Kayvon Thibodeaux Feels Better Prepared in Second Season

It's not uncommon for rookies, particularly those drafted high in the first round, to hit the NFL thinking that the transition from college to the pros will be relatively smooth.

Giants outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, who is currently enjoying something of a breakout season in which, since Week 3, he's recorded at least one sack in every game except for Week 6, admitted he had to refocus his thought process to ensure his preparedness for an NFL season.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday in front of his locker, Thibodeaux, who rarely comes off the field, confessed that he wasn't as prepared as he could have been to do the heavy lifting that he's been asked to do this season.

"It’s all about conditioning, it’s all about what you do in the offseason, and that’s kind of what I prided myself in knowing that last year I felt like I wasn’t prepared and coming in and playing every snap, and this year I knew what it was going to be," he said.

The transition from the college game, which has a far shorter season than the NFL, can and does often take its toll on a player just starting his NFL career. But Thibodeaux not only sought to attack the deficiencies in his game, he also sought to update his training, diet, and rest and recovery schedules so that he can give his all every week.

"Week 9--you ask anybody how they feel, they feel terrible. You ask a rookie how he feels, he wants to quit (laughs). You know, by the time Week 12 comes, then it’s like, when you go from training all season, you just played a college season, and then you are at the combine and doing all this, so now it’s like you come to the NFL it’s like, ‘I’ve been going for football for a year straight basically,’" he said.

"Now it’s like, 'Okay, I’m also playing 60 snaps, and the tempo is faster.' It’s kind of just processing, and now I have been able to kind of update my recovery, update my training, update my mind, so now that things have slowed down on the field, which can make me play faster and do things better."

Related: A Look at OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux's Impact on the Giants Defense

The results have certainly favored the former Oregon defender. Thibodeaux leads the Giants with 8.5 sacks and is tied for third with T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett in that category.

"The more opportunities you get to pass rush, the more plays you are able to make," he said. "When you get one-on-ones and things like that, you can take advantage of them if you stay consistent in your technique. Things have been good so far."

Thibodeaux is also on his way to becoming the first defender in a Wink Martindale-orchestrated defense to record double-digit sacks in a single season.

"I mean, honestly, it would be a blessing, I guess," he said. "Right now, I’m at 8.5 sacks, most sacks I’ve ever had in the NFL, so it’s like, it’s only up from here. The bar keeps continuing to move, and I’m proud of that."

Martindale said the improvement in Thibodeaux's game has been easy to see.

"Everything," he said when asked where Thibodeaux has improved the most. "Everything from the classroom in there with (outside linebackers coach) Drew (Wilkins) and studying the tackles, and he's perfecting his moves and counters and things like that. He's taking advantage of situations when he gets one-on-ones.

"You guys know how I feel about Kayvon," Martindale added. "I stand up here and say it every day. I told him, hell, I feel like I'm his attorney sometimes standing up here. I think he's a great person. He’s becoming a leader of this defense as well. I think that his hard work is paying off for him."

The sacks are just a start for Thibodeaux, whose priority is to help the Giants defense be a top unit league-wide. But he also admits that he has his eye on a couple of individual goals which, if he can achieve them, can help the bigger picture.

"I want to make the Pro Bowl--that would be amazing. I do want to be in the running for the Defensive Player of the Year," he said. "Obviously, we are not playing the best as a team, so individual success doesn’t come without team success, so I’m not worried about it, but it's dope to be in this position and be a guy that is successful too."