Giants New Dynamic Duo Set to Take Gotham (and NFL) by Storm

Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns have formed a scary-looking pass-rush duo on whom the Giants are counting this season.

Jul 26, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) and New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns (0) break on the sideline during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. / Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports

Move over, Batman and Robin because there’s a new dynamic duo in Gotham ready to take the area by storm.

That would be New York Giants outside linebackers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns, a duo that since the pads have gone on, have been virtually unstoppable by offensive line combinations and, in Burns’s case, by a slight ankle injury which he shook off Tuesday so he and Thibodeaux could team up to make life miserable mostly for starting quarterback Daniel Jones.  

The 23-year-old Thibodeaux and the 26-year-old Burns have formed a special bond as teammates and friends to where they often challenge each other through competition. 

For example, whoever isn’t first to record a “sack” in practice has to do pushups or sprints.

“Oh yeah, every time a drive goes out, we try to give us a little edge to go make a play,” Thibodeaux said Tuesday with a grin.  

The two have, according to teammates, been inseparable, studying film and  bouncing ideas off one another, all the while pushing each other to be the best he can be. 

“I think the first step is just the standard,” Thibodeaux said when asked how the two of them play off each other. 

“We set the standard in individual drills and team drills and how we play, and then we start to really use each other's skill set to grow each other’s. So, for him, he's a fast, twitchy guy. I'm more of a long, powerful guy. And I can show him a few things. He can show me a few things.”

They also have formed that kind of on-the-field bond where each knows what the other is going to do on any given play to where they strike up a balanced pass rush attack.  

“That's kind of the key to a good rush is having balance and the view of the quarterback,” Thibodeaux said. “So, just understand that if he's going speed, I'm going power. If I'm going speed, he's going power. If he goes inside, I go outside. …  It's just knowing what a guy likes and being able to see it on the field.”

It’s also about celebrating the other’s successes.

“Yeah, I think the best part about playing team ball is that you get to celebrate other people. Out there, we're playing physical, we're playing fast, we're playing our style,” Thibodeaux said. 

“So, we're able to celebrate each other's wins. It’s on different aspects of the game, but seeing guys run and hit, seeing guys make plays in the air, seeing D-lineman win rushes or set edges, it's something beautiful to see. Now we're putting it together, and it's always good when you can dominate offense.”

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