Was Type of Block That Injured Kayvon Thibodeaux Really Necessary?

Yes, the block that injured Kayvon Thibodeaux was legal. But was the type of block really necessary?

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Aug 23, 2022 10:49 AM EDT

In this story:

New York Giants outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux got extremely lucky when a low--and legal--block against him by Thaddeus Moss in Sunday's preseason win against the Cincinnati Bengals did not result in the dreaded torn ACL injury that initially looked to be the case.

Thibodeaux, who walked off the field under his own power and who after the game was seen minus any visible walking aid, was diagnosed with a sprained MCL, which will keep him out between three and four weeks, putting his availability for the giants' regular-season opener at Tennessee in question.

This is not the scenario the Giants wanted for one of their star defensive players who, as a rookie, needs all the preseason practice reps and snaps he can get. But considering the worst-case scenario, a torn ACL (which was suffered by Darrian Beavers during a noncontact moment), the Giants are no doubt breathing a sigh of relief that Thibodeaux will be back sooner than later.

"I’d say it’s day-to-day, really," head coach Brian Daboll said of Thibodeaux's timeline. "I’m not forecasting when a player can come back or not come back. I know he’ll come in and get treatment. We’ll take it day-by-day, and when he’s ready to go out there, that’s when we’ll put him out there."

Daboll, for those wondering, might not have liked the outcome of Moss' block, but he also took it for what it was.

“Well, that’s the rules,” Daboll said after Sunday night's game. “You know, if they can. ... if they allow it, you know we do it as well with tight ends and fullbacks going back to the line of scrimmage, so we gotta do a good job playing it. It’s a tough block, but whatever the rules are, those are the rules.”

Daboll also hinted there was a teaching moment in that block for Thibodeaux to learn from.

"Yeah, those are tough blocks – the blocks that are coming from across the line of scrimmage within the tackle box," he said.

"You got to see it, and then you’ve got to do a great job of trying to play with your hands. So, it’s unfortunate that KT went down. But that’s part of the game."

So while the block was legal and presented a teaching moment, the problem is the type of block was unnecessary. Yes, Moss had to find a way to stop Thibodeaux, but the tight end is 6-foot-3 and 249 pounds, just two inches shorter than Thibodeaux.

Was that low block against Thibodeaux really necessary? If there had been more of a size differential, maybe then a case could be made for going low could have been made (though diving at someone's knees is never okay).

Yet here things are today. Thibodeaux is sidelined, even if it's not for the entire season. The Giants are suddenly looking (again) at how to pick up the pieces following the latest round of hits inflicted by the injury bug.

Check out more on the Giants-Bengals preseason game in the video above featuring the latest "Tommy's Takes" episode featuring TommyG105.