Kaivon Thibodeaux has no recriminations about the snow angel celebration he launched inches away from a fallen Nick Foles, the Colts’ quarterback after a blindside sack left Foles with a rib injury last Sunday. He drove him out of his mind.
“So what should I do now? Every time I sack a quarterback, stop and look and make sure and help him?””””””””””””’ “You don’t play for anybody to get hurt.
“But I play defense. They brought me in here to be a monster and take over the game and impact the game. We emphasize that impact the game impacts the quarterback. and that’s what I’m here to do.”
Thibodaux certainly had an impact in the Giants’ 38-10 playoff victory, beating Foles in the second quarter with a legitimate and brutal hit. Thibodaux immediately hit the dry turf and, waving his arms and legs behind him, celebrated the sack with a snow angel at MetLife Stadium, while Foles went down and the coaches attended.
A day later, Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday said of Thibodeau’s antics: “After the celebration, no flavor, just garbage. He’s not a fan at all.”
He also ripped his offensive line for not supporting Foles on Saturday, saying after the game that he didn’t realize Foles was injured during the celebration.
Thibodeau was puzzled when asked if he reached out to Foles, who won’t play in the Colts’ final game this weekend, or to explain that he won’t do any harm with his celebration on Saturday. Thibodeau said he did not.
Kaivon Thibodeau celebrates with a snow angel after sacking Nick Foles during the Giants-Colts game on Jan. 1, 2023.
Kaivon Thibodeau celebrates with a snow angel after sacking Nick Foles during the Giants-Colts game on Jan. 1, 2023.
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“You don’t play the game to intentionally hurt anybody, but that’s the nature of the sport, so you keep it moving,” Thibodeau said. “People can talk about anything. I don’t worry too much about what people say. I know what the goal is – I play this game to be successful, and the only way I’m going to be successful is to destroy quarterbacks. I get paid, I did, and celebrations are legal in football. I celebrated and, God willing, he continues to improve and recover.”
As for Saturday — a Pro Bowl center during his playing days — Thibodeaux didn’t care much, calling the celebration “trash” and “tasteless.”
“I don’t know who he is, so I don’t really worry about people making comments about me and I don’t know them,” she said.
The optics of the moment — a rookie quarterback with his hands and feet on the ground while a seasoned quarterback was in distress — didn’t resonate with Thibodeau.
“Who is the gatekeeper of what to do when?” he said. “Once we figure out who the goalie is, we can write the rules and then we can set up the storylines and stuff like that. Until you’re in the sport and you’re in it and you’re at that point you can’t create a story.”
After Thibodeau came off the court, he gave the crowd behind the Giants’ bench a “night-night” gesture, mimicking what Warriors’ Stephen Curry did by putting his hands over his face after a big three. performance, as if he put the opposing team to sleep. Thibodeau’s gesture came as Foles was being attended to by medical personnel on the field with the Giants leading 21-3.
“People don’t understand that,” Thibodeau said. “I don’t look back to see who’s on the field. I will never look back. If you go straight to the curb, we sent them home. At that point it was game over. Once you get the ball back, knock them out again, if they foul and you finish it off, it’s over.
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