Wide receiver Golden Tate and safety Jabrill Peppers each grew up as fans of the New York Giants and are now among a handful of free agents recently brought in to play for them.
But Tate and Peppers aren’t alone. As it turns out, defensive lineman Olsen Pierre, a New Jersey native, also grew up bleeding blue.
“I’m from New Jersey. Coach [James] Bettcher gave me my first shot in AZ. You know, Giants were my favorite team growing up, so that’s one of the reasons why [I signed here],” Pierre told Giants.com. “It’s been eight years [since I’ve been here]. I went to school in Miami, have been in Arizona for four years. . . I haven’t seen snow in a while, so it’s good to see that again. It feels good to be home again.”
As excited as Pierre is to return home, he also understands there’s a major defensive overhaul underway and he’s just ready to fit in any way he possibly can.
“I bring an aggressive mentality; pass rushing. Anything the team wants me to do, I’m down for it. Anything the coach wants me to do — special teams, offense, anything, I’m willing to do it,” Pierre said.
Pierre also expressed an excitement to play for defensive coordinator James Bettcher again, calling him a “real smart guy” who has an innate ability to break down the opposing offense and exploit its weaknesses.
There’s a level of familiarity that will also help Pierre integrate, joining former Cardinals teammates Kareem Martin, Antoine Bethea and Markus Golden, who have all been added over the previous two years.
“It’s going to be a good thing. We had a good defense over there, but we can make something special happen over here, too,” Pierre said. “It’s going to be good to have the group of guys back together.”
