Pierre-Paul expecting return to All-Pro form in 2016

When New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul gave fans a detailed look at the gruesome state of his injured hand, it made his subpar performance in 2015 a lot easier to understand.

Now that Pierre-Paul has had more time to recover from his injury and get used to life without his right index finder, and parts of two others, he expects to be back to his old All-Pro self.

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"I am the player I used to be," Pierre-Paul told ESPN at the first day of the Giants’ voluntary minicamp on Tuesday. "Just a couple injuries here and there, but I’m all right. I’ll be better than I was."

The 27-year-old played with a club on his hand in eight games last season, but has shed the hindering cast in favor of a customized glove.

"I knew I was going to need surgery after the season - that’s the reason I played with the club," Pierre-Paul said. "But now, I’m past that. I’m looking forward, and I’m hitting the bags normal, I’m grabbing normal - I’m not even limited, so it’s a straight shot from here."

The athletic pass-rusher has also lost some weight in the offseason and expects to play both sides of the defensive line in 2016. He also believes that his presence in New York's offseason camp will help his performance. Pierre-Paul missed all of last offseason's team workouts as a free agent.