Eli Manning addresses questions that he has asked to be highest paid player in NFL. Photo by Al Thompson.

It all has to be so embarrassing.

If Tom Brady thinks he is having a tough time with all the ridicule and jokes that have come hand-in-hand over “Deflate-gate,” he should walk a mile in in Giants All Pro defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul’s shoes.

The heart and soul of Big Blue’s defense, the man who helped the Giants with the 2011 Super Bowl, lost his right index finger from a fireworks accident on July 4.

His finger was amputated and it has been reported his right thumb was injured as well.

Apparently Pierre-Paul is so upset about the incident he simply did not report to camp and didn’t call anyone from the Giants front office.

Nearly a week into training camp, the New York Giants have no idea when Pierre-Paul will be able to return to the team.

Pierre-Paul has kept a low profile since the accident only texting a few teammates.

Giants general manager Jerry Reese said he spoke with Pierre-Paul on last Sunday but declined to set a timetable for the star defensive end to rejoin the team.

To make matters worse, Pierre-Paul has a $14.8 million franchise tag sitting on the table he has yet to sign.

It is a tough call for the 26-year-old. If he does sign it, the Giants have the option to put him on the non-football injury list, and he could lose game checks. It’s also crucial for the Giants in a competitive sense because Pierre-Paul’s ability to rush the passer is key to their defense.

Still many of his teammates were sprinkling sarcasm in with their quotes all week.

“JPP is a very explosive player,” defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said before Thursday’s training camp practice. “He’s the type of player when you get into the pass rush situations, things happen at the snap of a finger. It’s got to be a group adjustment. Everybody’s got to improve, everybody’s got to do their best to hold it down until he gets back.”

Third-year defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, one of several young defensive lineman in camp for Big Blue, talked about what JPP brought to the defense.

“Just his presence,” Hankins said before Thursday’s practice. “Whenever he’s on the field, you know offenses and teams are alert about him and try their best to scheme around him.

But Pierre-Paul is not in camp and is basically in a sort of bazaar hold out. Hankins talked about Pierre-Paul in the past tense while saying the D-line can get it done with their star.

“I feel like with the guys we got now, I feel like I can trust them, coach (Robert) Nunn is trusting them, coach Spags (Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) is,” Hankins said. “I think we can get the job done as a unit and not always have that one superstar guy which JPP was…it just call for opportunities for guys to step up. I am going to try and so my best where I can and I am sure everybody else will.”

Hankins said he has spoken to Pierre-Paul.

“I talked to him,” the former Ohio State standout said. “He’s doing good. He’s rehabbing and getting his hand right. I guess when the time presents itself he’ll come back whenever he feels comfortable.”
Ask any veteran player, the NFL waits for no one and JPP is not different.
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Eli Manning finally threw his first interception of the 2015 training camp. A few hours earlier Manning was reminded he had not thrown a pic yet, a stat Manning admitted he was aware of.
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Former New England Patriots running back Shane Vereen, who helped the Pats win the Super Bowl in February, is now a Giant and looked comfortable in practice. The five-year veteran made some nice gains when he got the rock.
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Former Eagles backup center Dallas Reynolds is taking the snaps with several units including the ones and twos. The 31-year-old veteran is getting all the work because second-year player Weston Richburg is sidelined and is day-to-day.