Yahoo Sports 
Justin Tuck on JPP: 'He'll be the first one to tell you he made a mistake'
Former New York Giants teammate Justin Tuck has been in constant contact with Jason Pierre-Paul, Tuck said, since the franchise defensive end blew his right index finger off in a July 4 fireworks accident.
Asked at a golf tournament if Pierre-Paul remains in good spirits, per NJ.com, Tuck said:
"He is. He'll be the first one to tell you he made a mistake. He's fine. He's going to have a great year."
[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league today!l]
Very few current teammates, many of whom have reached out to JPP, have been able to reach him. Understandably, Pierre-Paul kept contact to a minimum at first, mostly just family members, after the accient. But Tuck — now entering his second year with the Oakland Raiders after leaving the Giants — and Pierre-Paul are very close, and Tuck said he's giving his former protegé some straightforward advice toward continuing his career and bouncing back.
"What I told JPP is go out and play football. I've been in constant conversation with JPP," Tuck said.
In addition, Tuck sees no reason why Pierre-Paul can't still be a franchise player.
"I think he will be [successful]," he said. "Once he gets used to playing again, you can't deny his athletic ability. He's a terror to block. Hopefully everything else gets healthy around him and if that is the case, I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be the JPP of the second half of the season like he was last year."
If Tuck's word that Pierre-Paul's mental makeup is strong, and we're hearing that nine fingers isn't that prohibitive, perhaps the player who notched nine sacks in his final five games really can come back strong.
- - - - - - -
Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
