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Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul thinks he's having a great year.

(John Munson | NJ Advance Media)

EAST RUTHERFORD ‐ Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul stood by his locker two weeks ago and looked at defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins to his right. Hankins had 4.5 sacks at the time. Pierre-Paul had a pedestrian 5.5 for a player who once recorded 16.0.

"Take those 4.5 and give them to me and I'd be a happy man right now," Pierre-Paul joked.

Two games later, he's almost there. Pierre-Paul had 2.5 sacks on Sunday against the Washington Redskins and 1.5 the week before in Tennessee. And it's making him some money. Sacks go a long way in deciding what a defensive end is worth on the open market, and Pierre-Paul is about to become a free agent at season's end.

Still, at 25 years old and with talent oozing from his enviable frame, Pierre-Paul has continually insisted they aren't necessary. They're nice and all, but teams (including the Giants) realize he brings more to the table than just an ability to get to the quarterback. There's more to his game than just sacking the QB.

"At the end of the day, it's just numbers," Pierre-Paul said after one his better all-around performances of the season in a win over the Redskins. "If you look at the statistics and all-around stats though, I'm having a great season. It doesn't matter about the sacks."

What Pierre-Paul is referring to is his play against the run. He's far and away Pro Football Focus' No. 1 4-3 defensive end against the run (+17.6). Opposing teams are averaging 4.02 yards when running over the left tackle, where Pierre-Paul is most often lined up. In comparison, they're averaging 5.06 yards up the middle and 4.30 yards at the right tackle.

Pierre-Paul's play against the run has been there all year. His pass rush hasn't. There were games (vs. Indy and San Francisco) and key plays (vs. Dallas) where the Giants' supposed best pass rusher was invisible. The opposing quarterback didn't have to worry about him.

That has changed of late, in part because of the competition and his improved play. The Giants say they have made adjustments with his technique to improve his power, leverage and speed.

"JPP is playing really well where, technically, early on he was doing things we could correct and help with," coach Tom Coughlin said. "We adapted his game again to the way and manner in which we'd like him to rush."

Veteran Cullen Jenkins said it was only a matter of time. Pierre-Paul was getting pressure, the sacks just weren't always there.

PFF has Pierre-Paul with more hurries (30) than Denver's DeMarcus Ware (26) and St. Louis' Robert Quinn (25). Quinn has 10.5 sacks and Ware 10.0. Pierre-Paul is nipping at their heels now with 9.5.

'Sacks come in bunches," Jenkins said. "I always believed that my whole career. Sometime your numbers are down but it doesn't mean you're not playing good. It just could be how the game goes. You get back there and you just miss the quarterback. He's been rushing good all year."

Pierre-Paul has three straight games with at least 1.5 sacks. He could be in for another big game as a pass rusher Sunday against the Rams, who are starting rookie first-round pick Greg Robinson at left tackle. Robinson has struggled at times as a pass blocker this season.

Reaching double-digits for the season would seem to be nice. It would be a milestone, the first team he's made it there since his breakout 2011 season. But Pierre-Paul, who has struggled with injuries the past two seasons, doesn't think it's all that important.

"Not really. Look at my other stats, how I'm playing the run," he said. "I'm pretty sure I'm the complete player."

Those kind of guys usually get paid, even more than players who can only rush the passer or play the run.

Jordan Raanan may be reached at jraanan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanRaanan. Find NJ.com Giants on Facebook.

A look at JPP in 2014