Written by: Fred Gudes
What a performance Jason Pierre-Paul had against the Carolina Panthers this past Sunday.
Pierre-Paul, along with Lavonte David and Devin White, are easily the most consistent players on the Buccaneers’ defense in 2020. From a leadership standpoint, Pierre-Paul is the “head” of the body everything that is this defense. Everything starts and ends with him for the defense.
After battling adversity since the loss of arguably the most important player on this defense in Vita Vea, it’s was nice to see Pierre-Paul taking over the leadership role in 2019 especially after the departure of Gerald McCoy. In 2020, you can visibly see how this defense has benefited from Pierre-Paul’s leadership and guidance.
The Reality
While the fans and media are enamored with the play of White and rookie Antoine Winfield Jr. in 2020, the reality is Pierre-Paul deserves the majority of the credit. A lot of what he brings to this team doesn’t necessarily show up on the field on Sundays. His leadership starts in the Locker room and behind closed doors Monday through Saturday.
Players like Pierre-Paul are the emotional beacons teams need to make a Super Bowl run or deep into the playoff. A lot of players need advice or moral boosters and players like Pierre-Paul have that to offer. When you have a player as passionate as he is, it tends to rub off on other players as they want to be as deeply invested as he is in the organization.
Personal Experience
I’m truly thankful to have met Pierre-Paul and witnessed just how humble of a man he is. This is the same man that comes to my job all the time and you would never know it’s the same guy that kills quarterbacks on Sundays for a living. I had to take some time and give Jason a special shoutout. The Buccaneers certainly wouldn’t be 7-3 without him.
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