Robert Nunn doesn't know how long he'll be along for the ride, but everyday he talks to his wife about it.
If nothing else, the Giants defensive line coach is a fan of Jason Pierre-Paul, eager to see where his career will lead. So far, his defensive end's second campaign in the NFL has led to a Pro Bowl, a first-team All-Pro selection, and at minimum, a Super Bowl appearance.
"From day one when he stepped on campus, did I think he would be at this point this early? No, I didn't," Nunn said on Wednesday. "But the guy has come in there hungry every day."
Given Pierre-Paul's lack of extensive football experience before being drafted in 2010, Nunn has developed a routine for him.
The plan slices the week of practice down to individual days, and then before every game, the two meet and break it down even further.
"I think that's the biggest improvement from this year to last year," Nunn said. "I don't think he could name one offensive lineman [last season]. He just knew he was going against 'this' guy. He's done a better job of managing that from Monday to Saturday to get to game time."
Taking up football midway through his junior year of high school, Pierre-Paul then spent two years playing in community and a year at South Florida.
It was there he notched one season of major college football, and then it was straight to the NFL.
"He had not been around that much football," Nunn said. "And there are so many things that continue to come up as late as just a few weeks ago, just things that come up that you realize the guy has not been through that. You have to kind of walk him through things."
With the clock still ticking on his second season, Nunn already knows what Pierre-Paul can become.
"He stays in balance about as good as any defensive linemen that I've been around," he said. "He can get in a bad situation and all of a sudden land on his feet and lock down and anchor big men. And he's just off to a great start with his career. It's going to be interesting to see if he continues to grow like he's doing in all areas on and off the field like he is right now. It will be interesting to see his career."
