Getty New York Giants' defensive coordinator Don 'Wink' Martindale has given his verdict on Kayvon Thibodeaux's performances.
Don ‘Wink’ Martindale believes the New York Giants are using edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux the right way, despite the fifth-overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft struggling to generate pressure in his second season.
Thibodeaux has just one sack after three games, but his defensive coordinator doesn’t think the issue is how often he lets the outside linebacker rush the passer. Instead, Martindale told reporters Thibodeaux “gets turned loose as many times as we need to turn him loose,” per SNY.tv’s Giants Videos.
“He gets turned loose as many times as we need to turn him loose.”
Wink Martindale was asked about Kayvon Thibodeaux’s usage and turning him loose in the pass rush:
Martindale went on to insist the Giants are a “defense that keeps offenses guessing.” That creative approach demands more than just pass-rushing from an edge defender, with the play-caller noting how the scheme “involves him (Thibodeaux) sometimes rushing, sometimes dropping.”
While he defended his use of X’s and O’s, Martindale can’t ignore Thibodeaux’s lack of production. Yet, the DC says “there is no panic,” per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan: “Is there concern, no? I just think he’s a good football player and it’s going to work out. I really do.”
Wink Martindale insists that Kayvon Thibodeaux will be just fine.
“To me there is no panic. Is there concern, no? I just think he’s a good football player and it’s going to work out. I really do.”
Thibodeaux may have the faith of his coach, but other observers have reason to be less confident about the edge-rusher’s indifferent performances.
Top-5 Pick Not Playing Up to Billing
Generating pressure is what the Giants drafted Thibodeaux to do, but he’s been missing in action for most of this young season. The former Oregon standout has mustered a mere two pressures, per Pro Football Reference. Thibodeaux is also graded at just 51.5 from 76 pass-rush snaps by Pro Football Focus.
Those numbers reveal how Thibodeaux is not only failing to show up on the stat sheet. He’s not even making an impact by creating pressure and helping others make plays.
His absence has been noted more than once this season, with Raanan citing Next Gen Stats to show “Thibodeaux did not have a tackle, sack or QB pressure in the first half” of Week 2’s 31-28 comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals.
SB Nation’s Big Blue View also cited Next Gen Stats to highlight how Thibodeaux is struggling to even get close to quarterbacks.
This chart from @NextGenStats is another indication of how little impact Kayvon Thibodeaux had Sunday. He has to be better than this.
The pattern is clear. Thibodeaux isn’t making the most of his opportunities to rush the pocket, but there’s still an argument to be made he could be sent after passers more often.
Martindale’s Play-Calling Not Helping Thibodeaux
Martindale’s explanation for how Thibodeaux is being used doesn’t quite add up. He’s blitzed just twice so far this season. That’s an oddly small number given how often Martindale likes to send extra rushers.
His unit blitzed on 33 of 39 pass plays against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3, per Next Gen Stats.
The Giants blitzed Brock Prudy on 33 of his 39 dropbacks (84.6%), the highest blitz rate in a game in the NGS era.
Likewise, Purdy averaged the fastest time to throw of his career (2.34 seconds).
💡 Purdy vs Blitz: 20/31, 247 yards, 2 TD
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The problem is Thibodeaux didn’t blitz at all against the 49ers, according to Pro Football Reference. Instead, Martindale chose to send safety Jason Pinnock five times while fellow defensive back Xavier McKinney blitzed four times, the same number as inside linebacker Micah McFadden.
It spoke volumes about how Thibodeaux is being used that his first-quarter sack of San Francisco QB1 Brock Purdy was a coverage takedown.
Kayvon Thibodeaux’s first sack of the season 😤 @kayvont
#NYGvsSF on Prime Video
Also available on #NFLPlus t.co/qDMTitTfP0
The numbers are telling facts Martindale hasn’t acknowledged. Specifically, how there’s truth to the narrative Thibodeaux isn’t spending enough time using his skills as a pass-rusher.
It’s why former Giants’ outside linebacker Carl Banks, who won two Super Bowls with Big Blue, defended Thibodeaux from accusations of being a draft bust. Banks is right to sound a note of caution about the way Thibodeaux is being deployed, although the onus ultimately remains on the player to make the most of every snap.
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