More.
Kayvon Thibodeaux wants more.
More sacks.
Plenty of players who get paid to drop the opposing quarterback on his keister do everything possible to devalue the importance of the pass-rusher equivalent of a home run. It is hard to get a guy on the ground when he releases the ball in two seconds, they explain. Focusing on sacks is too narrow-minded, insist those who are not putting up huge numbers in that particular statistical category.
In Year No. 1 with the Giants, Thibodeaux learned all about this. As he prepares for Year No. 2, the silver-tongued outside linebacker is not hiding behind any rhetoric that minimizes the joy of sacks. He offered an instant analysis of what he is focusing on this spring to enhance his upcoming season.
“Getting sacks, finishing,’’ Thibodeaux said Wednesday after a sun-splashed organized team activity session. “There were a lot of times when I had a good pass rush that I didn’t finish. You realize the guy on the other side of the line is paid a lot of money. They’re not going to let him get touched. Continuing to sharpen the end of my rush, that third phase and make sure I start to finish.’’
As the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Thibodeaux embarked on his NFL career carrying the burden of expectation. Rather than shy away from that, Thibodeaux was attracted to the attention like a moth to a flame. Camera ready. Microphone ready. He carried himself like a star even though he did not always play like a star.
Thibodeaux set a sack total in his mind for his rookie year and although he never revealed that goal, it is logical to assume he had double-digits in his head. He missed the first two games with a strained hamstring and did not register a sack in the first three games he played. He broke his sack maiden in Week 6 against the Ravens and then went five consecutive games without one. At Thanksgiving, he had one sack in nine games.
He realized the bar he had set for himself was not going to be vaulted.
“When you go four or five games with no sacks you start to realize ‘Forget that number,’ ’’ Thibodeaux said. “What can I do to just make a play? Come the Baltimore game it was like ‘OK, I’ve got to make a play. I don’t really have time to think about the goals I had. I’ve got to go for something now.’ ’’
His play to remember came in Week 13, when his strip-sack of Taylor Heinicke turned into a fumble recovery and his first NFL touchdown in a key 20-20 tie with the Commanders. A late closing rush — three sacks in the last five games — gave Thibodeaux four sacks in his first season.
That was not the sum total of his contribution. He generated 40 quarterback pressures and his 11.1 quarterback pressure rate was the highest among all rookies who played at least 500 snaps, according to NextGenStats. He had 49 total tackles (33 solo), six tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 13 quarterback hits.
After the season, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who adores Thibodeaux, told him he needed to get stronger in his legs and his core. The 6-foot-5 Thibodeaux remains listed at 258 pounds and his legs are toothpicks compared to some of his beefier teammates. He said his lower body will never appear bigger, but that “I’m as strong as anybody else when it comes to squatting, when it comes to lifting and things like that.’’
During last year’s pre-draft evaluations, the Giants had serious concerns about Thibodeaux’s makeup and drive, and actually asked him a pointed question in an interview: Will you be able to handle the scrutiny and criticism if you go five games without a sack?
As a rookie, he proved he would not go in the tank amid adversity.
Still, the Giants need more from Thibodeaux. Consider that his four sacks came on 409 pass-rush snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Azeez Ojulari, who endured an injury-filled season, had 5.5 sacks in only 140 pass rush snaps. Ojulari needs to stay healthy and Thibodeaux must take the next step as a closer.
What Thibodeaux does not need to do is set a sack goal for this second season. That did not turn out so well the first time around.
“I had a number on it last year, and I figured out that the season is so long that you have to do it by game,’’ he said. “If I can make impactful plays like I was able to do and continue to win, I mean, no one will ever remember [the sack total], right? As long as we win, as long as I continue to play well, play for my teammates I think I’ll be good.’’
Good has a nice ring to it. More is what the Giants need from Thibodeaux.