Kayvon Thibodeaux Responds to Jeff Saturday over Nick Floes sack celebration
5Kayvon Thibodeaux Responds to Jeff Saturday over Nick Floes sack celebration
New York Giants rookie outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux isn't concerned with the criticism that Indianapolis Colts coach Jeff Saturday had about his sack celebration next to injured quarterback Nick Foles on Sunday.
"I don't know who he is," Thibodeaux said Wednesday. "So I'm not really too concerned about people who comment on me, and I don't know."
Saturday is the Colts' interim head coach. As a player, he was a six-time Pro Bowl center, and after retiring, he served as an ESPN analyst.
On Monday, he called Thibodeaux's celebration "trash" and "tasteless." This came after Thibodeaux did snow angels next to Foles as the quarterback laid on the field injured.
Foles eventually walked off after receiving medical treatment for a rib injury, but needed the cart to take him to the locker room. Saturday said he was also disappointed in his offensive linemen for not protecting their quarterback.
Thibodeaux said after the game, and then reiterated Wednesday, that he didn't know that Foles was injured while he was doing the snow angels or when he was caught on camera moments later doing the Steph Curry put-'em-to-sleep celebration while Foles was still down.
"People can say anything about anything. So I'm not really too worried about what people say," Thibodeaux said. "I play this game to be successful, and the only way I'm successful is if I take down quarterbacks. So that is what I get paid to do. That is what I did. And the celebrations are legal in football. I celebrated, and God willing he continues to get better and recover."
Thibodeaux came off the edge unblocked on a third-down play late in the second quarter of Sunday's 38-10 Giants victory. He blasted Foles from behind to record the key sack that forced a punt.
The Giants subsequently kicked a field goal to take a commanding lead at halftime.
"This is what people don't understand. After you make a play and I look to the sideline and my team calls for the special teams to go out there, I don't look back to see who is on the field," Thibodeaux said. "I never look back. There is no looking back. Once you go straight to the sideline, we sent them home.
"At that point, the game is over. Once you get the ball back and you knock 'em out again, as far as them as an offense, and you end it, it's over."
Thibodeaux was the fifth overall pick in this year's draft out of Oregon. He has 49 tackles, four sacks and a touchdown on a strip sack.
Giants coach Brian Daboll downplayed the incident earlier in the week. Thibodeaux said it wasn't something the team addressed with him in the time since.
"You don't play the game for anyone to get injured," he said. "But I play defense. They brought me here to be a savage and to take over the game and impact the game. We preach impacting the game is affecting the quarterback. That is what I'm here to do."