Tag Archives: Terrell Thomas

Worried about how the Giants D will match up against the likes of DeSean Jackson and Dez Bryant?  Giants’ should-be pro bowler Terrell Thomas isn’t.

“When you play in the NFC East, you are going against three wide receivers. Go look at Dallas, look at the Eagles, they have all three wide receivers.”

“Prince will give us a lot more depth, Aaron having another healthy year, getting Bruce Johnson back, Michael Coe came on very strong,” Thomas said. “I think we are going to be a pretty good defense.”

Thomas is, of course, referring to first round pick Prince Amukamara.  In an article by Ohm Youngmisuk’s of ESPN New York, Thomas lauded the pick of Amukamara, even if it could have consequences on his own playing time.

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Tagged New York Giants, prince amukamara, Terrell Thomas |

Tagged Aaron Ross, Corey Webster, prince amukamara, Terrell Thomas |

1. Terrell Thomas

Much like Hakeem Nicks was on the offensive side of the ball, Terrell Thomas was the breakout star of the Giants’ defense.

It’s hard to imagine that going into the season, some Giants fans wanted Aaron Ross to start over Thomas opposite Corey Webster.  Thomas showed promise in his rookie season as a second round pick out of USC, and established himself as a starter in the NFL in his second season, but some still favored Ross’ superior raw skills.

In his third season, Thomas took a giant step forward, improving in almost every aspect of his game.  He led the Giants with five interceptions, and his 21 passes defensed were third in the NFL.  Most impressively, he led the Giants with 101 total tackles, which is most in the NFL for a CB.  His four forced fumbles were tied for tenth in the league.

Thomas was one of the brightest bright spots for the 2010 season, and an argument could be made that he was the team’s defensive MVP.  Antrel Rolle made the pro bowl, but anybody who watches the Giants can tell you that Thomas had the bigger impact this season.  Thomas was one of the bigger pro bowl snubs, but if he keeps playing the way he did this season, he will be playing in Hawaii before long (although I’d rather him have to skip the game to prepare for the Super Bowl).

Like everyone on the Giants, Thomas had some ups and downs.  The Giants struggled against some top tier passing offenses, and while Thomas is not above all criticism for these deficiencies, the problems certainly would have been far worse with out him.  He is one of the best tacklers on the team (not too often a cornerback leads a team in tackles), and he has great playmaking abilities.

As far as I’m concerned, Thomas is now the Giants’ best defensive player that does not play on the defensive line.  He’s not in the same class as guys like Revis or Asomugha, but he has established himself as one of the better starting CBs in the NFL.

#2: Hakeem Nicks

Tagged pleasant surprise, Terrell Thomas |

2007 was a defining year for the New York Giants. They came away from the NFL Draft with eight players, all of whom would make the team and contribute to the Super Bowl run later that season.

But in reviewing that draft here in 2011, I can’t help but catching myself on the glaring error the Giants may have made in the first round.

At the time, the Giants had Antonio Pierce at MLB and were not looking to daft an heir apparent to him. In retrospect, maybe they should have. At the time, though, it may not have been wise.

Pierce was signed to a five-year, $26 million dollar deal that would make him a Giant through 2009. He played well for the Giants, and fans have no regrets over his Giant career other than it was cut short by a neck injury.

That does not change the fact that they passed on Miami LB Jon Beason with the 20th pick to take Texas CB Aaron Ross in Round One. (Beason was taken five slots later by Carolina).

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Tagged Aaron Ross, Antonio Pierce, Brian Urlacher, Corey Webster, Jon Beason, New York Giants, New York Giants Blogs, Patrick Willis, Terrell Thomas |

I have never been a fan of NASCAR.  All those left turns.  But when it comes to football and the New York Giants, NASCAR means opposing quarterback’s are about to get hit.

Sunday night, big brother takes on little brother, but if the NY Giants are going to stand a chance of taking down the very pissed off Peyton Manning, they better bust out the NASCAR scheme on a regular basis.

