Thibodeaux knows the defense must be better, especially on third down situations.
Kayvon Thibodeaux is very well aware of the New York Giants‘ struggles on the defensive side of the football.
Coming off an 11.5-sack season, Thibodeaux hasn’t recorded a sack through two games this season, as the Giants pass rush hasn’t been able to capitalize. Leading up to the team’s game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Thibodeaux spoke to the media about the Giants’ struggles, the upcoming contest, and a player who will be on the opposing sidelines and whom he says he models his game after.
On potentially capitalizing on a banged-up Browns offensive line
“I mean still really never look too deep into kind of midweek stuff because you never know who will play, who won’t play. So, just consistently getting better at our craft, focusing on us, and still breaking down each tackle and kind of preparing for the game.”
On the difficulty of playing when the defense can’t get off the field
“It’s difficult. Very. Yes, it’s definitely tough when you can’t get off the field.”
Why did the defense struggle to get off the field?
“I think third downs, they converted. Anytime a team converts on fourth down, third down, it extends the drive.”
Thibodeaux’s thoughts on the Browns
“Great team. The quarterback is a magician. Up front, they’re very solid. One of the bigger teams up front. They like to move people. They like to run the ball. So, you’re definitely going to have to stop the run and be ready to set edges and get after the quarterback.”
On teams chipping him and Brian Burns
“Yeah, they’ve been chipping both of us. And I think that’s what’s going to continue to happen. Double-team Dex. And it’s been a lot of like two-man routes. Even looking back at the first game we played, there was a lot of chips, and they were sending two-man routes. Second game, a little less than the first, but they still had some, too. So, I don’t expect it to go away. I think with our D-line and the people we have teams are going to continue to scheme around it. So, yeah, we got to be prepared for that.”
What makes Myles Garrett so good?
“You either have a lot of talent, or you have a lot of skill, or you’re Myles Garrett. And he’s a guy who is a Hall of Famer. He’s a guy I looked up to coming out of high school. And he’s going to continue to dominate the league for a long time. And definitely look at his game and try to model mine after him.
He’s relentless, whether it’s run, whether it’s pass, the moves he uses. He’s a lot bigger than me, but when you still just talk about the mindset that he gives to the game, with his preparation, his body, film and everything else, he’s really a pro.”
