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After registering only four sacks in 14 games during his rookie season, New York Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux has clearly taken a massive leap in year two of his career, and he wants everyone to put some respect on his name.
“I hope so,” Thibodeaux responded when he was asked if he could catch Myles Garrett for the league lead in sacks, per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “That would mean that I’ve been working. I’m trying to make the Pro Bowl, trying to make All-Pro. I’m trying to do as much as I can to help my team win.”
At the moment, Thibodeaux has registered 10.5 sacks in only 11 games so far this season, putting him only 2.5 sacks behind the pace set by Defensive Player of the Year favorite. Additionally, Thibodeaux is one of only three rookies or second-year players in the past six seasons who have reached 10 sacks over the first 11 games, along with TJ Watt and Micah Parsons. But although Garrett is the player Thibodeaux has long looked up to and there's certainly no shortage of dominant edge rushers in the NFL today, we need to start measuring Thibodeaux's accolades on the field versus previous members of the New York Giants.
It's worth noting that only 11 games into the season, Kayvon Thibodeaux has more sacks in his second year in the NFL than Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck AND Lawrence Taylor did in their sophomore seasons in the league. Michael Strahan didn't notch a double-digit sack season until his fifth year with the G-Men. Does that mean that Thibodeaux is going to follow in the footsteps of each of those Giants legends and help lead New York to a Super Bowl title? I think we can probably slow down before going that far, but the early praise for Thibodeaux coming out of New York seems legit.
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“He really works hard at his craft. He meets a lot with the coaches,” head coach Brian Daboll said in the same New York Post story. “Last week, I went in there, and he was kind of running a meeting with a bunch of the defensive guys, too. So that’s a good thing to see.”
One of Thibodeaux's teammates on the Giants D, Bobby Okereke, added, “He has 10.5 sacks as a pass-rusher, but his understanding and emphasis on the run game is bringing the whole group together. Kayvon has so much potential, not just as an athlete but as a leader. He has those qualities and he gets what it takes for it to be great.”
Thibodeaux is putting it all together and we're seeing it in real time. There hasn't been a lot to be happy with if you're a New York Giants fan, but watching Thibodeaux emerge as a force is definitely worth cracking a smile for.
