Kayvon Thibodeaux Excited to Make His MetLife Stadium Preseason Debut

Thibodeaux is projected to take the field for the first time with Azeez Ojulari, the Giants pass rushing duo of the future.

Author:
Gene Clemons
Publish date:
Aug 20, 2022 3:48 PM EDT

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New York Giants

By all accounts, New York Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux was a pretty effective pass rusher at the University of Oregon.

But that was just the rookie scratching the surface of how good he can really be, which has been a focus in his first NFL training camp.

"Definitely. I think that’s the nature of the game," Thibodeaux said this week. "When you get people that are bigger, faster, and stronger, things move a little quicker. There is more strategy in every play; yeah, you have to sharpen all your tools.

"I feel like it varies with every person, but I feel like you can’t use every move on every person. You have to know, specifically who you’re going against, and you have to tailor your moves to that."

Thibodeaux was asked about his "go-to" pass rush move, and he said he liked a long arm and some speed. The long arm is designed to control while keeping distance from an offensive lineman so that you can control the amount of engagement.

"Just being able to be dynamic with your force and the motion and then being able to kind of control the other person’s momentum," he added.

The preseason serves as the perfect place for Thibodeaux to test out his new pass rush innovations. As he wrapped up preparations for his second preseason start, Thibodeaux is hoping to see more action, which will give him a chance to put all the things he has been working on into practice in a live game against another team.

"Hopefully, I get a little bit more of a run in the second preseason game. Definitely just trying to refine and realize that you only have so many rushes, and you only have so many plays to dominate. So just making sure that I don’t leave any out there," he said.

During the regular season, defenders are not only studying the opposing offense but also the specific players there will be lined up against during the game. In the preseason, most teams don't spend time scouting their opponent, the focus is on self-improvement.

"The fact that we aren’t game-planning for the other team gives us players a little bit more of an edge knowing that I have no real idea of who I am playing against, and I have to go out there and execute. So, as a pass rusher, it lets you know who has been working on their moves."

With only a couple of weeks remaining until the regular season begins, the other outside linebacker who figures prominently into the Giants plans this season is Azeez Ojulari, who has recently returned to practice after recovering from a hamstring strain.

"It’s been great," Thibodeaux said of pairing up with Ojulari. "He’s a great player, and now that he’s back, we get to have his presence and get to continue to build that team camaraderie. It’s been great. I’m excited to keep it going."

With that camaraderie comes the challenge of living up to the former Georgia Bulldog's record-setting first season with Big Blue, in which he finished with a team-high 8.5 sacks, also the most ever for a Giants rookie since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.

"I told him yesterday in the meeting, like everything he does, I want to do it better," Thibodeaux said. "Whether it’s eating, sleeping, or breathing, I will try to do it better. So, just continuing to set a standard and continuing to chase and create that competitive banter."

If Ojulari, recently activated off NFI (hamstring), plays Sunday, that will give the Giants their first look at their starting pass-rushing duo of the future. And Thibodeaux is excited for the opportunity to take things to the next level in front of a MetLife Stadium home crowd in a game setting.

The other thing that continues to excite him is going up against the two young, talented offensive tackles, fellow rookie Evan Neal and left tackle Andrew Thomas.

"Yeah, I’ve been on the right because I’ve had this chip on my shoulder with Andrew just making sure that I continue to keep going after him. I’ve got to even up the score. He kind of got ahead a little bit, and I’ve got to even it back up."

That seems like a great way to prepare himself for the best the NFL has to offer at the position.