NASCAR is when Osi, Tuck, Kiwi, and JPP take the field at one time.  In Fewell’s hybrid system, Kiwi can lineup as a defensive end or a linebacker.  I’m not sure why it took so long for Fewell to let the dogs lose against Carolina, but now that we’ve seen it, we want it and we want it often.

Peyton Manning will not take kindly to going 0-2 and if anyone thinks No. 18 is going to just lay down, they must not be following Peyton’s career.  The comeback kid can match up with the best of them, and I’m sure he has no plans to let little brother beat him, especially at home in Indianapolis.

Rolle, Phillips, Grant, Webster, and Thomas are a HUGE improvement over CC Brown, Aaron Rouse, and Kevin Dockery. So if the race cars upfront can turn up the heat on Peyton, who doesn’t get hit very often, there might be a chance to continue the turn over game in the Giants favor.

Tagged Antrel Rolle, Corey Webster, Eli Manning, Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, Kenny Phillips, Mathias Kiwanuka, Osi Umenyiora, Perry Fewell, Peyton Manning, Terrell Thomas |

Moss’ setback is just one in a long, long list.  One would have to think that the emergence of Victor Cruz, coupled with this injury, will spell the end for Sinorice in Blue and Red.  Don’t worry though, he shouldn’t have a hard time finding a new team willing to roll the dice.

Tagged New York Giants, Sinorice Moss, Terrell Thomas |

If you’ve been paying attention over the past two days, you
are well aware of the mounting injuries infesting the Giants locker room.  The injuries are hampering nearly every
position group and with September fast approaching, the Giants front office has a mess on its hands.

In a matter of days, the organization will be forced to finalize the 53 man roster and thus compile a rough depth chart.  The injury to Aaron Ross, cripples the team.

Ross is suffering from plantar fasciitis, the same injury Eli Manning played through (successfully) a year ago.  Unfortunately, Manning is far from a scrambling
QB and while it may have been tough to fight through, Manning never had to truly test his injured foot.

Ross depends on his feet to play all three of the positions that the Giants are counting on him for (cornerback, reserve safety,
returner).  If Ross needs to miss significant time because his injury precludes him from cutting or running at a fast enough speed,
the Giants will lose another multi-use player of value.

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Tagged Aaron Ross, Antrel Rolle, Corey Webster, Kenny Phillips, Scott Chandler, Terrell Thomas, Tim Brown, Travis Beckum, Victor Cruz |

Defense Aware Of What Is At Stake in 2010

After a disappointing end to a promising 5-0 start last year, and an epic collapse in the final month of the 2008  season, the Giants recognized that changes needed to be made; one of which lead to the release of former Giants’ linebacker Antonio Pierce.

Although Pierce may have exited the New York spotlight, that didn’t stop him from grabbing some of its headlines this off-season when he publicly stated both player and coaching personnel within the Giants organization were on “high alert”; the fascinating part about all of this is that he is not alone.

“I think he’s right on key with that,” Giants defensive back Terrell Thomas said. “The last two years have been very disappointing, coming off a Super Bowl win, coming back with a 12-win season, and losing in playoffs early on, and then coming back the following year going 5-0, and then pretty much going on a roller coaster ride ever since then, its been up and down since then. We have to find a way to overcome that.”

Thomas was not the only Giant who could relate to the comments Pierce made, however, according to Giants defensive end Justin Tuck, the words high alert don’t mean much to him.

“I’m not on high alert, not at all, said Tuck. I have nothing to be on high alert about, but I understand where he is coming from. We didn’t have, by our standards, a successful year last year. There are 16 other teams in the NFL that would have loved an 8-8 year, but you know for us that is unacceptable.”

The Giants have already experienced quite the personnel shakeup with a new defensive line coach and coordinator, roster additions such as Antrel Rolle, and a draft filled with rookies who will undoubtedly be competing for playing time.

With that said, if New York experiences another disappointing season, Giants co-owner John Mara has certainly shown he is not  afraid to make any necessary changes he sees fit.

Tagged Antonio Pierce, Antrel Rolle, Giants Defense, Justin Tuck, New York Giants, New York Giants News, Terrell Thomas | Newer posts →