Brian Daboll knew how Kayvon Thibodeaux would handle not having a sack five games into his rookie season because the Giants head coach asked the first-round draft pick about it the first time that they met.
In a meeting at the NFL combine in February, Daboll accidentally spoke of a possible scenario in which Thibodeaux was playing for the Giants and facing mounting pressure to get his first sack after five games.
“We’re going to figure out how next week we’re going to take advantage of whoever we play and get three sacks,” Thibodeaux said at the time, per Giants.com.
Well, the time is here, though Thibodeaux has played just three of the Giants’ first five games after he sprained his right MCL during the preseason. How has Thibodeaux handled it?
“He’s steadily improved,” Daboll said. “Obviously don’t have a sack, but as long as he’s continuing to affect the quarterback and doing the things we ask him to do, I think he’s made a lot of good progress for us.”
Thibodeaux has nine pressures in three games, after missing the first two. What no one will say without criticizing officials and becoming subject to a fine is that the film shows Thibodeaux’s first-step quickness is forcing offensive line holding, from which he has not yet reaped rewards.
“The things that don’t show up in the stat sheet show up on film,” outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins said. “He’s got such great pursuit to the football. His get-off in his stance has been outstanding. He’s playing great run defense. He took away a couple key throws in his coverage and made the quarterback go the other way. Really, in all those areas, he’s affected the game.”
WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee), who is optimistic about playing Sunday after he missed the past four games, DT Leonard Williams (knee) and TE Tanner Hudson (illness) are listed as questionable on the injury report. OLB Azeez Ojulari (calf) is doubtful.
“We’ll get the final say [Saturday],” Robinson said. “This is definitely the best I’ve felt going into a game since the injury happened.”
The Giants have been using just four receivers, including practice-squad call-up Marcus Johnson, over the past two games. Sterling Shepard’s season-ending ACL tear, after the veteran returned from n Achilles tear that cut short his 2021 season, was a wake-up call for the rookie.
“There were definitely some days I was really down and didn’t feel like I could get out of a hole,” Robinson said. “Shep going through injuries like that and being up here every day and seeing that he still came with a smile on his face and was excited about everything, I was like, ‘I’m not out for the year and he is, so I can do what I need to do to try and get better.’ ”
DBs Cor’Dale Flott (calf), Tony Jefferson (foot) and Jason Pinnock (ankle) and WRs Kenny Golladay (knee) and Kadarius Toney (hamstring) have been ruled out for Sunday. It will be the third straight game missed by Toney and Flott and the second for Golladay, but the Giants have been reluctant to use the short-term injured reserve this season, as shown during Robinson’s absence.
Is that because players are not healing as fast as expected, or because the Giants are tight against the salary cap and general manager Joe Schoen can’t afford to spend on replacement roster costs?
“Every situation is a little different,” Daboll said. “Joe and I talk about all of those different things every day. We just try to do what’s best for our team.”
Consider it noteworthy that Daboll did not just rule out the salary-cap reason. Injured reserve is not retroactive, so any player added now must miss four more games.
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