the more confidence that you get. I think I have it. I probably don't show it on the outside. But I think my play shows it the most."
The whole conversation seems a little ridiculous. Nnamdi Asomugha has been one of the best cornerbacks of the last 20 years without a particularly high "swag rating." (It's on the back of football cards.) The Giants seem to think that Amukamara isn't tough enough.
"You've got me and Terrell (Thomas), and we're going to keep beating it into him," Webster said. "And (safeties Antrel Rolle and Kenny Phillips), those guys came from Miami and they had it there. So we're going to keep on driving it in. He could use a little bit (of an edge) from us. He's taking it in and he's going to put it into his game."
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