His right hand will never look the same, but Jason Pierre-Paul is preparing to be in vintage form when the New York Giants' season begins.
Pierre-Paul declared on Thursday that he will not wear a cast or special glove on the hand he distorted during Fourth of July weekend last year.
"I feel fine. I feel great," the defensive end said Thursday from Giants training camp, according to ESPN. "I was effective last year."
In eight games last season, Pierre-Paul registered one sack and 41 quarterback pressures, all of which were done while wearing a club on his right hand. It was a far cry from the 12.5 sacks he compiled in 2014 or the 16.5 sacks in his second year in the NFL.
To be fair, a protective cast does restrain a player's ability to elude the opposition and finish plays. There were several instances where Pierre-Paul's cast curbed his overall production.
Yet the hand protective gear is now a past memory for the former Pro Bowler. The defensive end believes he'll be more effective this season after he had an entire offseason and now training camp to adjust.
"I'm not worried about no club," the Giants' pass rusher said. "My hand feels great. No complaining, no nothing. I've been training hard, been getting after it and getting ready to play some football. The club isn't going to be an issue or anything. My right hand feels like my left hand."
It's hard to fathom that Pierre-Paul's right hand feels like his left. But who can fault him for believing in himself.
During the preliminary stages of training camp, players dress in shells. The actual test will be when the Giants go live in pads and when the real games begin.
